Green mountains
"Two million tourists", says Troy and takes another sip of Beerlao. "Two million foreign tourists come to Laos per year - to a country with only five million inhabitants." He leans back on the sofa of his modest apartment in the Lao capital Vientiane and continues: "Most of them follow the Southeast Asia tourists trail, coming from Thailand and sticking to a few highlight destinations like Luang Prabang that in peak seasons become helplessly overcrowded". "The problem is that many people don't realize that they enter a society with different values and traditions that should be respected", his wife adds: "I have seen a tourist walking in the streets of Luang Prabang, only covered with a towel."
Travellers looking for a genuine cultural experience might bemoan that mass backpacker tourism has taken over Laos, I think by myself, but it is not something I have to worry about: Cycling always helps you to get away from the crowds, and there are thousand of small villages around that most visitors only see through a bus window. But soon I realize that even touring foreigners are not a rare sights on Lao roads. Alone during the five days between Vientiane and Luang Prabang, I meet 17 fellow cyclists doing the trip from North to South. Some are on world cycling trips, others just follow the "Lonely Planet Cycling" guide to spend a few days or weeks in the saddle.
The impact on the people living along the road, however, seems to have been rather positive: Laos beats Cambodia and even Thailand with the amount of smiles I get. As soon as the first person in a village catches a glimpse of the approaching bicycle, the whole settlement seems to burst out in one big "Sabaai Dii". Children run to the streetside stretching out hands to give me high five, old women nod with a broad smile ... only the water buffaloes take it easy and remain sitting in their waterholes. Many of them have become redundant as agricultural machinese have taken over their ploughing job.
The agricultural plain around Vientiane quickly gives way to the green mountain ranges of Northern Laos. Ascents with an altitude difference of 1000m are not uncommon. Climbs of 20km take turns with equally long downhill sections that cools down my body while my brakes are smoking. Karst mountain peaks shrouded in mist, highland villages, swidden agriculture fields and breathtaking views over deep valleys line the road. Sun, clouds and fog alternate during the day, so that the mountain views gradually change as time passes.
The small guitar that I bought in Bangkok is still clung on my bicycle and whenever another spectacular view comes into sight, I sit down and play some low-key tunes to the mountains. Much more impressive, however, is what young Lao guys that I meet on the way come up with. "E", a student that accompanies me for the whole 113km ride from Luang Prabang to Pakmong presents his repertoire to me while I am fixing a loose pinion - including song from my compatriots "The Scorpions". And as another mountain camp soldier gets hold of my guitar, he doesn't give it away and continues to strum it and sing until his fellows have prepared food, shared it with me and sung along.
At least one positive impact of tourism, I pleasedly think while rolling down the next 20km descent: There's nothing wrong with music. It's just so sad that I'm not a good player.
19.06.2006 13:56h
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