Why driving in Vientiane is EXCITING

Disclaimer: Understand that I may be using exciting as a substitute for scary, dangerous, and nerve-wracking...and sometimes I actually mean exciting! :)

 The Roads
The roads in Vientiane are unpredictable.  One minute they are smooth and drive-able, and the next they are full of potholes craters, some of which seem big enough to swallow my little car.  What's worse is, because of the ever present rain (in the rainy season) and the fairly poor manner in which the roads are constructed, potholes are formed literally over night.  One night of storms leaves 50 new holes in a what was a smooth road yesterday.  This includes both dirt roads and paved roads.  Sometimes, the ground beneath the concrete just gives out, and boom- pothole.

The Dogs
Stupid frickety-frakkin dogs.  This country (ok, this city, at least) is over-run with dogs.  I don't think they are all stray, in fact, I think most of them might have owners- BUT most of them are "free-range."  Dogs wander the streets like they own them.  They are cheeky and confident.  They stand in the middle of the road watching you approach, and you must swerve around them (never mind oncoming traffic!).  If you were to hit one, believe me, especially as a foreigner, you'd be expected to take care of it, pay the vet's bills, etc.  So it's not worth playing chicken with them- but let's just say, I've already wondered aloud what eats dogs, because this city could use a few dog-eaters on the streets.  There are cows too, but, so far I have never seen a cow IN THE ROAD, only grazing on the side of the road, so so far, I'm ok with the cows.

The Drivers
I don't know what it takes to get a Lao driver's license if you're Lao.  I'm assuming you might have to take classes or pass a test.  I'm not sure if most driver's have licenses or not.  But in any case, the basic rule of the road seems to be, "Do as you like, react to that which is in front of you, don't look back."  Drivers drive as fast or slow as they like, sometimes they drive on the wrong side of the road (often to avoid potholes), they stop to do road-side shopping by parking their car in the right lane of traffic *maybe* half pulled off the road.  The only thing you can count on from any driver here, is that you cannot count on anything.  

Stupid rules
There are a few roundabouts in town, which, most people will agree are useful traffic aids.  They help traffic move along at a generally faster clip than lights do.  BUT, the rule for roundabouts here is that you have the right of way to ENTER the roundabout, but once you are IN IT, you have to yield to those cars entering from the next entrance!  Yes, I know.  Really.  Yeah.  STUPID.  Basically, completely defeats the point of a roundabout.

Also, most main roads in Vientiane are 4 lanes- two headed in one direction, two going the other way.  All along these roads though, instead of having left turn lanes (except at a couple lights) they just have openings in the medians where you can either turn or do a u-turn- so you end up stopping or slowing down all traffic as you turn.  Also, because as far as I can tell, these spots are used to do u-turns more often than not, and the roads are not that wide, the car turning has to make a wide turn, thereby blocking their whole side of the road.

Because the general attitude on the road is a bit everyone for themselves, turning in general can be tricky.  To turn left across traffic, or to turn left onto a road from another road, you won't generally get any kind of assisted opening to do so.  What you have to do is slowly inch your way out, pushing the nose of your car further and further out, until the oncoming traffic has no choice but to stop and let you turn (as they react to what is in front of them, and don't look back).  But, if you perhaps are being slightly more cautious and looking for an actual break in the traffic (so sue me, I'm just not used to driving that aggressively, and I'm not opposed to sitting for 30 seconds waiting for a break in traffic!) people will just turn right behind you!  That is, they'll come up your left side, and just snake you- so of course, it always happens that you've just spotted that break in traffic, but the person behind you had to be impatient, so right as you are turning left, you almost turn into them!  Not cool!!!!

Lack of signage
They are quite a number of fairly busy intersections in Vientiane that simply don't have ANY traffic control on them! No stops signs, no yield signs, no lights, no NOTHING.  You just have to approach them slowly, evaluate, do the whole inch your nose out slowly, and then go and hope other cars yield to you.  I have to admit, my stomach always does a little clench when I get to these spots!

Parking and road-side shops
The curbs in Vientiane are painted all sorts of ways- red and black blocks, black and white blocks, solid yellow, solid red (I think).  I honestly don't know what they mean.  But mostly, it seems to me like people park wherever the heck they want.  On some roads people will just park on a busy road taking it from a two lane road, down to a one-laner.  But also what often happens is that shops either set up their merchandise all the way out on to the sidewalk, or sometimes they just set up right on the side of the road... so in spots where there used to be parking, there is now a store, so parking is pushed into traffic again, and roads are minimized down to one lane.  You get the picture.

Variety of vehicles/other things on the road
There are cars, trucks, semi-trucks, mopeds/motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, stupid freaking dogs, tuk-tuks, converted tractors and other farm equipment, and ice-cream carts as well as the local version of hot dog carts (I don't know what they sell exactly, but it's a moving food vendor) all on the road at the same time.  Add in the potholes, and OH BOY!  Add in again the amount of these drivers that choose to drive in the wrong direction and OH BOY OH BOY!  There is more to look out for than you can imagine.  

Lighting  
It gets dark in Vientiane between 6 and 7, so, inevitably, sometimes you have to drive in the dark.  I think most main roads have street lights, but, they vary in quality and brightness and being burnt out.  Smaller roads (like our road) have no street lights.  But that is what headlights are for right?  Well, yes, except add in all those various vehicles and pedestrians I mentioned before, many of whom don't have lights on their body/vehicle, and driving in the dark can often feel like.... well, driving in the dark, hoping you spot other road occupants before you hit them. Also, a lot of people here drive big trucks (whether pick up trucks or like heavy duty dump trucks and stuff) because of either the work they are doing or just because they handle the roads better, and because those cars sit higher, their headlights just shine RIGHT into my eyes while driving.  I am much like a deer in that I cannot look away and get blinded.  It is stupid.  The extra attention I have to pay to keeping my eyes on the road instead of staring into the light is stupid, and certainly makes for more dangerous driving!

Given all of these issues that make driving exciting, I'm nonetheless, glad to be doing it.  Driving yourself around has a sense of freedom that you can't get any other way in a city that doesn't have public transportation.  So I'm adjusting to driving a little crazier than I ever have- because believe it or not, this is the first foreign country I've ever driven in (well, except Canada, but that doesn't really count!).  I never had the opportunity to get behind the wheel in any of my other foreign posts- mostly because I never had a car available (especially because I don't know how to drive a stick).  So it's pretty cool for me to be a driver here.  I even have a Lao license.  All I had to do was turn in my American license for a day, and I got it plus the Lao one back the next day.  So I'm enjoying it, and every successful trip out boosts my confidence a bit more.  Finding my way around, not getting lost, and not getting in accidents are all highlights of most days. :)

What's the craziest place you've ever driven???

Highs and lows of the last two days...

What's say we start with the lows and just get them out of the way, and then end on the wonderful highs?

Last night I was making some bok choy for dinner.  I rinsed it quickly because Beni was already over-tired, wanting to take a bath and go to bed. I cut off the ends (where lots of dirt gets stuck sometimes).  Then I threw the bok choy in the pan to stir-fry, when all of a sudden I noticed THE WORM that fell out of my boy choy and was now sizzling in the wok.  I was using chopsticks to stir, so I just picked up the worm, threw him in the garbage, swallowed that little bit of vomit that was creeping up my throat, and finished cooking my bok choy.  Then I ate it.  Finding worms in my food = seriously lowest point of the whole day yesterday.

I can only hope that today's low point has already happened... here's how it went.  I have to start by saying that the whole garbage situation was never really explained to us- and maybe it's never really explained to anyone, but, the point is, we don't really know how to handle it.   Last Thursday, Joel had already left for work, when he remembered that it was garbage day.  So I got a text asking to put the garbage out, and I did it.  I took the fancy basket we received the other week, filled with our stuff, and put it at the end of our driveway, as it seemed other people on our street were doing.  Well, a few minutes later, I see the maid from across the street come over and drag our garbage on to her side of the street.  OK.  Maybe they only pick up from one side.  Fair enough.  Well, they didn't pick up until fairly late in the day, but then, at the end of the day, I realized that all the garbage receptacles, including our lovely basket, were cleared from the side of the road....except they were just gone.  As in, OUR BASKET was not in our driveway, yard or anywhere else.  So, now we don't have a basket.  Also, last week, when I was putting the garbage out, there were a couple boxes left over from our packing that had been left out in the driveway in the rain.  Needless to say they were a sopping mess, and I didn't feel like dealing with them, so I left them.  BIG MISTAKE.

So this morning, I get another text from Joel, "Just realized as I'm driving down the street- it's Thursday and garbage day!  Can you put the garbage out?"  Urgh! But of course, what am I going to do...have to put the garbage out!  We had more empty boxes to get rid of, so, I already planned that I would take one of the empty boxes outside, pick up the mess of leftover boxes from last week, throw them in there and then haul it all out.  Good plan.  And it worked.  But it almost made me skip eating today at all, and I have washed my hands like 10 times since, and I'm pretty sure I did puke.  Because, in the last week, there happened to have been a bag of kitchen furniture in those boxes as well.  So when I went to move them the ants swarm nearly ate me, and the inch long maggots started dropping out left and right.  Oh FFS I just threw up again.  And now I need another shower.  DISGUSTING.

I don't like bugs.  Ask my husband, he would lives with me in climates where bugs abound, and he has to kill every roach I come across.  He's well and truly fed up with my inability to deal with a bug like a roach when I come across it, but, I just can't.  I'd have to take another shower.  ICK.

So there you go, as I said, I can only hope that I don't have any moments that are lower than that today!

Now, the high points!  Yes!  The last two days have had some very, very high points!!!

Yesterday was a fun day because my SIL and I took the babies and went to Thailand!  Just for the day.  Just for some shopping and a stop in at Starbucks!  Oooh yeah! I just think it's cool that I can go to Thailand for a day trip. I mean, ok, I get it, going to Thailand conjures up images of laying on a beach, drinking cocktails and eating phad thai, and that is hardly what we were doing, but still... we went to Thailand for the day!  The amazing thing is how, for whatever reason, you can have shops and order and cleanliness and what not that you just don't have over here just over the border.

So SIL and I went to a big cash and carry (Americans, think Sams or Costco) and picked up random bits of things in bulk- things like chips and Coke for a certain someone, for the house things like dish soap, hangers, toilet paper and a few more kitchen gadgets (some serving bowls, serving spoons, a whisk, a small pan...).  Then we went to a grocery store that is a proper grocery store plus more- Meijer, Woolworths, Shoprite

After a long day shopping in those two stores- at one point even carrying a sleeping Beni in one arm while shopping/pushing the cart with the other arm- I was tired, and LORD did I need to use the bathroom.  We made our way to the Starbucks right there in the same shopping mall, and took a much needed break.  I got my favorite drink- a caramel macchiato made with soy milk...and savored it as much as you can when you have to keep track of a fussy, over-tired 1 year old! It was lovely.    

When we got home, only a short time later, Joel came home with the highest high of the day.  Our new car!!!   It is a 4 door VW Golf.  It has a hatchback- but a surprisingly large trunk space.  It's a late 90s model, but has less than 74,000kms on it- so less than 45,000 miles.  It has a few little things that need fixing, and it's not fancy, but, I tell ya what... it holds the lot of us- and will be big enough for two cars seats if there is the need ever.  It has room for our stuff in the back.  And it GOES!  And the air con works.  Thank goodness. :)  

So here she is... 

As I said, nothing fancy, but it is clean, doesn't look overly worn... 

(the floor is already dirty from me driving two trips...)

Plenty of room for Beni in the backseat...

From behind...

The only challenge Little Blue is going to have is dealing with the pot holes around here.  The only reason I really wanted an SUV type car is because it rides higher, and would deal with pot holes better.  I have to crawl down some streets as I navigate around the craters in the road...but, I've been up and down the road a couple times now, and made it just fine.  So it's all good.  And yes, I have driven into town twice- once last night with Joel and Beni, and once this morning just Beni and I.  I didn't hit anything, didn't break any major traffic rules, and didn't get lost.  Yay! (This is actually the first time I've driven in a foreign country, if you don't count Canada, which really, you can't. ;) I have been trying to pay attention when we drive around here knowing that I would eventually be driving myself, but of course, there is a certain amount of learning that can only be done once you're actually behind the wheel.  So far so good though!

One down, one to go

 See my husband... proud new owner of his very own motorbike.  He went out early this Saturday morning, and returned a couple hours later with this!  He chose the all black... what do you think?

If we were locals, this is how Beni would also ride the motorbike.  As it is, of course she will NEVER ride the motorbike. ;)

 So Joel has his own wheels now... he was able to return my SIL's motorbike to her.  Now whatever wear and tear or anything that happens to the bike, at least it's happening to his own bike.  He quite likes zooming around on the motorbike- except when it's raining.  He wears a poncho then, but even with the poncho, he still gets pretty soaking wet.
 

Our car search continues, so Beni and I are still stuck either walking or getting a ride with my SIL or BIL.  They are awesome and lifesavers for us right now!  So far in our car search we found the PERFECT vehicle, which was at least $5,000 over budget.  Then we found another vehicle that we thought could be really good, and by the time we called about it (which was as soon as we saw the ad) it was already sold...which means...it would have been good! :(  We've also see tons more manuals, and a few more that we've passed on because they are obvious conversions.  So the search continues.  Please keep sending us good car thoughts or money.  Both would be useful. :)

And we thought it was hard last time...

Since we arrived in Laos, we've had two main projects to handle... 1) finding a house, and 2) finding a car.  We're got #1 handled now, of course, but we are still working on #2.  And goodness gracious, is it NOT a fun process.  I mean, back when we bought a car in the States we thought that was stressful and difficult because you never know who you can trust- are the used car salesmen trying to rip you off?  Is a private seller trying to hide something? You just don't know.  And everybody has an opinion as well- you're paying too much, you're buying too quickly- but, at least we found, most people were all talk, and no one was willing to come to bat for us!  So we ended up doing what we were comfortable with, and I drove that Impala with a smile on my face for a full 7 mos and we never had any problems with it, and we sold it for just a little less than we paid for it.

Now, we have this whole buying a used car thing under our belts, but, it's way different here in Lao.  Two issues complicate the whole deal.

The first is that there are a lot of cars in Lao that are brought in by non-profit organizations.  When they bring in these cars, they don't have to pay tax on importing them.  They are hence referred to as "tax-not-paid."  These cars can be sold, BUT, you cannot transfer the title of the car until the taxes are paid- so in essence, if you bought one of these cars you'd have it, but, technically, according to the paperwork, it wouldn't be yours.  Unless of course you wanted to pay the taxes...but, from what I have been told, the taxes amount to quite a large sum of money, and the whole process is quite tedious as well.  And you can imagine, selling a car later on that technically isn't yours isn't all that easy either- which is why most people shy away from tax-not-paid cars.   This then, brings down the number of cars available to buy drastically.

The second issue is converted cars.  Apparently there is big business in bringing in cars from Japan, Thailand or somewhere else where they right hand drive (driver is on the right in the car), and then convert these cars to left hand drive.  I have no idea what this process involves (more than just moving the steering wheel apparently), but have been told that if it's done poorly, the car will be completely worthless.  If it's done well and correctly, apparently it can work just fine.  But, there is no way to know if you're getting a good one or a bad one until it's too late.   This is a major bummer because this takes another HUGE chunk of available cars off the market.  Also, it stinks because my favorite pictures of any car that Joel has showed me were of a lovely Honda, that was clean and new and spacious and just lovely, and then he said, "Oh oops...this is a converted one."  :(    

The third thing that is an issue just for us/me is that I have never driven a stick before.  Well, I did once, but only for one evening, and I was only mildly good at it.  So we'd like to get an automatic, because it would be easier for me, but, there are 9 manuals to every automatic- and it seems that a lot of the autos are the converted ones. Sigh.

So, our search continues.  And searching, by the way, means driving around town, searching for cars that have for sale signs in the back window.  When you find one, you take pictures, get the number, and then try to call about it.  We've actually met with people to check out two cars, and taken one to the mechanic.  The mechanic told us that one needed a lot of work.  So we're still searching.  And we're considering trying to negotiate the price down on the one that needs work.

For now, Joel is riding around on my SIL's motorbike, and Beni and I are getting around only courtesy of my BIL/SIL and their car.  While Joel could continue in this manner for some time, Beni and I need our own transport sooner rather than later.  So now that we're just about moved into our house, we're definitely going to focus full steam on finding a car.  Wish us luck!