licensed to kill...time

'Typhoon Xangsane has hit the central Vietnamese city of Danang and stretches of coastline around it. Trees were uprooted and boats capsized as heavy rain and winds of up to a 180km/h (110mph) hit Danang. "This is one of the most powerful typhoons to hit Vietnam since 1995," Bui Minh Tang of Vietnam's weather centre told AP news agency.'

Taken from the BBC website, 1 October 2006

I was watching the BBC World Service this morning, and saw by chance that a typhoon has hit the coast of Vietnam. The locations hit are all places I visited, or drove through, a couple of weeks back. According to the report Hoi An, where I stayed for several days has been partially evacuated. It sounds as if the damage has turned out to be minimal although a number of fishing fleets are still missing out at sea.

I can't give you any insider information on what's happening other than that nobody in Hanoi seems to be worrying about it, and there's not even a slight breeze up here.

I find it funny that I almost left the country not knowing a thing about it, and am trying my best not to take the news too personally. Afterall, I went through Thailand, and a military coup followed. Now I've been through Vietnam, and natural disaster lies in my wake. Only Cambodia, so far, seems to have survived my visit unscathed. Perhaps Laos, my next country, had better watch out?

I'm waiting for the bus to Laos, which will take me from Hanoi to the Laos capital: Vientiane. I'm killing time until 7pm (it's about 1pm) and I can't do much as I only have the last scratchings of my Vietnamese currency left, and I've also had to check out of my hotel.

I'm looking forward to getting into Laos, and plan to tackle the country differently to Vietnam. In the last four weeks I've overdosed on museums, pagodas, and organised site seeing tours. I've had information bombard me until, on some occasions, it has become meaningless, and I've experienced more exhaustion from all the visits and looking around than I did in either Thailand or Cambodia. Don't get me wrong; I've enjoyed being in Vietnam enormously, and would do it all again much the same way, but I feel it's now time for a bit of a change of tack and to approach things differently.

In Laos I plan to use my time in a more 'activity based' way, and there may be less moving around from place to place. I'm going to spend my time doing things like hill trekking, or cycling, or 'tubing' down rivers. Active things I can personally engage with (as opposed to just looking at) and that will do me good. I don't want to go on anymore organised tours at all for a while (I doubt they exist in Laos anyway), and I'll be picky about which museums and sites I visit. I'm not going anywhere for the sake of it, or under the labour of 'you're only here once, so work yourself to death trying to see absolutely everything while you can.' This way of doing things gets you down after a while.

Anyway, border guards permitting, and whatever my approach, here comes Laos. Here are some interesting facts about the country to wet the appetite:

Full name: Lao People's Democratic Republic
Population: 5.9 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Vientiane
Area: 236,800 sq km (91,400 sq miles)
Major languages: Lao, French (for diplomatic purposes)
Major religion: Buddhism
Life expectancy: 53 years (men), 56 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 new kip = 100 ath
Main exports: Clothing, timber products, coffee
GNI per capita: US $440 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .la
International dialling code: +856

You'll here from me next when I'm the other side of the border, where I'll be spending my 'kip' on a Beer Lao (the best beer in South East Asia according to some), and booked into one of the cheapest hotels this side of India.