Farewell to Indochina

My last 3 days on Don Det were pleasantly idle…nothing much to report other than the welcome addition of Tom, Anya and Lucy to the party (Adam having taken Susie back to Bangkok for her flight home). I was both reluctant and eager to leave come Friday morning. Don Det could have held me willingly in her grasp for many more days and, yet, I was excited about the prospect of teaching and the totally different appeals of Nepal. The journey back to Bangkok was long and knackering. Starting at 10am with the river crossing, dusty pick-up rides to Pakse, from there to the Thai border and then to Ubon Ratchathani. At the train station, I was appalled to discover that there were no sleeper berths of any description on the last train to Bangkok and ended up spending an uncomfortable, noisy journey in 3rd class seats with the locals. The upside of this was chatting with some ‘real’ Thai people, who were all amazed that I was sitting there in ‘cattle class’ with them. I did manage a couple of hours kip but arrived in the capital with a sore seat and bleary-eyed. For once, I was able to avoid meeting anyone I knew and resisted making any new friends until my final night, after 2 punishing days catching up on my inbox and updating the blog. I had plenty of time to reflect on my 3 months in Indochina. Foremost in my thoughts was Laos: such a beautiful country, so far unblemished by mass-tourism and industrial development. It won’t be long, I’m afraid, before a burgeoning relationship with mighty China changes all of this though. Signs of Chinese-supported infrastructure were everywhere and I wonder how long it will be before the compulsion to use cheap rural land for manufacturing overrules the obvious benefits of eco-tourism. As I’ve said before, I wouldn’t want to deny the local people the benefits of technology and improved infrastructure…but is there any chance that they will be able to attain these without making the same mistakes we’ve made in the West? Weighing more heavily on my mind though, I felt that I hadn’t spent long enough in Laos to really to get to know her shy and accommodating people. While the Lao people are more than willing to provide travellers with their wants, they seem to do so without becoming overly involved…and I didn’t get off the beaten track enough to catch a glimpse behind their protective facades.
Looking back on my long loop through the peninsula, I can say with certainty that Cambodia and Laos are two places that I will visit again. I can see myself revisiting the southern islands of Thailand for pure recreation, while Vietnam’s over-zealous commercialism has probably put me off for life. The spirit of the Cambodian people, the tranquillity of Serendipity Beach, the effortless beauty of Laos’ mountains and rivers and the undeniable magic of Don Det have all left indelible marks on my heart…and if I get the time and opportunity, I will definitely be back.