Wow! It's Lao. Part 3 - Vientiane to Paklay

The Mekong at it's narrowest point in northern Lao.

My sister asked me on Facebook what the difference was between "Lao" and "Laos". I keep calling it the former which is a reflection of being in SE Asia for 4 years. That's what it's called here. 

So where did the name Laos come from? Well, in their own language, this country is called Meaung Lao. "Land of the Lao".. Similarly the Thai word for their own country is Meaung Thai. Seems to me that if we follow the Thai model, this country should be called Laoland.  ລາວ, or Lao, is the shorter version of that. 

Not on the video due to a dead battery, getting of the ferry in the shadow
of a brand new bridge ready to be opened.

The label "Laos" came from the the French. See, when they first started trying to impose their influence on the lands east of the Mekong, there were three competing Lao kingdoms. There was no single country of the Lao, there were three, so when talking about this area, the French pluralized it. I don't know French, but I'd imagine they'd use an article with that, Les Laos, the Laos. The article has fallen off over time. The word "Laotian" is ridiculous in my mind. It's like calling some "Thaitian". 

Your humble blogger on the Mekong

Onwards! It was finally time for me take my big bike onto the open highways of Lao. I left Vientiane heading westward, skirting the Mekong River on what were wonderfully smooth, wide highways. As I got more comfortable on the bike, I started to realize that it could go a lot faster than anything I've driven  in years, and I took advantage of that. The Mekong itself narrowed remarkably. The mighty river must be really deep at that point because it certainly wasn't very wide.

There's these consistent reminders that I
am visiting a communist country.

In fact, I'm reading an account of the Mekong which details the early French explorers of the river. This part of the Mekong distressed them because not only had it turned to the southwest after hundreds of miles heading north, but the current was like nowhere else. 

Eventually, I made a right turn and traversed the only unpaved road of the day. There's about a 10km stretch between Vientiane and Paklay that is horrid. The road is just rocks. It would have been torture on my scooter; on the CRF, it was no big deal. I'd like to show you, but this was during the period in which my action-cam's battery had died.

I got to my destination just as the afternoon monsoon rains started, and wow, did I find a gem of a hotel room for only $11/night.