Vientiane Times

As promised here are some excerpts of my journal/diary as a Malaysian volunteer in Lao PDR (April 2002 – September 2003).


My first batch of students: Module 2 English for Government Officials, IFA Laos.

March 26 ,2002

3.30 p.m.

Press conference at Yayasan Salam. Met Balakrishnan, another volunteer who will bound for Cambodia (He ended up overstaying his tour of duty in Cambodia and married a local Cambodian) . He will be attached to LCDI Phnom Penh. Me à Institute of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vientiane, Laos. Met HE Ambassador of Lao PDR. Another volunteer Mr Devinder is also bound for Laos. He instead will be attached to Ministry of Education. (He soon attached to the Dongdok National University, the only university that exists in Laos).

Tomorrow morning will go to:

1) Embassy of Lao PDR, Jalan Ampang Hilir for visa – 10 -11 am
2) RHB – USA Visa Application Fee RM171 .( I was preparing for the deferred Clown Camp trip for year 2002. I went subsequently in 2003 ).
3) Citibank – to replace lost card. Call first – 12 pm
4) Yayasan SALAM – collect traveler cheques – USD600 and ticket – 9 am
5) To meet Uncle Buttons, I hope, if not try Friday.
6) Buy things.
7) Call up Naza.
8) Pay bills and Clown Camp fee. USD99.

Tonight – meet Kak Farah ( my boss) – address given.

Plan in Laos – to write my journey from start till end. ( Haha..it never never materialized!)

Tonight stay rumah Rashid, SS14, near Jaya Supermarket. Today met her at Pizza Hut. Long chat.

US Visa Application – fee
- passport? Copy?
- Letter
- Self-addressed envelope? Stamp?
- Return address?


Today bought – this journal – 4.90
- Lonely planet – RM59.90
- Pizza Hut – RM27.00
- Oprah – RM28.00 ( don’t ask!)

Money left at 6.41 pm – RM276.00

March 29, 2002

Drove early morning (7.00 a.m.) to KL. Arrived at SALAM, PJ (10.00 am). Collect ticket and books for my English class).

Went to Central Market. Appointment with Button a.k.a Sam Tee at 1 pm. Postponed until 2 pm. Met him à the tarik. Fruitful discussion. Found out the cheapest airfare to US. He will be going too as the instructor. Been clowning for 8 years.

Trip cost: airfare à USD1344.50 (Bangkok – La Crosse – Bangkok) – Northwest Airlines
Visa : USD45 (might face problem!)

Unable to meet up the cost within this May. Otherwise, I might postpone till next year (2003). Funds might available at that time.

Anyway try my best to go this year.

March 30, 2002

Sent Clown Camp application form to Dr Snowberg (Richard Snowberg, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Clown Camp® director) thru email. To inform him tonight with request:

Confirmation letter
Scholarship letter
Send it to my Laos address.

April 1, 2002

Depart from KLIA – 3.15 pm
Arrive in BKK – 4.20 pm (local time)

Already Check in Lao Aviation. Had drink with Devinder. Orange juice. Struck short conversation with a Singaporean – he is bound for Yangon. Slang – pretty much Malaysian English.
Next flight 5.45 pm.

Comments: Salam should brief us in details where to go, etc. there should be a proper SOP for outward bound volunteer in the future. There should be as well proper documentation of volunteer’s experience for guidance for the next batch of volunteer.

Have USD26. courtesy of mak at KLIA. Time difference – 1 hr (they are early).

5.45 pm local time

Sitting in departure hall waiting at Gate 1. Devinder is reading my Lonely Planet. He already checked the Lonely planet website. Not much info.

Flight supposed to depart 06.25 pm. (the plane left at 6.55 pm) Very much April Fool Day!

7.55 pm local time

Thunderstorm at Vientiane’s Wattay International Airport. Unable to land. Scary air pocket!! While trying to divert to Udorn Thani Airport, the nearest airport to Vientiane. I hold that seat so tight. Some passengers screamed. (It is a 25 year old French ATR-75 twin propeller plane and according to the Lonely Planet, there were quite frequent air crashes by that model of ATR 75 in the northern Laos. I still keep the return air ticket of that flight. prefer taking the 3 days train journey from Nongkhai to KL or fly Thai Airways instead)

Udorn Thani is in Thailand. 1 hour drive from Vientiane. A chap sitting beside me is a Malaysian working in Southeast Asian Union Mission, based in Singapore, visiting (his missionary projects in Laos). He also ‘blank’. Lucky me! Devinder has the contact number. (just in case if we are stranded in Udon Thani for the night)

Udon Thani is 55km south of Nongkhai. Nongkhai is the border town before entering Laos thru Friendship Bridge. It is very much cheaper to travel from BKK – Udon than BKK – Wattay.

9.20 p.m. local time

Arrived in Vientiane after thunderstorm stopped. Embassy’s driver picked us up and send us straight to our guesthouse. Met En Sahron, 3rd Secretary. Checked the room – really really basic. Devinder was not happy with it and planned to move out. A Mansion as what we were told back in SALAM? Not really. Spent the night on hard, hard bed!

April 2, 2002

7.00 pm is already bright. Need to find: bank to cash out traveler’s cheque. Mop, pail, toiletries , kettle, laundry?, broom, plate, bed sheets, pillowcase. Went to Seri Fitri Restaurant the night before. Takeaway of biriyani, samosas. Borrowed from Devinder
28,000 kips. My mom’s USD26 lost! 1USD = 9400 kips. RM1 = 2500 kips. Waiting for IFA’s (Institute of Foreign Affairs) people this morning. Need to find bottled water.

Went to see Devinder’s room. Terrible state! Sink is filthy. Barren room. I just wonder whether this is the mansion’s Mr Ghani of SALAM mentioned earlier! It is like a very cheap flats and he expect us to stay here for a year! No way! (We later found out that it was the ‘bo phenyang ‘(lao words for no problem) – apathy attitude of the local that made us spent the first ‘april fool’ night in Laos).

9.30 pm local time

We went to the Malaysian Embassy by Lavitaxi. Cost us 19,000 kips (around RM8). See Mr Shaharon again. He called Mr Boun of IFA on the housing problem we are facing. Unable to meet him as he got visitors to IFA. Met HE Ambassador Mohamad Daud (He is a Datuk and now serving in Poland). He welcomed us to Laos. Met Madam Sengchanh Soukaseum, the IFA’s Director General. Saw her paintings. We complained to her. She immediately arranged for new accommodation. Not much available. Anyway met fellow volunteers from Singapore, Jaclyn (from Singapore International Foundation). And Margaret Fowler from UK. Can see small classes conducted. arrangement by Mr Boun. Lokse Guesthouse, just next door to IFA. USD250 per month. Expensive!

Afternoon

Met 2nd Secretary & Head of Chancery of Malaysian Embassy, Zahairi Baharim from Melaka. He suggested to us to rent a house instead. USD200 – USD250 shared. Went to lunch with him and Mr Phailath, the embassy’s chief clerk and looked around for house for rent around Sapanthongthai .
Went to Public Bank – changed USD100 to kips.

3.00 pm local time

Met Director General – Ministry of Education. Mr Lytou Boupou.

Moved out from Lavitaxi apartments to Lani II Guesthouse – USD12 – USD15 shared for 5 days until April 7, 2002. I hope we can get cheap rented house. Otherwise Lokse is a bit too expensive. For especially with only USD300 in my pocket. Tomorrow – I think I will go to IFA.

7.30 Monday (April 8 2002) – official function at Rumah Malaysia. Yet to receive invitation from embassy.

Try to check email. Server down. Cheap rate 100 kips – 1 minutes. 1 hour 6000 kips (RM3)


April 3, 2002

Morning

sent email to Azmi (my friend who own a internet café in Jerantut) to convey message to my parent that I am OK in Vientiane. Received email from Md Jepp – wanting to donate RM50 ( that is all he can afford for my clown camp trip appeal). I felt honored and touched with this kind gesture from a friend I have known since my years in STAR Ipoh and UK. (He studied in London).

Also got email from Zaimizi Hamdani asking me my phone number. He was my senior and House Captain of Black House in 1990. Humble chap. Went to US to study and now work with SAUBER-PETRONAS.

Late morning

We went to IFA. Met Mdm Sengchanh and queried when I can report for duty. Monday.

We walked to IFA and come back to LANI II Guesthouse by tuk –tuk. 5000 kips charged. He asked for more but we refused.

Afternoon

Sent email to Ghani SALAM on lodging. Didn’t get reply yet. Went out around Vientiane. Managed to get to know places like Talaat Sao (Morning Market), US Embassy, Ministry of Education Sisaket Museum is nearby.

On the way back, met Mr Santhi Sitthisone, chap from IFA (researcher), peeling mangoes at the restaurant near Lani II Guesthouse. Apparently, the restaurant is owned by his mother-in-law. Big family. His wife is the 9th! His elderly in-law was grinning wide looking at me. He spoke something to Santhi in Lao. I can guessed what they were saying , I told them. His brother said “ If I am single, there’s a lot of Lao girl around”. My guess is correct! We laughed. It is true, lao women are beautiful. No wonder HE ambassador Daud told me about it two days ago. In an email to a friend, I told him that I got to get married as soon as I come back to Malaysia.

What a nice day!

Plan for tomorrow

See house mentioned by Santhi. USD300. fully furnished.nearby. 3 rooms. Remember Devinder’s advice – get other houses to see , bargain to USD200 -250.

Post office – get IDD card for Devinder, me – stamps!

Public Bank – enquire on how to open bank account (8.30 am)

check email.

April 4, 2002

Morning

Ministry of Education sent a vehicle to LANI II Guesthouse to pick up Devinder.
I went to Public Bank to open saving account. While waiting, overheard conversation in Malay. Happened to be a malay chap is talking to the bank officer in bahasa melayu. Introduced myself and found out that they are En Amiruddin, kak siti’s husband (Personal assistant to HE Ambasaddor) and Mr Teo Kim Siong. Teo invited us inside and we chatted. They are nice people compared to the coldness of embassy’s people. No doubt they are helpful to a certain areas but the ‘malayness’ is not there.
(By the way now I realized, I was wrong. Zahairi and his family(Zanariyah, Zikri and Zakuan) become like family to me. They are now in Kuwait serving the country. Teo is still in Vientiane, working with a local bank after he left Public Bank in 2003. He has been in Laos since 8 years ago.)

Followed Abang Amir back to his house near the Vientiane International School in Phonsavanh District. Met his son Hilmi, a 19 year old college dropout (intentionally) and a rugby player. Hit off easily with them. Bro Amir was admitted to hospital in Udorn Thani, Thailand for three days on the day we arrived. That is why I have not met Kak Siti. Had roti canai. Feel like my own family already.

Followed Hilmi to VIS, sent his younger sister meal for lunch. (Again I was wrong here, she is actually he, his brother Kiki! With his long hair and nick name of KIKI, easily he can be mistakenly appear as a girl than a boy).

Came back, Kak Siti is already home. Cooking. Tried her maman masak negeri sembilan. Hot and tasty!Hit off easily with her. Warm and very sharp person. Had lunch with them. She is very helpful. She will give me her cooking stove and periuk. She will be leaving soon after 3 years in Laos. Previously she was in Seoul. (She left for Tehran. I met her again in Jan 2004 during my volunteer stint with Mercy Malaysia in Bam, Iran. She will be back in March this year for holiday, Abang Amir told me the other day. I am meeting her soon!)

After Lunch

After sending her to embassy by tuk-tuk, we ( Abg Amir, Hilmi and Latip, the only local muslim tuk-tuk driver in Laos) went to cybercafé. Checked email. Ghani replied. USD250 is too expensive for house rent. Asked to keep looking for few days. Kak Siti has USD200 rate house and promised to inform me the outcomes. We will call her tomorrow. Ghani told me that embassy and IFA people is trying to look for a house for us. He also said SALAM will cover our accommodation cost for LANI II and Lavitaxi). He added, if need be he will come over to sort things out. But that is not a good option either.

Clown camp – received email from Bro Raja (STAROBA). Will donate. Gave him my account number and sent TQ notes.

Suddenly electricity cut off. We decided to go to Seri Fitri. Had samosa and the tarik.

April 5 2002

Today – to look for house mentioned by IFA. Going to embassy to see Kak Siti. Going to perform jumaat prayer at Jame Mosque near Namphou fountain.

Ghani informed us that SALAM is OK with USD250 rent per house. Kak Siti called last night and will assist us in looking for house to stay. Money left – USD296.30 + USD70.

Devinder called home. Expensive!

Went to Public Bank with Devinder. Met Teo. After that we went to IFA looking for Boun. He is not around. Anyway we cancelled our arrangement with Lakeo Guesthouse. Had our last drink there.

Walked to embassy to meet Kak Siti. While waiting (she was busy with EPU people come in from KL), managed to write two postcards home.will pass it to Bro Amir who will be going back to KL next Saturday.

Went to Kak Siti’s house for lunch. Had sotong kicap and papaya salad lao style (tam mak khung or som tam in thai). Nice! Like kerabu.. She got the recipe from her friend’s maid.

Went to Jame Mosque Vientiane for my first Jumaat prayer in Laos. Met Nursalim, an Indonesian who works as a religious teacher. He stays near That Luang Road, near Malaysian Embassy. Copied the local prayer time-table with the help of Mydin, Seri Fitri restaurant worker who can speak simple malay. Went back to Kak Siti’s house after prayer. Followed her to work. After dropping her off at the embassy, went back to LANI II Guesthouse. Paid Latip, 5000 kips.God knows how much it is!

Performed asar prayer with the help of the timetable and still tawakkal on the qiblat direction. Slept until 6.30 pm. Latip pick us up around 730 pm to Kak Siti’s house. Arrived and only Abg Amir was there. The rest were at the Vientiane International School. KIKI got basketball tourney. Waited for them. Had coca-cola and biscuits. Not long after that, Bruneian Hajah Mariam and her three children came. Chit-chat. Got to know that her eldest child passed away in 1999 due to brain tumor while they were still posting in Laos. Her husband, Haji Ramlee is the defence attaché at the Brunei Embassy in Vientiane.She brought along chocolate cake.Stayed until 10 pm. Haji Ramlee apparently co-owned that Seri Fitri Restaurant along Mekong River. She invited us for dinner the next day at Seri Fitri.

April 6, 2002

Woke up at 6 am and performed subuh. Slept back and woke up at 8.30 am. Oumath from Embassy came with two friends (property agents) and went to look for house for rent. Quite far from our workplace as we observed even though the houses shown are fully furnished. 1 – near Novotel is 2-3 km from city centre. 1 – next to LANI II guest house (wooden, quite nice).Price range USD300 –USD400. can’t afford it. Went back for lunch. Had ‘meehoon goreng’ or local pad thai with seafood.

Afternoon appointment with Kak siti cancelled. Waiting for Latip to come. Did not turn up. Don’t want to contact Kak Siti assuming that she is already out meeting her friends on something. Never mind, waited for 7 pm dinner. Maybe she is busy. Went out early around 5.30 pm. Went to Scandinavian Bakery just to look around and then strolled along Mekong River. Tried to write something and had pakora at Nazim Halal Restaurant not far from Seri Fitri. Prayed at Jamek Mosque. Met Abu Sholeh an Indian Muslim trader who just came back from India for after one year vacation and at the same time getting married. His wife is now 9 months pregnant. He will be back when the child is 1 year old. Went with him looking for house for rent. Checked out ads at Samsenthai Road supermarket. Got one near petrol station, 2 bedrooms. He will call today and to inform me the outcome after maghrib. Went to Seri Fitri after that. Everybody (Kak Siti’s family and Hajah Mariam’s) were already there. Including Ms Junko Taguchi from JICE. Stayed until 930 pm. Hajah Mariam brought along seri muka pulut hitam. Damn good.

Devinder and Taguchi went for drink and music. Me walked back home to LANI II Guesthouse.

April 7, 2002

Early morning, 745 – 8.00 am went to Khua Din wet market located across Thalat Sao. Just like Pekan Sehari Jerantut. Met Abu Sholeh there. Observed that lao people eat noodles + ulam a lot and they open their shop very late. Will walk around Vientiane again today. Am not sure how much longer my shoes will last.

Saw farmer kandar bananas on one side and mint plus sawi on the other side.

April 17, 2002

Quiet a while since I jotted down anecdotes in my journal. PIMAI celebration (Lao New Year) just finished and tomorrow, I am going to work again. Kak Siti went back to Malaysia. Her mother in law passed away. Went to HJ Ramlee’s house for makan the other day. Had nice evening there with the presence of HE Brunei Ambassador.

Received email from Kak Inda Sako (she too passed away of cancer in Jan 2004), informed me that that bubbly 6 years old Fahmi passed away the very day I arrived in Laos.

April 21, 2002

Made my first phone call to Malaysia. Mak quite delighted to hear my voice but her first remarks made me giggle.

“ apa khabar? 6 bulan kat sana cukup dah tak?”

April 22, 2002


my second batch students at IFA,Laos


My first day of teaching. Co-teached with Jaclyn. 20 adult students. IELTS 1.5 . Interesting experience. Government officials. High and low ranks. Nice people, but must remember they are all adults. To treat them respectfully.

“I am alright so far”.

Went to weiling shop. Open today.
Had nasi goreng. Nice and no MSG. Met Weiling’s friend, Victoria from UNDCP, Jaclyn and Steven. All Singaporean working and volunteering in Laos.
Stayed there until 9.30 pm. Devinder arrived from KL earlier.

April 29, 2002

One week of teaching passed. Susan Davies complimented me. She said I did quite a good job considering me as a first timer. I think she is not worry too much about me.

Katrina (backpacker from Singapore) is leaving tomorrow. May not see her. Teaching. Anyway can always contact her thru email. Volunteer allowance will be credited on Friday. Saturday to go to Vang Vieng with my student, Mr. Niyom and others. Devinder might follow.

Already applied for Lao multiple entry visa. Will draft the IFA’s letter around this week. I don’t know whether I can go to US or not this year. Funds are not coming in. maybe should postpone to next year. More time to raise funds. Possible training in USA or Swiss or Oz. will look for opportunities.

May 19, 2002

Spent whole morning washing clothes. Cuci toilet and downstairs. CK Leong (my housemate) tak balik. Had breakfast (scrambled eggs + tomato plus stale Lao baguette (1 week old). Kenyang!

Tidur sampai 2.30 petang. Mandi & Solat. Pergi Saylom. Lepak di Phonetip. Saja nak makan ice cream and nak jumpa Santhi. Dia tak ada. Semalam masa ke Udon nampak dia and his pregnant wife di Nongkhai. Ke Udon agaknya for check up.

Balik singgah di bowling centre. Baru teringat why wei ling closed her shop early today. Terlupa malam tadi dia beritahu pasal bowling meet. Jumpa Mr Sim, Yim Kuan, Ravi and Usha, Kak Siti and Kiki. Lama dah tak main. Best jugak and cheap too. Fee – USD1 per game. Kasut – FREE!

Balik stop at Seri Fitri. Had dinner with Ravi, Usha, Kak Siti and Iki.

Next week pergi Udon Thani naik bas dengan kak siti!

May 23, 2002

Feeling not well this morning. Flu. Working until 2.30 pm. Went back home early. It was very hot even after maghrib. ( It was summer in Lao and temperature can go up to 40 celcius).