I had the opportunity to drop by the new, concrete monster which is the Chinese market on the way back from the Plain of Jars. And just to make doubly sure that it was the Chinese market, numerous red flags were put up to trumpet the fact.
While China is becoming the world's newest superdonor, i can't help but feel that such "aid" cannot be too healthy for the developing economies of countries such as Laos, especally after you've seen the Chinese presence in places like Udomxai and Nam Tha. The second language there is Chinese, really.
After circling the various shops and stalls and climbing the odd stairs up into more stores and stairs in the heart of the not-so-neat market, ive come to the conclusion that you would only be interested in the market if you fit into one of the following groups.
A. The trucker. This must be their one stop repair shop with thousands of spare parts like salvaged conveyor belts, fans, and more menacing looking metal parts
B. The housewife/househusband. Shopping for a new mop,broom or exercise books for junior. One of those with the shiny Pha That Luang on the cover almost became my new journal - until i discovered that it was formatted in boxes - for maths, no doubt. Not so good for writing in... Or maybe just checking out the newest innovation in detergents and soaps from China.
After an icy cold shower back at the guesthouse, a 20 minute walk away, on one of the coldest winters ever - apparently it is a bit of a freak cold spell, global warming i guess, which really took guts and blind faith to just walk under the shower tap, i gladly threw myself back under the covers of my bed (a thin mattress masquerading poorly as a thick blanket - but what the hell, it kept out the cold just the same) and prayed that the bus would show up tomorrow at the bus station, again some 8 or so km out of town. Whats the rationale i wonder? Maybe the pragmatic city planners were expecting Phonsavanh to turn into a sprawling megalopolis sometime in the near future...
There is precious little to do in this town, which is basically 2 main drags and about 5 eateries, majority of which are Chinese restaurants complete with red lanterns, 1 bar and nothing much else to do after the party goes home at Crater's Bar - the liveliest spot in town any night but sleep. 3 days or so its fun to just kick back, explore the markets, watch the locals going about their lives, buy the odd Lao lottery ticket and chill. But more than that in the middle of Xieng Khouang province, one of the most bombed places on our small planet does get a little drab and depressing.
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