Here are mine:

1. Tubbing in Vang vieng
2. Living in Tree house and gibbon experience
3. Go to Phongsaly << I heard it is a very nice place
4. See dolphins in the south
5. Hanging in the bars all night long in Vientiane

Wow, Saffron, will YOU really do all those things , YOURSELF! What a chalenge

I totaly support you about your number 3), 3), 4), and 5)

about 1) and 2) ... that's your though.... but are you sure there is no hope just to improve the current system, without need to change everything?

For my part, i would have more simple goal:

0) have 2 children in France, where i live currently
1) learn lao language
2) when they are 3-4 years old, move to Laos and build a house there to live in , an ecological house if possible (natural cooling and no air control, energy efficient, re-use of rain water...)
3) lauch a small investment projet... i won't tell what it is because i don't want anyone to take my idea before i can do it. I can just tell it would create 2 jobs in Laos (+me and my wife as manager) and help more local people to make business... it could contribute to attract more tourists in Vientiane
4) do something (don't know what yet) to promote lao silks
5) build an electric tuktuk and/or Import Renault/Dacia Logan car in Laos (especialy pick-up version, that i believe lao people would appreciate a lot)

-- Edited by paris_vientiane at 07:46, 2007-10-17

hehe.... only lao consider tuktuk show bad image.... most of foreigner love them

Right now, imagine an electric tuk tuk using lao hydropower electricity: no pollution, silent, and we can hope in a few years low cost of use (gaz will be more and more expensive in the next year, and with development of hydropower electricity in Laos, we can hope prices for electricity will go down). This would be possible because a tuktuk is not heavy, so don't need too much electricity/battery to run!

Are you sure it would still show a bad image of Laos? i think on the contrary those old things can be turned into a very modern transport system. But you're right, lao autorities want to put all tuktuk in the rubbish bin, and don't care about the drivers'job.


about history (lao people don't care), do you think it's a question of culture or just a question of education? for the moment, many lao people still have to learn about writing, learn english.... so maybe that's the reason why they don't see the importance of history yet, but maybe when more and more lao people would have good education, they will understand why it's important....
or on the contrary, maybe it's a question of culture and they will never care about the past....i hope not

-- Edited by paris_vientiane at 17:32, 2007-10-17

yeah, for sure, when you have many problem or are too poor, you prioritize your problems and you think first about short-term problems (eat, save your life....)

When you have less problems and more time, you can take time to consider some long term problems (protect environment, develop culture, try to understand the world to try to make it better....)

But what worry me is that many "new rich people"(especialy in Laos or Thailand, but also in all emerging countries) don't care about such things too... maybe less than some poor people.... they only think about enjoy their new money, now, without care about the future or others... they act like children. They buy big car that use a lot of gaz, don't respect the rules when they drive it, drink lot of bear and get drunk, buy only new and modern products and forget the high quality traditional ones... because for them, such products are symbol of poverty, of their former life... i hope such people can change their mind soon, and use their money to really improve the situation of the country (invest...)

Having read above mentioned statements, I feel they really too clever, if not stupid. They are prone to praise themselves as the experts and look down all Lao people. Not knowing anything about Laos, but they blame something bad about Laos. These kind of people are servants of Vang Pao and old regime. I myself really hate these people. They cannot talk the good things about Laos but only want to discredit Lao image. 

The fact that they claimed that Tuk Tuk is Lao heritage was really absurd. Our Lao government just wants to improve environment in Vientiane, but these people think that Lao people have no brain to keep the old things. They forget looking in the cities where they live, there are no any Tuk Tuks or the old vihicles. Also, I don't remember where Lao people destroyed the old temples.

The fact that they claimed that Lao people are too poor and always think about what to eat and have less education is the kind of harsh looking down to our people. Actually, I would like to say that so far Lao people haven't died from lacking of food or housing. In adition, Lao people have never asked money from Lao foreign (outsiders) people who are servants of foreigners. Please bear in your mind!  

      

   
 


     

Anonymous wrote:

---

What is REAL democracy?
America? - A country that happily supports dictatorships when they work for its interests, a country whose population are so under-educated that it is doubtful they are able to provide an informed vote anyway, a country where political 'choice' is between the member of one rich oil family and another.
The old Royal Lao Government? - a system totally corrupted by American aid money, a system run by the American ambassador of the time, a system intentionally tampered with by the Americans every time a 'neutral' prime minister was 'democratically' elected - the REALity is that the Americans destroyed the democratic process in Laos.
Be careful when you say stupid things like REAL democracy.

---

Are you a member of LPRP? or your father. Did he put you up to this?

 

Anonymous wrote:

---

What is REAL democracy?
America? - A country that happily supports dictatorships when they work for its interests, a country whose population are so under-educated that it is doubtful they are able to provide an informed vote anyway, a country where political 'choice' is between the member of one rich oil family and another.
The old Royal Lao Government? - a system totally corrupted by American aid money, a system run by the American ambassador of the time, a system intentionally tampered with by the Americans every time a 'neutral' prime minister was 'democratically' elected - the REALity is that the Americans destroyed the democratic process in Laos.
Be careful when you say stupid things like REAL democracy.

---

Are you a member of LPRP? or your father. Did he put you up to this?

------------------------------

Aha, well, that was a predictable response. No, I have never worked for the Lao government and nor has any other member of my family, but I have considerable training and experience in politics and governance reform. Seriously, is that the best you can do? You really do have to start living in the year 2007. America is certainly not setting a good democratic example and given that China will overtake it soon as the primary global economic growth centre we need something a bit more constructive than silly rants about REAL democracy if Lao people are to benefit from political change. You don't even know what democracy is and you throw the words 'REAL democracy' around like they have some kind of meaning. You are very irresponsible.

Tell me please, what is 'REAL democracy' and where is an example of it in the world today????????????????

Anonymous wrote:

---

Having read above mentioned statements, I feel they really too clever, if not stupid. They are prone to praise themselves as the experts and look down all Lao people. Not knowing anything about Laos, but they blame something bad about Laos. These kind of people are servants of Vang Pao and old regime. I myself really hate these people. They cannot talk the good things about Laos but only want to discredit Lao image. 

The fact that they claimed that Tuk Tuk is Lao heritage was really absurd. Our Lao government just wants to improve environment in Vientiane, but these people think that Lao people have no brain to keep the old things. They forget looking in the cities where they live, there are no any Tuk Tuks or the old vihicles. Also, I don't remember where Lao people destroyed the old temples.

The fact that they claimed that Lao people are too poor and always think about what to eat and have less education is the kind of harsh looking down to our people. Actually, I would like to say that so far Lao people haven't died from lacking of food or housing. In adition, Lao people have never asked money from Lao foreign (outsiders) people who are servants of foreigners. Please bear in your mind!  
  

---

I didn't say that tuktuk is part of lao heritage, i said that it's something typical of a few countries (Thailand/Laos), that foreigner appreciate a lot when they go to those countries.

No, we don't have tuk tuk in Paris. But Paris city just bought 20000 bicycles that people can use for a very very low price (30 euros /year), because our experience is that a big city with too many cars is just Hell and we need other solutions: bicycles (zero pollution, big reduction of trafic jams) or small motorbikes, or anything else (why not renewed tuktuks), because such vehicles pollute less and don't take too much place in the streets.

Look at what french industrials are working on just now ... the last technology developed, that we will maybe have in our streets in a few years:

This car is 100% ecological because it don't need to be recharged... just use the sun or wind energy. Why is it possible? because it's very light
Don't you think this car look like a tuktuk? Modernise a tuktuk and you can get something not so far from this high-tech vehicle, maybe for a low price. What do you think is the most modern : the car i show you or a big american or japanese pickup, heavy, that need lot of gas and pollute a lot? Sorry, but it's certainly not se second one.

Maybe you don't like tuktuk, that's your choise, but don't say that people who like tuktuk look down to lao people, that's stupid and unrespectfull. I believe tuktuk is good because it can carry many people or goods for a low price and low energy consumption, don't need too much place in the street, so it reduce trafic jams compared with traditional cars, etc... But I agree it's not very comfortable and modern (in fact the concept of tuktuk is very modern, as the most developed countries start to build some cars that look like tuktuks, but the realisation is clearly old -old and noisy engine, uncomfortable seats...-) , but i sincerely think it's possible to modernize it... certainly a better solution for Lao people than put all tuktuk in the rubbish bin and leave their drivers without work!

Concerning what i said about "think about history" and education, you can disagree again, but it's just a reality everywhere in the world, including Laos. People who are too poor (and many people are poor in Laos) or have too many problems naturaly consider in priority short term problems, and don't have time/energy/money to consider long term problems. Richer or more educated people can more easily think about long term problems. That's just natural and logical... and it's not looking down at poor people to say this, but just see the reality.
You're right about one point, the problems of most of poor lao people is not eating because there is lot of good food in Laos (as long as environment is preserved), but they have other problems like healthcare...

Or maybe you don't accept any kind of criticism in general? sincerely, i feel little bit upset with people who consider that as soon as someone criticise something about a country, this mean he/she look down to the country, act like a traitor, etc... Criticism is something necessary if you want to improve and develop a country. How can you improve something if you don't know where are the problems and weak point? That's impossible. Criticism is something absolutly necessary to go ahead! There is nothing wrong with that. Yes, i sincerely love Laos, and yes, i feel free to criticize what i consider wrong in the country (because nothing is never perfect)... but i never criticize with a hate feeling or looking down to people. I just try to observe, analyse, understand, and imagine the future. What's wrong with that? And believe me or not, I love my country too, but i also criticise it much more than Laos, and fortunately, many people do the same! Love don't force you to be blind!

And you, What are your top 5 things you want to do in Laos before you die ?

-- Edited by paris_vientiane at 11:38, 2007-10-18

samakomlao wrote:

---

This is a message to Saffron,

First of all, thank you very much for your very active in sharing your idea in samakomlao website. We really appreciate it.

However, one thing that I really want to warn you is that, please do not use our webboard to attack Lao government or say bad things about them. There are thousand of interesting topics to talk about. So just keep your feeling inside your own places and think before posting.

Regards,

Webmaster

---

WHAT!! I can't criticize Laos government???

You see that everyone? I can't criticize Laos goverment. I have to keep my personaly feeling to myself.

Is this how it is in Laos? If people don't like something...keep their mouth shut?

Is that Democracy? Is that Freedom?

1. travel to every province in Laos
2. eat Lao food
3. married, maybe?
4.relax and sleep 12 hours a day
5. take care of my family and my love

hmm ...before leaving this boring life, I`d liked to built a strong car of my own with minimum offuel consumption : a structure of an offroad gearbox with four wheel tractions, powered with a one cylinder 12 HP KUBOTA diesel ! it could go on muddy road as well as asphalted road. What do you think, PV ? sorry I have no photo of the plan.

Anonymous wrote:

---

What are your top 5 things you want to do in Laos before you die ? Post your answers as follow:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

---

Hhhmmmm.. 5 things??  Here are my 5 things.

1.  Visit Xieng Kwang (wants to check out the Plain of Jars)
2.  Visit Pakse for couple weeks, eat all the local foods.
3.  Visit Golden Triangle (3 Liem Thong Kham)
4.  Donate $$ and time to help fix the old Temple in my home town.
5.  Lastly, I would like meet my future wife who is jai DEE DEE and nah huk

I hope to accomplish all these goals before I die. hahahhaha especially No. 5

 

1. Want to eat most delicious Lao food.

2. Want to live in Laos.

3. Want to have a Lao wife.

4. Want to travel all over Laos.

5. Want to be cremated in Laos.

I qouted a sentence from this comment by an anonymous in this forum. Read it carefully and closely in the last sentence of the comment.

so, same answer as above.

here's my top 5, in random order:

1.waking up to a morning in Vang Vieng and seeing those low hanging clouds dotting the karst mountains. it just looks heavenly.

2. try at least 5 lao dishes and the beer lao.

3. watch "sabaidee luang prabang" at an open-air wide screen cinema in Vientiane. I hope it doesn't rain.

4. watch or help in the alms giving ceremonies of the monks in luang prabang.


5. visit laos' very first skyscraper as it gets built in the future. i hope it won't take long.


http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-dvd-shopping-frenzy-in-bangkok.html