Looking for Lao in all the wrong places

Been bouncing around the net this weekend. I usually don’t stray from my appointed rounds but needed to shake the cobwebs off. In doing so, I came across some interesting sites offering news, propaganda, advertising, esoterica and sex (DOWN boys! -- look at the screen capture above).

I haven’t found much on Laos, so I decided to look harder. First, there’s not much Lao info even at Thaivisa.com in the Southeast Asia Forum. The main source there has moved to Singapore. But he still keeps in touch, as only a man with a Lao wife would have to.

Another big expat site, Teak Door, has only two pages  of threads on Laos from the perspective of visa runners from Thailand.

When I was visiting Vientiane in January, I liked to read the Vientiane Times newspaper. There are two of them on the web though. The Vientiane Times (dot com site),  apparently beginning in late 1997, is an aggregator of news from newspapers, news agencies, propaganda machines and state communications departments. The Vientiane Times (.org.la domain)   creates most of its own articles, often focusing on government and community activities. So it reads a bit like a government handout sheet. Then again, being in Laos, the paper, operated by a foreigner, has to tread a fine line with the authorities.  The latter is the better one for local Lao news and is very up to date. But, if you don’t read the stuff fresh off the “presses,” the articles disappear behind a paywall, a very expensive paywall. Might be worth it but its only method of subscription is a wire transfer and they are expensive and complex. (In Canada, recent money laundering prevention regulations mean I have to appear personally at the bank to arrange the transfer.)  Two “expensives” make me feel lazy. 

A real disappointment is finding an intriguing URL with Laos in it and finding it’s just a tour and hotel site. So many of these cheats. Also came across some private blogs that hadn’t been updated for months or had only just been added to within six or eight months or year’s gap.

However, there’s one (partial) exception, Travel to Laos Tips. It has some pretty good info. The operator, however, doesn’t make it easy to find out who created it (I did find one reader comment with an answer by Mapanoy, who appears to be the creator of this one, as well as the blog How to Lose 50 Pounds. Hmmm.) Nor does the site provide visible article dates (although the URLs contain year/month dates). In a nutshell, it seems like the site had a very good start but has pretty much been abandoned (no answers to six-month-old reader queries and nothing’s been posted since October 2009). A shame.

A change of countries now . . .

I kid you not, there’s an English language blog on Thai governmental administrative regions. It’s thorough, detailed, up to date and full of esoteric statistics and administrative orders. When I saw a link for Changwat, Amphoe, Tambon, I raced there to see what intrigue may lie in wait. I imagined a merry soap opera romp following the hijinks between first-level administrative officers and the village headman’s daughter. And who’s paying off whom.  Uh, not so much!  Instead, I spent almost an hour reading about “Wrong Tambon numbers in preliminary census 2000 reports;”  “National symbols of Thailand;”  “Muban administration modeled after British colonial model;” “Subdistrict name romanization.”  Talk about esoteric. It’s an impressive piece of work.

Again from the "I kid you not" department is a fresh blog called Sextalk by a Thai woman writing in English -- at a level that would shame many (so-called) native English posters on a certain large expat forum. Her focuses are Thai language,  romance and foreigner-Thai relationships -- and she also answers readers' questions. Rather than rhyming off compliments on her observations and entertaining writing style, read this from her About page: "Before you get any wrong idea, no, I’m not offering any type of erotic services, so you may put away that credit card now." Yes, she has a keen wit. too. She has also written a book by the same name, which is available on her website and is reviewed in detail here at Women Learning Thai. The site appears to be just over a year old, going by the date of her introductory page. By the way, she's an avid and thoughtful commenter (nickname, kaewmala) on some Thailand blogs such as you'll find in my sidebar below right, Favourite Asia Sites, in particular, Women Learning Thai. (Whether you’re a beginner or advanced Thai speaker, I can’t think of a better resource for learning materials, spiced with cultural features and interviews with fascinating people who tell about their paths to Thai language education.)

I’m always happy to indulge myself by reading  really good blog writing. If the subject also happens be Thailand or Southeast Asia, even better. And that’s what I found following a link at Women Learning Thai.     A gentleman who signed a comment DrWill caught my attention. His site, simply called Religion, Sex and Politics, I almost didn’t bother reading once I saw the title. I dove in anyway and would say it is well worth the visit for his clean and straightforward writing style. His analysis of the Red Shirt protest over the past year  might give you a different  perspective.  

It was at  The Thai Report  that I found Changwat, Amphoe, Tambon. The Thai Report collected links to the news of the day and it became really handy. Notice I said everything in the past tense.  In a recent email exchange with the site owner, he said the site was growing rather slowly.  Next thing I knew he had posted an announcement that he didn’t have time to keep it updated, but left up many good links to news sites, news blogs and cultural and Thai life blogs.   A shame really. The Thai Report was not a fancy site but who needs fancy, frankly, as long as it’s simple to load and easy to navigate.

Comments

[Siam.Rick]

1.

Thanks for stopping by, sabaidee (mapanoy). I see you mistakenly posted twice. Others have too, complaining about not being sure if the first post has gone through. I don't know the answer to that. Will have to check out what's going on, maybe by posting on my own blog!

I like your blog info, as I said. But you have a busy home life so I understand why you don't have time! Good luck with your new family.

[sabaidee]

2.

Hello,

Thanks for mentioning my blog(traveltolaostips). I haven't updated my blog for many months but I have a plan to update and add more useful information about Laos soon.

I didn't have time to work with it because I was very busy with my new born, plus it takes time for me to write article as English is not my native language. I am Lao who live in Vientiane.

[Siam.Rick]

3.

Catherine, I get a lot out of the exchanges between you and kaewmala on Thai language. She's the first commenter who's driven home the nuances of the Thai language. Not that I will be able to use her finer points because I'm at such a low level. And may remain there while here in the west because, well, spring is here and the weather is turning great. 15C on the way today. I just called a friend to go have coffee and sit outside! Thai language? Tomorrow!

[Catherine]

4.

Rick, interesting post (and thanks for the mention :-)

I also enjoyed reading Andy's Changwat, Amphoe, Tambon. And his MyUnseenThailand is where I go when I have a hankering for the offbeat places in Thailand. I don't like touristy spots, so his tips suit me perfectly.

I often dropped by The Thai Report too and was saddened to read the notice.

Kaewmala is the new blogging kid in town and she's going great guns. There are many mysteries for those of us living in Thailand, and she's willing to put the time into explaining them to us. And not just about relationships either. In my last (final?) Red Shirt post, she clarified the nuances of the march via the wording on the signs.

DrWill's blog I've known about, but kept forgetting to add it to my blogs to read (I don't like feed readers, so I either grab the email feeds if available, or depend on my memory - bad move)

[Siam.Rick]

5.

That's a useful website, Jonny. I've read through a number of pages. I was looking more for commentary on the visa regulatory environment and experience, descriptions of day to day living, the kind of stuff you get in blogs and forums. Not much of the latter. But I've checked out Lao Bumpkin, as noted by Martyn below. That's been very helpful on day to day living and country life. So I guess it's clear what I'm thinking: what would it be like to live in Laos? My search continues . . .

[Jonny]

6.

Rick,

Travelfish always comes up trumps - not surely exactly what kind of information you are seeking though.

Its Lao page is here http://www.travelfish.org/country/laos.

[Siam.Rick]

7.

Somsai, really enjoy your Lao blog. It's so different to read about the real countryside and country people. Nearly all stories and photos from Lao are about getting drunk and tubing down a river (yes, I watched that tubing video but it had a message). Will keep reading. And I've added you to my blog roll.

[Somsai]

8.

Thanks for the link or as we say, Kop jai der Martyn

[Siam.Rick]

9.

I think most of us Thailand bloggers, or at least the ones I know, who you will see commenting here from time to time, write these blogs out of a great appreciation for the culture and people. It almost becomes an obsession after while. While I love writing this stuff, I love reading others' blogs (besides, it's easier than writing AND saves paper!).

I had a quick run through your Unseen Thailand and see some items I will read. Thanks for dropping by, Andy.

[Siam.Rick]

10.

Thanks Martyn for the site tip. Written by someone who knows Lao and the countryside. That link led me to some other interesting Lao centric sites. No keepers though, other than Lao Bumpkin.

[Andy]

11.

Thanks for the kind review of my blog "Changwat, Amphoe, Tambon". I am well aware that I have chosen quite an esoteric topic for my blog, so I am always happy to hear that someone finds my writings interesting or even useful. In case you haven't noticed, I have a second blog, more interesting for a general audience - MyUnseenThailand featuring places to visit hardly any foreign tourist would ever come to see.

[Martyn]

12.

Rick, like you I enjoy browsing the net and reading my favourite blogs but occasionally I do try and venture out. I do however find that trying to follow too many sites ends up being counter productive as I haven't time to keep up with them all. I tend to stick to my blogroll links with a few added as bookmarks. I also take a google reader feed and view many that way.

Laos sites.....Try Lao Bumpkin at http://laobumpkin.blogspot.com/