So! The last New Year of the year has come and gone! And again I'm sure Korat Province will head the list of traffic fatalities. It's just not fair to the rest of us in Isaan. Everybody starts drinking in the other 18 provinces and by the time all the vehicles converge on Korat, well they really do converge!

One way or the other, summer has also arrived in Isaan. "Hawns" and "lawns" are peppered through each sentence. Jominee beach is in full swing; kai yang, khao ngio, som tam and Beer Chang consumed in great quantities while the kids frolic in the (surprisingly clear) Mekong River.

Down in Nakhon Panom for a few days, I finally visited the Ho Chi Minh home. The house that sits on the site cannot possibly be the original, as the wood is quite new, and I have no idea how anyone could know which trees Ho planted, but the signs clearly state which ones he did plant. The small Vietnamese temple next door is locked, which I assume is to keep bad people out, as I had no problem getting onto the grounds!

The bridge across the Mekong, and the road to Pak Xe is completed, so I stopped in at Chong Mek to see what was going on. Tourists, traders and truck drivers were all there for their respective types of action. The ferry service between Kan Jiam and the south side of the Mun River is now out of service. The bridge is almost complete - and the road across the dam a few kilometers upstream is open.

Anyone who has ever made a visa run to Vientiane has visited kilometer "0", better known as The Fountain or Nam Phu.. The Fountain and the "Russian Deck" were the centres of beer society in town. The Fountain as a bar fell victim to official beatification some time ago and on the 9th of April its long time owner, manager and barman departed from Laos. Tony was always available to bullshit in Croatian, Swedish, Russian, French or any other number of languages with whoever had the price of a beer. Lunch times, Tony sat behind the bar and evenings he ventured out to his favourite table where the usual crew would discuss… something! Swedes, Brits, Russians, Aussies, Germans and the odd American (apologies to Jim Lynch) learned from Tony that there was something more important than any of us, our money or Bulgarian wine. I forget which.

The "Russian Deck" is a car park now. The Fountain has been made a politically correct, municipal park. Jim Lynch is riding the big Harley in America and Tony is gone from Lao. All in all, well, the whole thing just makes me thirsty. Sawadee pee my!

Facing up to amputation

A brave man admits that earlier medical attention might have avoided his double amputations.

Bill Latham

Vientiane kilometer "0"

The Fountain as a bar fell victim to official beatification some time ago.

Riverbank Stone

A slow boat to Laos, Part 3

Sam Burris

Chiangmai and the North

My Chiangmai

David Hardy

The Drinks Page

Night Fowl

Reasons to Relax

With almost no exceptions the main trend is towards quality and good value in catering.

Ric Klein

Letters

SONGKRAN 'ARMAGEDDON'!

Two Thai soothsayers predicted massive death tolls involving travellers at Songkran (..) likely to have "catastrophe level" casualties "as serious as the Biblical Armageddon Day" (...).

Click here to subscribe to the printed edition!

Mar.2003 Feb.2003 Jan.2003 Dec.2002 Nov.2002 Oct.2002 Sep.2002 Aug.2002 Jul.2002 Jun.2002 May 2002 Apr.2002 Mar.2002 Feb.2002 Jan.2002 Dec.2001 Nov.2001 Oct.2001 Sep.2001 Aug.2001 Jul.2001 Jun.2001 May 2001 Apr.2001 Mar.2001 Feb.2001 Jan.2001 Dec.2000 Nov.2000 Oct.2000 Sep.2000 Aug.2000 Jul.2000 Jun.2000 May 2000 Apr.2000 Mar.2000 Feb.2000 Jan.2000