at least i'm enjoying the ride

     I have bought my very first, brand new vehicle!!! It took me fifty years to get to this point in my life, but I made it! I have bought a 2013 Honda Wave 100, from the Honda dealer in Pakse, Lao. I watched it roll off the truck, and into the shop for a ‘going over.’ And there it was, on the street, with 1 km on the odometer, and I had the keys in my hand. Well, there was a lot more involved than that, foreigners cannot buy new vehicles and put them in their name. So, I found a trusted Lao man, to put the moto in his name. This way, I get legal registration and plates. The moto is just like everyone else’s in the country, 100cc. Not a lot of power, but not much needed when you only travel at 40 kmh. It is a four-speed, with a semi-automatic transmission. This means there is no left hand clutch lever, the shifting is all done with the left foot. The Honda dealer will do all the maintenance for me, and I look forward to many years of driving!

     I have noticed many new motos on the road this year, and it seems that even the rural families have a number of motos. I started looking into this phenomena and I discovered an ugly truth, capitalism has roared into this tiny country! ARGH!!! Lao has been a ‘closed’ country since 1975, the currency has only been used in country, and has not been traded on the world currency market. For many years, Lao has been a member of ASEAN, the economic group of surrounding countries. But, it is only this year, that Lao has joined the WTO. The International Monetary Fund, and World Bank, now have ‘projects’ in the country for the very first time. The Lao banking system has done a complete change, and now offers credit to the Lao people. This is why there are so many new motos on the road. The Lao people are putting down a small deposit and driving away on a new moto. They are now in debt, for the first time in their lives. I see this as a HUGE problem, coming from America, where debt is a huge burden on many people!

     The Pakse Honda dealer is selling twenty motos per day, and receives three shipments per week. That is a lot of motos! I’m glad people are getting transportation for their families, however, there is no driving instruction required, nor are there drivers licenses required. This means that young children can drive motos, and they do! The problem for me is that no one follows traffic regulations. The local people drive on both sides of the street, and turn corners without looking. But, I am learning to safely get from point A to point B, mostly by driving slowly and always looking in all directions. I’m glad to have my own moto and it may be difficult to drive in the city, but, at least I’m enjoying the ride!