If this is your
first time traveling overseas and in particular to a tropical climate
such as Laos, due be prepared for the unexpected.
In Laos medicine
is generally quite cheap, readily available and effective. However
if there's a brand you like or used to, don't necessarily expect
that the same ones will be available in Laos. Mostly like there's
a similar but different brand of medicine. And we found the quality
of the majority of medicines and vitamins all to be quite good if
not equal to international brands.
Some of our
contributors whose visit to Laos were extended visits (one month
or more) all reported some ailment or another.
The most typically
reported were stomach aches and diarrhea due to something they ate.
It was noted that the more adventurous you were the more chances
of stomach aches you had. The more cautious ones who didn't adventure
into too many different foods at too many places generally didn't
get sick as many times.
The second most
reported ailment was catching a cold. Your body has to adjust to
the time change, climate and food of Laos. All these factors can
throw your immune system out of whack or at least make it less resistant
to colds and other related sicknesses. One of our contributors who
is Lao/Canadian visited Laos for almost a year. He reported that
while living in Canada he would only catch colds a maximum of twice
in a year and perhaps a flu if he didn't get the flu shot. And only
rarely got stomach aches/diarrhea.
However, while
living in Laos he got notable stomach aches and diarehrea approximately
four times; he caught the cold twice; the flu and a throat infection,
once; and an eye infection which he quickly treated with medicine
he bought at a pharmacy in Laos - luckily, the infection didn't
last more than a day. FYI: The eye infection he got which is very
common in Laos is called conjunctivitus. It is very common among
motorcycle drivers who specifically don't wear helmets; it is contagious.
He also got a few other medical ailments such as a skin rash
that he suspects was either due to stress or the new soap from Thailand
he had 'tried' and facial scabs/bumbs in a small concentrated area.
It is unclear where/why this particular medical condition occurred
but it did disappear within a week. He also got a cold sore inside
his mouth once.
All this for
someone who, while living in Canada, rarely ever got sick. For someone
who rarely got sick to getting this many ailments, stunned our contributor
who is otherwise a healthy young male. It was a testament to the
fact that his body and immune system were still adjusting to living
in Laos even after several months. He also reported that many of
the secondary ailments he got were often after he was recently sick
(which illustrates the ripple effect of ailments on the weakened
immune system).
On a postive
note, after having returned to Canada, he's been checked by a doctor
and his health is 100%. When we asked him if he would chose to go
live in Laos for another year after his experience, his answer was
a resounding "yes!". He says,
Those
who are reading how many times I got sick will say it does sound
like a lot. Even I'm surprised and confused by how my body reacted.
The biggest surprise was the facial scabs/bumps. For that, I bought
some cream at a pharmacy in Laos which helped to get rid of it.
I'm lucky it didn't last more than a week.
He also adds
a reminder:
Remember,
my ailments were spread out for the year and many of the ailments
didn't last more than a week, several of which only lasted a 1-3
days. The exception was the flu and throat infection which lasted
a month. Otherwise, I had a healthy time in Laos.
When we asked
what he learned from getting sick this many times in Laos he answered:
I have
to admit that my immune system was not as strong as I thought
it was. With so many different factors and changes, it really
did take time to adjust. My mind had already adjusted to living
in Laos. In fact for the most part I loved being in Laos. But
my stomach and immune system clearly were still adjusting.
Also I
just had to be more careful of what I ate. The main thing I got
more than twice was diarrhea from something I ate. By the time
my year was up, I limited what I ate and where I ate at. I admit
I became less adventurous in this area towards the end.
Additionally,
if you get nausea or motion sickness, bring this medicine from abroad.
The medicine available in Laos for these ailments are ineffective.
For every other ailment, our contributors used medicine that was
available in Laos and they all reported that the medicines were
surprisingly effective and generally cheap. Visiting a Lao doctor
who was experienced and well trained was also inexpensive. The expensive
doctors were the ones who were foreigners or those who catered to
foreigners. LCW contributors also reported that traditional medicines
that were administered to them by relatives were also quite effective.
Note: If you
have travelled to these types of countries before then your body
is most likely already used to the food and climate.
[Editor's
Note: Special thank you to our contributors for their very candid
and personal responses on the state of their health while traveling/living
in Laos.Their responses will help to enlighten others.]
If there's
anything people should learn from the LCW Advice Column on the issues
of books is that if you seek it, you'll probably and eventually
find it - as we have.
You just have
to perservere and have patience. I once waited 2 years for a rare
book I dearly wanted.
A lot of people
write in saying that they can't find certain books or read about
what we've posted on the Column about different books and are surprised
but the many different titles that we write about or mention.
It is true that
in fact there aren't a lot of books written on Laos or Lao culture
but the number is certainly growing. The diversity of books compared
to several years ago is still better. And the number of books published
in Laos continue to grow as well.
It really does
pay to investigate more and stay steadfast in finding what you want.
Also if/when you visit Laos certainly check out the bookstores. I
made it a point to visit EVERY bookstore in Vientiane every two weeks
to see if any new titles of interest came out. Also make connections,
you'd be surprised at what people have in their personal libraries.
I've heard that
some people describe Lao bookstores as limited in stock. True, some
are. But I've heared people apply this comment to even stores that
I would consider quite well stocked with a lot of variety.
You have to really
enjoy book browsing. We spend lots of time at bookstores and libraries
browsing through as many titles as we can as well as numerous online
sites and databases. Note: With this in-depth book browsing we've
been able to find gems and surprises in these Lao bookstores.
