As if Vientiane wasn’t sleepy enough, we hauled our indolent arses onto a pick up and headed about thirty kilometers northeast from the capital to a rural setting. It was a service I had prearranged with Rivertime Resort Ecolodge Resort, which was to be our home for a night. Our forty-minute countryside drive, unperturbed by traffic (and with its last stretch on dirt road), helped build our one and only expectation for this trip.

That the next two days would just get lazier.

The only cabin occupied for two days.
The only time our driver mentioned something to us was when we did a brief stop at a vegetable stall somewhere along the unpaved road off the main thoroughfare, on the way to the resort. And when I say “mentioned”, I mean tilting his head/pointing a finger towards the produce and smiling. We nodded and smiled back.

That much need mosquito net.
He dumped a basket of what seemed like pre-ordered vegetables at the back of the pickup beside our sun-baking luggage, then quickly jumped back behind the wheel. A few more minutes of traveling through swirls of dust kicked up by our own tires, we reached our destination. Barnaby, the owner and manager, was waiting for us in a small hut that is the resort’s reception.

They got dorms too. Rate is $10 a bed.
Rivertime Ecolodge Resort, as its name says, is an ecotourism resort located at the foresty bank of Nam Ngum River. The resort does not claim to be 100% green, but the management makes a serious effort in providing environment-friendly facilities and offering activities that will not disturb or harm the local community in any way. No tree was cut down to make way for the resort. And the lodges, made of native materials, were constructed by craftspeople from three nearby villages.

He couldn’t be any happier with his office.
We were assigned to a  private lodge (rate was $38 with breakfast) two doors down from the reception. Because of its proximity, our gadgets were able to latch onto the spotty WiFi. The lodge had a double bed and a single bed, each with its own mosquito net.  There were crawlers here and there, but nothing particularly terrifying. Some of the furniture looked like they might crumble with one touch, but I’m happy to report that after a few tests, nothing gave way. The ‘western-style bathroom’ was spacious and hot shower worked fine. What we loved most about our lodge was its balcony and the partial view of the river.

The Garden Restuarant, where we mostly ate.
The resort’s resident restaurant, The Floating Restaurant, is a few meters walk from the lodges. Yes, it is indeed on the water. We were served breakfast here. We’d lie down on hammocks at the open deck and stare at the perpetually hazy horizon while waiting for our meals. Luna would play with Barnaby’s toddler, Alicia.

Luna had no problems adapting to Lao PDR (Please Don’t Rush) life.
Because of a sprained ankle (which I don’t remember how I acquired), we didn’t get to come down The Floating Restaurant as much as we wanted. It’s fortunate that there’s another restaurant adjacent to the resort. The Garden Restaurant, a Thai resto owned by a retired young Thai executive, has its dining area along the river bank as well. The view is amazing, so is the food.

People watching, rural Lao style.
Also because of my sprained ankle, we were not able to try any of the tours that  Rivertime Ecolodge Resort offers. And they got a wide array of activities you can choose from once you’re able to, you know, drag yourself out of the hammock. Boat trips, local schools tour, village visits, and cooking classes. From free to cheap to a slight splurge. There’s something that will suit everyone.

Rivertime Ecolodge Resort has mixed reviews online. We took a chance because we only had to pay a few more bucks to sleep somewhere — not only close to nature — but within nature. Also $2 of which (per lodge, per night) is donated to community development. It’s not a lot, but it’s something.

So nature for us, opportunity for locals. Win-win.

 

Rivertime Ecolodge Resortwww.rivertimelaos.com