Welcome To Lao Airlines

I had booked a flight round trip to Phonsavanh from Luang Prabang. I knew I would not do the 7 hour bus ride, but if I could get the air flights I would do it. I got the flights. Wednesday afternoon, I was out at the airport with plenty of time to spare. The airport is small, and only a couple of "windows" for checking in were open. I kept being told.. "later". Finally "later" came and I got my boarding pass. I was glad that the guy told me I could keep my baggage as carry on as the belt that carried the luggage outside through the wide open space to the carts that then were hand pulled out to the airline was not visible for me to see. I like to know that the right tag is on and get nervous when I can't see that. I paid my one dollar in tax for the airport and went to sit in the departure room. I VAGUELY thought I might have detected my name over the loudspeaker.. but thought... no way.. I am just imagining it until! I went to get on the plane and the woman looks at me in surprise and says I must go back. I let her know this is "my" plane.. but she lets me know.. I must go back and check in with the police (didn't know that was part of the check!). So.. out I go, back to that desk, while the police looks through my passport and hand records whatever information he needed for the book or records. I was one of the last ones on.. but I was on. The day was clear and it was a beautiful ride over the mountains covered in green forest which as we were into the last five minutes of the 25 minute plane ride smoothed out into a river plain and flatter land with a few rolling hills that had a wide expanse before meeting the backdrop of mountains again. We touched down and some of the people stood and started to get off, but the stewardess told us to sit down and "10 more minutes". I thought.. ok.. we are not suppose to really be here for 10 more minutes.. so we will wait and THEN get off. I asked one of the men if he was going to Phonsavanh. No, he is going to Vientiane. So.. I try AGAIN to get off. Again the woman tells me to "sit down" and is not quite in the same calm mood that she was when she started the flight. I am trying to be patient and do what I am suppose to. Then they bring on a man who has been injured and must be being transfered to Vientiane to the hospital complete with his drip bag which they try to attach to the luggage compartments above. When I saw this, I thought --yes.. this is what they have been waiting for and surely I will be able to get off now. BUT in a few minutes they are STARTING THE ENGINES! At this time, I decided that I did not care about being pushy and went to the back and told the other guys running things in the plane that if this was Phonsavanh I needed to get off! The looked at me with this really surprised look and hurried to have me find my bag in the "hold" along with about 20 other bags.. and then got me off in quick order. Once down on the tarmack a guy is there to help me with my bag. I was met with the question... "Didn't you know this was Phonsavanh?" I wanted to tell them that the d--- stewardess would not let me off.. but what the heck... I was there. Glad to be walking toward the small building that houses the Phonsavanh airport. Six guys are there. One helped me with my bag, another spoke English and said that someone would call my guesthouse and I would be picked up in about 5 minutes. I had been told that if you do not reconfirm the flight, it may be canceled, so I gave it to a man there who took it I know not where and came back with his hand written ledger with my name at the top. He wrote the time that I must be at the airport at the top of my ticket. That's done. The guys all go on their way and soon the van for the Maly hotel arrives and I loaded in my bags and am off. The town has a frontier feel to it, and is a Lao town with little tourism. It is the dry season and all seems to have a red dusty layer to it. I check in and the front desk shows me an upgraded room ($20) complete with warm water and a TV! Posh quarters for the town! Then I am down talking with Yang about a tour and am signed up for a day tour of the Plain of Jars starting at 9 in the morning with two other people. So with a warm shower and a bit of the BBC and a nice evening meal at the restaurant I relax and get ready for the day trip tomorrow.. thankful that I finally was able to get off the plane!