Lao-Lao Land

For a second there, I thought I was doing a decent job of keeping this blog semi-updated. But seeing as I'm leaving Laos today, and that I haven't written a single thing about it yet indicates otherwise. Oh well, better late than never.

Pha That Luang Temple - Vientiane, Laos

I last left you readers in Bangkok where I departed ways from my sister Melissa on Nov. 25th. On the 26th, I arrived on the night train into Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Spent about 3 days there before heading to Vang Vieng (a city 4 hours north - more, less). Another 3 days there, and finally made it to the magical town of Luang Prabang, a winding, up and down, scenic, 6 hour drive north of Vang Vieng (give or take two hours depending on the number of bus breakdowns, number of accidents encountered, and bathroom breaks). I do indeed know this from experience. While this would seemingly be a very frustrating experience in most modern world countries, the rule of thumb in Laos is to not lose face by showing frustration, impatience, or any sort of anger. In this regard, the ever ubiquitous phrase "laid back Laos" reigns true in most circumstances. I don't know if it was because of my pre-conceived knowledge of the phrase, but immediately after arriving in Vientiane, even the motor cycles and mopeds seemed to move at a more relaxed pace. Not sure if that's a particularly relevant or real observation, or simply a factor of having lower speed limits. Take your pick.

Pha Yong Village, Laos

The last week, I've been blessed to meet up with an old family friend who has provided me with a wealth of experiences, knowledge, and personal memories that I will carry with me forever. As the in country director of a non-profit organization called "Pencils of Promise", Leslie and her group of workers have built and established approximately 15 schools in rural villages in their first year alone! I got to visit two such villages. One had a school that had been established and running for about a year. The other, celebrated the opening of the school in a very festive way. Two of my greatest experiences revolved around these village visits. The first village (Pha Yong) was located about 4 hours away from Luang Prabang. Riding in the back of a truck on a bench, a quarter of the experience was getting there, especially the last hour where we travelled on a bumpy,dirt road, occasionally driving through small creeks and traversing log like bridges. You got to love it when everyone has to get out of the vehicle in order for the truck to safely cross. : ) The 4 hour trip proved beyond rewarding. Tucked away in the hills and Mt's. of Laos, one could easily mistake the village for the mythical shangri-la. If the setting itself wasn't enough to win you over, wait til you meet the villagers and children.

Children of Pha Yong village

Upon I arrival, we were fed a feast of fresh fish, sticky rice, and some sort of shredded bamboo dish. After lunch, I spent the remaining daylight hours touring the village and playing with the children. At first, both the children and myself were a little shy. I haven't spent huge amounts of time with younger children, but as soon as you let yourself go they quickly follow suit. From playing games of chase, to dancing around, the children are an endless fountain of laughter and smiles. For how poor and simple the village lifestyle is, it knocks you flat on your ass to see how happy all the children are. And to see that they now have a more sturdy structure from which to study and learn inside is even more encouraging. To try and put some perspective on village life, they killed two chickens for us for dinner that night. This may come as no surprise to some, but maybe a huge surprise to others. Very rural, but oddly enough, maybe surprising in particular other regards as well. We're not talking stone age living here, but we're definitely not talking flat screen T.V.'s and wireless internet either.

If the trek out to Pha Yong seemed exciting, the trek back was even better. While on the dirt road, we picked up nearly every single person we came across and gave them a lift into "town." Haha, my personal favorite man we picked up brought on board a live porcupine in a wicker-basket that he had caught. Apparently porcupine meat is a delicacy here, so naturally the man was going into town to sell it at the market. Fresh as it gets. I just want to know how he managed to catch the critter.

The second village wasn't nearly as far away, but distance isn't indicative of the awesomeness of either place. This time around, I had the opportunity to witness the opening ceremony for a new school Pencils of Promise built. From another village feast, to blaring karaoke music, beerlao with ice (seems a little odd, but beer with ice does tend to grow on you after a while), and a couple shots of lao lao whisky (a backyard brew that can pack quite the bunch sometimes), not to mention dancing (described by Leslie as square dance, only Lao style), I had an incredible time. I particularly enjoyed the dancing because as a foreigner, I wasn't supposed to invite people to dance. Rather, I was expected to sit and wait until I was invited to dance. Thankfully, I was asked to dance on several occasions so my feelings weren't hurt. : ) Haha, the whole scene was very festive and everyone was having a great time. The most ironic thing though was that only the adults seemed to be celebrating even though the school was obviously for the kids. Back to the Karaoke real quick. When it comes to parties and Karaoke, Lao people mean business. They brought an entire truck load of equipment out to the village for the party - easily 6 speakers. And they weren't afraid to use it. I'm surprised I'm not deaf today.

The woman that made all my village visits possible, Leslie
Make sure to check out Pencils of Promise
on-line! And yes, that is a real monkey.

There's so much else I want to tell you about Laos, but I'm having a difficult time deciding what to inform you about and what to leave out. From the history concerning Hmong people and the Vietnam war, Unexploded ordinance, to the modern and huge influence of China - Laos is a country the is undergoing quite a bit of change in a very short amount of time (relatively). In Luang Prabang, China is paying for a new airport to be built, which will allow 747's to fly in. In Vientiane, there is a satellite city the Chinese government paid for and bought. The Mekong river is lower than it has ever been thanks to dams further upstream in China. And tourism and foreigners are becoming more and more common place everyday. I'm a perfect example of this. Although none of this is inherently bad, it's food for thought to see how much it will change Laos, its people, and its culture. If I were to return to Laos after 5 years, I'm confident the place would seem extremely different. The world grows smaller everyday. It is my hope that Laos can progress and advance in way that it isn't taken advantage of, but this may be difficult. I'm not exactly sure. Time will tell.

When you get the chance, try and find read up on Laos a little bit. It isnt' exactly the first place many of us think about when we look at other places around the world, but I'm fairly certain you'll be nothing short of fascinated.

Next stop: Hanoi, Vietnam. I'm taking a 10 hour bus back to Vientiane, and then another 24 hour bus to Hanoi. Yuck. The things I do to try and save money.

P.S. - if you are ever in Luang Prabang, make sure to eat at a place called "Smile Burger" - by far the best burgers in town. : )