I've spent the last four days on one of the "4,000 islands" in southern Laos. All I can say is - I DONT WANT TO LEAVE! Unfortunately, I am restrained by my visa which expires tomorrow.
Don Det is considered the more "party" island, but that is just compared to the other island which is nearly silent. I am staying on the southern part of Don Det which is removed from the bars and really chill. There are two other guys we have been hanging out with - Ryan and Lucas. Ryan is actually a co-owner, so to speak. He donates/invests money into the guesthouse (Mr. Vong's its called) and into new properties the family is working on. Interesting character. Lucas is here for a holiday but has been there for 3 weeks. It's been a nice little family of people to spend time with. I am really enjoying it. I feel so comfortable and relaxed. I have a small bungalow to myself ($3 a night). It's completely bare bones but I am loving it - cold showers with water that comes straight for the river, electricity from the generator only from 6-10pm, so no fans (let alone A/C) and 90+ degree weather into the night. Being completely sweaty and dirty is a way of life. It's funny how when you dont have the option to be "comfortable" (clean, cool), it's much easier to accept. Anywhere else if the weather was 100 degrees, I would be focused on when I could get a nice shower and some A/C. Not an option here, so you just go with it. Both days we spent a fair amount of time walking around and seeing things - going the perimeter of the island, seeing some nearby waterfalls, and peppering the walking with tubing, swimming in the river or taking a boat around. We did a nice river tour yesterday with a local that Ryan knows. As expected it involved a lot of bear lao and lao lao :) We actually went to cambodia, you can pay 10,000 kip to sit at this bar on the cambodia side (a shack in the middle of nothing else on the beach), then we took the boat to an old French dock that is no longer in use and saw a beautiful sunset. I feel lucky to have been friends with people who are staying here long term (Ryan is practically a local). It's really changed my experience.
Staying here has been replenishing and inspiring. I want to stay on a more bare bones rustic path for the next leg of my trip through Cambodia. You get a lot more out of it and I think you learn more lessons. Somehow good for the soul.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Waterfalls in Tat Lo
From Pakse, I went east to the Bolvean Plateau in southern Lao to a town called Tat Lo. Tat Lo is a one-street town with just a few guesthouses and restaurants. The main attraction is a series of waterfalls - one visible from the bridge in town, one a short walk back and another which is 10km away.
The trip to Tat Lo was slightly annoying as I had to wait over 3 hours at the bus station due to misinformation. Dave had decided to go by motorbike (no way I trust myself with a motorbike), so I windled away the time reading and talkng to a couple from Montreal. C'est la vie. So many French people traveling here - there were two other groups of travelers at the bus station, both Frenchies as well!
In Tat Lo, I was able to enjoy some solitude, which was nice. I spent the day by myself wandering through the two waterfalls, swimming, climbing the rocks (just small ones), and, with some trepidation, standing under the plunge. It was a great day. Takes you back to being a kid again. All you hear is the rush of the water. There were other tourists there, but it didn't detract. I think due to the noise and concentration with which you navigate the falls, each person seems to be in his or her own little world. Seeing everyone climbing over the rocks, actually, reminded me of that Led Zeppelin album cover with the naked kids... (we were clothed though). Besides enjoying the nature, I re-appreciated the value of solitude. Somehow just the presence of friends or even strangers draws you out into the sensory world, outside of yourself. You suddenly have a need to think about what is going on around you, how to act and speak, and therefore think less about what is going on inside yourself. Only when you are physically separated can you concentrate on your real self. And how often do we take time to do that in regular life?
The second night in Tat Lo we hung at one of the restaurants that seemed to attract the younger crowd (maybe only 20 young tourists in the town in total anyway). We played cards and ate a delicious grilled fish with sticky rice. What a life :) I met a guy who said he had been traveling for 9 years! He left Canada at 22 and just gets odd jobs every few months. Fascinating the people you meet.
We are on now to the 4,000 islands. A place that is supposed to be beautiful although the suffocating heat may detract (and no electricity after 10pm means sleeping sans A/C OR fan). I will be off the grid again for a few days. I plan to pass into Cambodia by bus on March 1st or 2nd so you will hear more from me then.
The trip to Tat Lo was slightly annoying as I had to wait over 3 hours at the bus station due to misinformation. Dave had decided to go by motorbike (no way I trust myself with a motorbike), so I windled away the time reading and talkng to a couple from Montreal. C'est la vie. So many French people traveling here - there were two other groups of travelers at the bus station, both Frenchies as well!
In Tat Lo, I was able to enjoy some solitude, which was nice. I spent the day by myself wandering through the two waterfalls, swimming, climbing the rocks (just small ones), and, with some trepidation, standing under the plunge. It was a great day. Takes you back to being a kid again. All you hear is the rush of the water. There were other tourists there, but it didn't detract. I think due to the noise and concentration with which you navigate the falls, each person seems to be in his or her own little world. Seeing everyone climbing over the rocks, actually, reminded me of that Led Zeppelin album cover with the naked kids... (we were clothed though). Besides enjoying the nature, I re-appreciated the value of solitude. Somehow just the presence of friends or even strangers draws you out into the sensory world, outside of yourself. You suddenly have a need to think about what is going on around you, how to act and speak, and therefore think less about what is going on inside yourself. Only when you are physically separated can you concentrate on your real self. And how often do we take time to do that in regular life?
The second night in Tat Lo we hung at one of the restaurants that seemed to attract the younger crowd (maybe only 20 young tourists in the town in total anyway). We played cards and ate a delicious grilled fish with sticky rice. What a life :) I met a guy who said he had been traveling for 9 years! He left Canada at 22 and just gets odd jobs every few months. Fascinating the people you meet.
We are on now to the 4,000 islands. A place that is supposed to be beautiful although the suffocating heat may detract (and no electricity after 10pm means sleeping sans A/C OR fan). I will be off the grid again for a few days. I plan to pass into Cambodia by bus on March 1st or 2nd so you will hear more from me then.
Monday, February 23, 2009
On the Move in Southern Laos
Well, I've enjoyed a few towns since I've last posted.
From Vientiane I went to Ban Na Hin (also called Ban Khoun Khan). I can't call it a town - we were at a guesthouse on a road with not much in walking distance. I met a wonderful family from Minnesota - Amy and Mark and their 9 year old son Oliver. We had a great time hanging out with them, playing cards at night and talking. The main site in Ban Na Hin is a 7km cave with a river running through it. We all got together and took a minivan to the site and then a 3 hour boat trip through the cave and back. It was beautiful. Makes me want to read up on geology - how do these things come into formation? It the strength of a river really enough to gouge out a mountain and create a cave that high and long?
The next morning, we waited on the side of the road about an hour for the bus to come. The buses just stop wherever they see people and pick them up. Makes for a long trip :) As given that these are local buses, as opposed to the tourist buses which are not as readily available in Laos as they were in Vietnam, it's always an interesting ride. Full blown hot and sweaty - no AC - but the door is usually wide open the whole time as are the windows. Extra people sit on plastic chairs in the aisles, surrounded by the sacks of rice, produce and random goods (for example, about 30 moped tires). At every stop, vendors swarm the windows and walk through the bus selling meat, eggs (and once, crickets) grilled on sticks, drinks and other unknown snacks. It's always a surprise :)
Grittiness is a must when traveling in countries like this. Even though it sounds like situations you would want to avoid, it's actually quite a refreshing experience. There is something psychologically strengthening about enduring hard experiences. Of course, "hard" is a matter of perspective - even going without A/c, clean buses, general efficiency/organization is hard for westerners or at least for me. But to be able to let go of control and go with the flow is a good lesson. I remember feeling I learned his in India too (not sure whether I ever put it into practice when I got home :).
From Ban Na Hin, we went to Savannakhet, a quiet river town. They say its a town that time forgot - it used to be a hub of boat travel and trading between Laos and Thailand but with cars and bridges now, its more subdued. We had a delicious hot pot meal on the river one night. The main event was a one-day trek through "sacred" forests. We got to have a meal in the shade of the forest for lunch full of local food (the ubiquitous sticky rice!). In addition, as we walked our kind local guide showed us many plants used in cooking and medicine that we got to try: quinine plant for malaria (and gin & tonic?), coriander plant, a plant that smelled like cinnamon, a plant that helps with mosquito bites (tested on of the girls on the trek with success), a plant the leaks from water from its stem when you pick it (drinkable!), a tree the leaks oil that can be burned in torches, a tree the bleeds when you cut it (red sap), etc.
And now...Pakse - the hub of southern travel in Laos. We met some nice Israeli people on the bus. It's so neat meeting people from countries all over the world and talking about relevant issues. It's humbling to learn so much from others. Our Laos visa expires in 6 days so we are anxiously planning it out now. More later!
From Vientiane I went to Ban Na Hin (also called Ban Khoun Khan). I can't call it a town - we were at a guesthouse on a road with not much in walking distance. I met a wonderful family from Minnesota - Amy and Mark and their 9 year old son Oliver. We had a great time hanging out with them, playing cards at night and talking. The main site in Ban Na Hin is a 7km cave with a river running through it. We all got together and took a minivan to the site and then a 3 hour boat trip through the cave and back. It was beautiful. Makes me want to read up on geology - how do these things come into formation? It the strength of a river really enough to gouge out a mountain and create a cave that high and long?
The next morning, we waited on the side of the road about an hour for the bus to come. The buses just stop wherever they see people and pick them up. Makes for a long trip :) As given that these are local buses, as opposed to the tourist buses which are not as readily available in Laos as they were in Vietnam, it's always an interesting ride. Full blown hot and sweaty - no AC - but the door is usually wide open the whole time as are the windows. Extra people sit on plastic chairs in the aisles, surrounded by the sacks of rice, produce and random goods (for example, about 30 moped tires). At every stop, vendors swarm the windows and walk through the bus selling meat, eggs (and once, crickets) grilled on sticks, drinks and other unknown snacks. It's always a surprise :)
Grittiness is a must when traveling in countries like this. Even though it sounds like situations you would want to avoid, it's actually quite a refreshing experience. There is something psychologically strengthening about enduring hard experiences. Of course, "hard" is a matter of perspective - even going without A/c, clean buses, general efficiency/organization is hard for westerners or at least for me. But to be able to let go of control and go with the flow is a good lesson. I remember feeling I learned his in India too (not sure whether I ever put it into practice when I got home :).
From Ban Na Hin, we went to Savannakhet, a quiet river town. They say its a town that time forgot - it used to be a hub of boat travel and trading between Laos and Thailand but with cars and bridges now, its more subdued. We had a delicious hot pot meal on the river one night. The main event was a one-day trek through "sacred" forests. We got to have a meal in the shade of the forest for lunch full of local food (the ubiquitous sticky rice!). In addition, as we walked our kind local guide showed us many plants used in cooking and medicine that we got to try: quinine plant for malaria (and gin & tonic?), coriander plant, a plant that smelled like cinnamon, a plant that helps with mosquito bites (tested on of the girls on the trek with success), a plant the leaks from water from its stem when you pick it (drinkable!), a tree the leaks oil that can be burned in torches, a tree the bleeds when you cut it (red sap), etc.
And now...Pakse - the hub of southern travel in Laos. We met some nice Israeli people on the bus. It's so neat meeting people from countries all over the world and talking about relevant issues. It's humbling to learn so much from others. Our Laos visa expires in 6 days so we are anxiously planning it out now. More later!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Do-Gooding
When everyone is poorer than you, who do you help? You can't help everyone. And even if you could, would that help the country grow in the long-term?
What do you do, then, when someone invites you over for drinks and food in their partially built home and tells you it will take 4 years to finish but only 2,000 USD? Or a minority hill tribe women wants to sell you a scarf you dont really need, but you know the money is going to help the tribe? Or a bright novice monk you have been teaching english to tells you he can't afford university without a (presumably foreign) sponsor to pay the meager tuition?
The answer is - I don't know.
It's great to help one person and make a difference in their lives. It makes you feel good and it helps them immensely. And I have take that route sometimes. But the system engineer in me wonders - what about the big picture? Look at Africa - some of the problems there stem from a reliance on foreign aid. If the country is relying on foreign aid to prop itself up, how long is that sustainable? To what extent do the problems of the people need to exist in order to put pressure on the government to provide for its people?
Unfortunately, some governments are really bad, and no well-off country or human being wants to sit back and watch other people suffer while a government turns a blind eye. Well first-off, you hope that there are actual diplomacy efforts at the government level. Beyond that, I think its each person or group's responsibility to realize the larger effect on government interaction and consider how the contribution helps or hurts the larger system. From a bottom-up approach there is a lot of potential good that aid can do in helping educate and moderately increase income for residents. The assumption being that the more educated the population is, the better chance for government reforms from the inside, as these educated individuals become adults. (Although, when you live in a country that doesnt allow freedom of speech or democratic principles how does government reform happen?).
No matter how I analyze the aid question, its still a struggle when I am faced with helping individuals. I try to do it wisely, but to be honest, I always just want to give. :/ Maybe when I get back I can learn more about what methods are doing the most good in growing these developing countries.
On that note....
Anyone want to do some do-gooding? If you read earlier, I taught at the English school in Luang Prabang (Laos). The school consisted of 3 classrooms with a shoddy whiteboard, markers that barely worked (I dont even know how the kids could see the writing half the time) and no whiteboard cleaning solution (the board was basically covered in blue). I can't remember if I wrote about the day we had this stupid english conversation lesson about buying 200 dollar theater tickets or another one about buying someone a $40 necklace. That could be 2 week's pay for them! I guess you can't blame the text book, but it was just so embarrassing to even have to teach them the lesson. Then we had a lesson on budgeting (as if any of them have money) and they had to list their "wants" and "needs." We went around the room - man it was tough to listen to. Most of the wants were books, pens, language dictionary...only one kid named a CD player :) They are such sweet kids. The teachers there are sweet too and humble. When I offered to buy more markers they kinda shook me off but then said I could get some at the market when I asked where to find them. I also asked if they needed more Lao - English dictionaries because some kids cant afford them and they just said, oh no they are too expensive. They are only $2 a pop. :/
The markers at the market were the same bad quality of the ones they had. I thought it would be really great if they could have real Expo markers and cleaning solution. I won't be home for another 6 weeks, so I thought I'd ask if anyone wants to do a good deed and mail them some supplies? I have the address. Please note in the comments if you want to do it. One person is probably enough :) It's just the markers (2 packs?) and cleaning solution and maybe a pack of pens. I'm more than happy to split the cost!
Thanks for reading and let me know if you want to help!
What do you do, then, when someone invites you over for drinks and food in their partially built home and tells you it will take 4 years to finish but only 2,000 USD? Or a minority hill tribe women wants to sell you a scarf you dont really need, but you know the money is going to help the tribe? Or a bright novice monk you have been teaching english to tells you he can't afford university without a (presumably foreign) sponsor to pay the meager tuition?
The answer is - I don't know.
It's great to help one person and make a difference in their lives. It makes you feel good and it helps them immensely. And I have take that route sometimes. But the system engineer in me wonders - what about the big picture? Look at Africa - some of the problems there stem from a reliance on foreign aid. If the country is relying on foreign aid to prop itself up, how long is that sustainable? To what extent do the problems of the people need to exist in order to put pressure on the government to provide for its people?
Unfortunately, some governments are really bad, and no well-off country or human being wants to sit back and watch other people suffer while a government turns a blind eye. Well first-off, you hope that there are actual diplomacy efforts at the government level. Beyond that, I think its each person or group's responsibility to realize the larger effect on government interaction and consider how the contribution helps or hurts the larger system. From a bottom-up approach there is a lot of potential good that aid can do in helping educate and moderately increase income for residents. The assumption being that the more educated the population is, the better chance for government reforms from the inside, as these educated individuals become adults. (Although, when you live in a country that doesnt allow freedom of speech or democratic principles how does government reform happen?).
No matter how I analyze the aid question, its still a struggle when I am faced with helping individuals. I try to do it wisely, but to be honest, I always just want to give. :/ Maybe when I get back I can learn more about what methods are doing the most good in growing these developing countries.
On that note....
Anyone want to do some do-gooding? If you read earlier, I taught at the English school in Luang Prabang (Laos). The school consisted of 3 classrooms with a shoddy whiteboard, markers that barely worked (I dont even know how the kids could see the writing half the time) and no whiteboard cleaning solution (the board was basically covered in blue). I can't remember if I wrote about the day we had this stupid english conversation lesson about buying 200 dollar theater tickets or another one about buying someone a $40 necklace. That could be 2 week's pay for them! I guess you can't blame the text book, but it was just so embarrassing to even have to teach them the lesson. Then we had a lesson on budgeting (as if any of them have money) and they had to list their "wants" and "needs." We went around the room - man it was tough to listen to. Most of the wants were books, pens, language dictionary...only one kid named a CD player :) They are such sweet kids. The teachers there are sweet too and humble. When I offered to buy more markers they kinda shook me off but then said I could get some at the market when I asked where to find them. I also asked if they needed more Lao - English dictionaries because some kids cant afford them and they just said, oh no they are too expensive. They are only $2 a pop. :/
The markers at the market were the same bad quality of the ones they had. I thought it would be really great if they could have real Expo markers and cleaning solution. I won't be home for another 6 weeks, so I thought I'd ask if anyone wants to do a good deed and mail them some supplies? I have the address. Please note in the comments if you want to do it. One person is probably enough :) It's just the markers (2 packs?) and cleaning solution and maybe a pack of pens. I'm more than happy to split the cost!
Thanks for reading and let me know if you want to help!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Vang Vieng. Oh my.
What a strange bubble in the middle of Laos. Vang Vieng is a town completely geared to young backpackers, offering a slew of beach bars that are alive at all time of the day and night. During the day, you go tubing, which means: renting a tube (or simply swimming) a short distance between 4 or 5 bars. When you arrive to each bar you are usually greeted by a shot of lao whiskey. You follow-up with a mixed drink, served in a bucket with 4 or 5 straws. Drink up! Needless to say, its a long day of drinking, guaranteeed to leave you somewhere on the spectrum of minor inconvenience to total disaster. Here were our results:
- Me: Lost sunglasses and flip flops. Ink on my back for the next three days, hopefully faded enough to obscure lewd phrases...
- Dave: Broken toe and bruised tailbone from sliding in the mud bath. Yeah.
- Sep, a friend we met earlier in the day: Disapperaed by the 5th bar, woke up in the Lao hospitaal with stitches on his forehead.
In all, not bad, even for Sep. About 50% of the people in Vang Vieng are walking around with bandages or limping and I dont even want to know how many end up worse. The culprit is usually the ziplines and slides that are attached to each bar. It's not a far fall to the rocks esp after a few buckets.
Well, after one day of tubing and the drama along with it, we chilled out the second day. I met some friends: Drew fom Canada and Tabby from Jersey (UK Jersey not US :). We partied with them that second night. We decided to explore the "happy" bars - a certain select group of bars that offers an array of illegal substances. You must at least visit one of these places, apparently, so visit we did. :)
Between all the partying (and really, we were quite tame), we didnt have the energy to explore much of the natural surroundings. But even from the view of the town, the nature really was stunning. One day I did venture out with Drew and Tabby to visit an organic farm (my idea of course :-). The farm iself wasnt much to see, but the food (fresh goat cheese and mulberry shakes) were wonderful, and we also got to take in more mountain views, including a sunset on the way back.
I was glad when we left Van Vieng. Unfortunately, the escape route was a 5 hour bus ride through the mountains. All the locals on the bus were puking. I guess they arent as acclimated to traveling by car/bus. Pretty unpleasant.
We are currently in Vientiane which isnt much of a reprieve. It's a dusty city, not as tourist-oriented as Luang Prabang, but I guess at least more authentic. It 's so hot - we paid $7.50 yesterday to use one of the hotel pools, which is a fortune, about the cost of a hotel room for the night. But it was great - the last thing I wanted to do on such a hot day was go sightseeing. The longer you travel the less inclined you feel to "see the sights", maybe thats a bad thing. That night we ate at a nice French restaurant, La Central. $20 a person - another complete indulgence, but it was nice eating "regular food" and the DESSERT - True French style molten chocolate cake. You know I loved every bite.
Thankfully, we are rocking out of this joint tomorrow. More later!
- Me: Lost sunglasses and flip flops. Ink on my back for the next three days, hopefully faded enough to obscure lewd phrases...
- Dave: Broken toe and bruised tailbone from sliding in the mud bath. Yeah.
- Sep, a friend we met earlier in the day: Disapperaed by the 5th bar, woke up in the Lao hospitaal with stitches on his forehead.
In all, not bad, even for Sep. About 50% of the people in Vang Vieng are walking around with bandages or limping and I dont even want to know how many end up worse. The culprit is usually the ziplines and slides that are attached to each bar. It's not a far fall to the rocks esp after a few buckets.
Well, after one day of tubing and the drama along with it, we chilled out the second day. I met some friends: Drew fom Canada and Tabby from Jersey (UK Jersey not US :). We partied with them that second night. We decided to explore the "happy" bars - a certain select group of bars that offers an array of illegal substances. You must at least visit one of these places, apparently, so visit we did. :)
Between all the partying (and really, we were quite tame), we didnt have the energy to explore much of the natural surroundings. But even from the view of the town, the nature really was stunning. One day I did venture out with Drew and Tabby to visit an organic farm (my idea of course :-). The farm iself wasnt much to see, but the food (fresh goat cheese and mulberry shakes) were wonderful, and we also got to take in more mountain views, including a sunset on the way back.
I was glad when we left Van Vieng. Unfortunately, the escape route was a 5 hour bus ride through the mountains. All the locals on the bus were puking. I guess they arent as acclimated to traveling by car/bus. Pretty unpleasant.
We are currently in Vientiane which isnt much of a reprieve. It's a dusty city, not as tourist-oriented as Luang Prabang, but I guess at least more authentic. It 's so hot - we paid $7.50 yesterday to use one of the hotel pools, which is a fortune, about the cost of a hotel room for the night. But it was great - the last thing I wanted to do on such a hot day was go sightseeing. The longer you travel the less inclined you feel to "see the sights", maybe thats a bad thing. That night we ate at a nice French restaurant, La Central. $20 a person - another complete indulgence, but it was nice eating "regular food" and the DESSERT - True French style molten chocolate cake. You know I loved every bite.
Thankfully, we are rocking out of this joint tomorrow. More later!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Book List
For anyone interested, here is a list of the books I have been reading:
Tom Robbins - Jitterbug Perfume (ah, the sweet smell of a good TR book. engrossing and insightful as always.)
Kafka - The Metamorphosis (checked this out of the bookstore/library for a day - glad i read it. There was also a great Intro written that explains how the bug symbolizes the feelings of isolation/distance from others intrinsic in being a writer)
Hanif Kureishi - Intimacy (my traveler friend had this book - A rather pessimistic view of marriage and relationships, but often true and funny)
Loung Ung - First They Killed My Father (this was an amazing book - vividly told true story account of the Khmer Rouge nightmare in Cambodia. A must read.)
Graham Greene - The Quiet American (I have just started it, but enjoy it so far. He has a 50s journalistic style and lays out the plot and characters in a way that keeps your interest. It's also nice to read a book where you have been to the places - it takes place so far in Saigon during French/American involvement)
Miss all my friends and family! Hope you are having a good Valentine's day. In case you need me, I have a new contact number for Laos. It's 856 207 554 117.
Tom Robbins - Jitterbug Perfume (ah, the sweet smell of a good TR book. engrossing and insightful as always.)
Kafka - The Metamorphosis (checked this out of the bookstore/library for a day - glad i read it. There was also a great Intro written that explains how the bug symbolizes the feelings of isolation/distance from others intrinsic in being a writer)
Hanif Kureishi - Intimacy (my traveler friend had this book - A rather pessimistic view of marriage and relationships, but often true and funny)
Loung Ung - First They Killed My Father (this was an amazing book - vividly told true story account of the Khmer Rouge nightmare in Cambodia. A must read.)
Graham Greene - The Quiet American (I have just started it, but enjoy it so far. He has a 50s journalistic style and lays out the plot and characters in a way that keeps your interest. It's also nice to read a book where you have been to the places - it takes place so far in Saigon during French/American involvement)
Miss all my friends and family! Hope you are having a good Valentine's day. In case you need me, I have a new contact number for Laos. It's 856 207 554 117.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Off the Grid
Pardon my absence - the last few days I was in a town with no central electricity, internet, ATM - nada. (The few days prior to that, I have no excuse - just hanging out in Luang Prabang where I continued to teach at night and relax during the day.)
We set out on the 8th for a town called Nong Khiaw. We arrived by minibus 4 hours later to see a moderately-sized village set on the Nam Ou river, with mountains lining the riverbanks. It was a beautiful place. We had planned to stay there that night and head up to the next town the following day, but decided to go straight to the second town. It was an hour boat ride to the next town, Muang Ngoi Neua. What luck that we decided to go - it was a magnificient town: beautiful scenery and a perfect blend of authentic, rustic village with some tourist benefits. Well that statement could be argued - there was no ATM, Internet, actually, no centralized eletricity. :) But it was a wonderfully quiet and beautiful town, completely in tune with the cycles of village life.
There was one dusty road (just for walking. no motorbikes or cars used within the town) on which you saw the trademarks of rural life: dogs sleeping in the middle of the street, chickens with their chicks walking around, small shopfronts of basic services like laundry, snacks, etc, (mainly geared to tourists, even though there were few of us), and, of course, heaps of children. It could seem like the entire town is made up of children, if it weren't for the adults you see tending the stores on the road, or the gardens off the sides. A vibe that is unbeatable. And this is all set with a backdrop of mountains if you look up, or the river if you look down on the other side of the road.
We settled into a guesthouse called @moon, which was run by a swedish guy, Ted, and his wife, who is Lao (and their adorable son who is 8 months). This was great luck - having a non-partial, english-speaking host makes navigating the town much easier. We could ask him about trails, boatrides, where to exchange money, etc. Plus the chance for chilled-out nights on the porch drinking tea and chatting about a range of things.
The exciting amentities about this guesthouse were: hot showers, western-style toilets and electricity all day! This was rare for the town - typically electricity only exists from 6-10pm when they run the generators, but Ted had something installed that let him make electricity from the river (yeah i know there is a term for this - hydroelectric power i guess). The toilets, even though they were regular porcelin toilet seats, didnt have automatic flush, so you still have flush them like squat toilets. What does that mean, you may ask? There is a big bucket of fresh water with a small scoop next to the toilet. You scoop water from the bucket and dump it in the toilet to "flush" it. The hot "showers" were great though - really. The shower wasn't in the room - you walk to the back of the guest house to a stall. There is a family that lives right behind the guesthouse, and heats up hot water for the baths. When you get to the stall, they bring you over a bucket of hot water. You use the bucket /scoop system to mix some cold water into the hot water basin. Then you use the scoop to pour the water on yourself. I thought it would be really annoying, but I actually really enjoyed it. There was no loud rush of water on your ears the whole time and water isnt in your face the whole time - its a more gentle shower. Of course, it helps to have a wonderful ambient temperature outside :) otherwise it could be miserable. They also have a hot steam room with herbs set up, cost a little extra ($2), but I did that one day. Amazing. Actually Ted let me go for free because Dave and I had serious money problems due to lack of ATM and bad planning :)
Every morning around 7am, the sounds outside are too loud to stay asleep: dozens of roosters crowing at each other, a radio playing traditional music, babies crying, kids talking, parents chatting, pots clanging, and more. It's an uninterupted stream. Fascinating. The main reason is that there are no real walls - the houses walls are just thatching, and anyway, most of life takes place outside, under the houses if they are on stilts, or on the streets and in the yards.
On the first night, we were lucky enough to take part in a big party in the village. There was an environmental conference of about 75 people going on from 45 small fishing villages about the dam building on the river. Many of the people at the conference were from Thai fishing villages or environmental groups. Laos, with China's backing has planned for many dams, with some electricity gain for China as a result of the financial backing. This is a huge environment problem and will literally destroy these fishing towns. But - in Laos there is no protesting, the people have no say and would be punished if they even tried to create any organized opposition. So this was just a peaceful conference, it almost felt like a goodbye to the river as it was.
Everyone gathered together that night in the village meeting place, which was an open area with a roof on the side of the main path with. The Lao community did traditional dances and musical performances, and there was a religious Basci ceremony. I befriended some of the Thai environmentalists, who were these cool, old, hippie guys. They pulled me into the Basci ceremony which was cool. After that, a showing of a river documentary. The one guy that was my friend, Guratee, also played in the Thai band and his group was the one that did the film. He was totally genuine and was so happy to see everyone together. "everybody happy, everybody together. community - you dont find this in NY." he would say with a smile.
All this was followed by food and plenty of Lao Lao. Lao Lao is homemade rice vodka that is drunk for any reason at any time of the day. In fact, we had Lao Lao earlier that day when some of the convention people came to chat to Ted at the guest house. There is one glass and one guy that controls the bottle. He pours you a shot and you take it and then he pours one for the next guy. It goes on and on. Needless to say, I was ready for bed by 9:30.
The second day, I again caught the Thai guys while walking through the town. They pulled me into the farewell ceremony - which consisted of some singing and dancing on the street (maybe only 30 people this time) with of course, Lao Lao. 10:30am is not too early to drink in this town. I eventually walked to the river with other village people to see them off by boat. I am supposed to go visit them in Thailand, we shall see :) What good people. "the soul, the soul is so important" was another thing Guratee would repeat - even with his limited english, we were on the same page.
Later that day, Dave and I trekked an hour and a half to a village. We encountered some amazing landscapes. At one point, we were suddenly in a huge empty, dried up rice field with mountains all around, and cattle and water buffalo grazing everywhere. Surreal. We crossed a few streams and eventually made it to the village for lunch, with time to walk back before dark.
The next day, with our compatriate, Ron, we did a boat trip an hour and half upriver. Ron is a cool 60-year old from Kansas City, Vietnam vet and lifelong traveler. We took the boat with two village guys: Peng who served as our tour guide and his friend. We did a trek with Peng while his friend fished for our lunch. We trekked to two villages, then the boat picked us up and we went to a small deserted beach, where Peng cooked us fresh fish and potatoes on the fire, supplemented by ferns he picked form the forest and fresh papaya he brought. During the vietnam war, when US was bombing Laos as well, the people of this village lived in a cave. Peng said that is where he learned which ferns to eat. We had a great day hanging out on the island, eating and drinking Lao Lao.
The party continued when we got back to the main town - Peng invited us for more Lao Lao at his house. We bought the bottle and he provided some snacks - the typical fried, dried seaweed (delicious), peanuts, some sticky rice. All necessary for chasing the shots :) As is common, they are generous in the hopes that you will be generous to them, in other words, give some kind of "donation." And I dont fault them for that. We sat under the roof of a wall-less two story house he is in the process of building. He said it will take 2,000 US dollars, so approx four years for him to build. You can see the cement blocks which he and some workers formed indivudually, and timber lying around that he slowly acquires. I have been in this situation so many times now and its such an interesting dilemma. I will write more about that sometime.
After all the Lao Lao, I fell into bed at 7pm. But I didnt let myself sleep and pulled myself up to chat on the deck. We met this cool American couple from Seattle. They are 37 and met in the Peace Corp. Now he is a doctor and she is a phorographer. They have two sons. It's nice to see people living a happy, fulfilled life.
I'm back in Luang Prabang now - tomorrow heading to Vang Vieng which hopefully will be fun. Unfortunately (depending who you are), its known as a spring-break-for-backpackers place, but who knows could be fun and is supposedly beautiful as well. Ciao! I gotta get some rest and expedite my Lao Lao recovery.
By the way Happy Birthday Sarah and Mark!!!
We set out on the 8th for a town called Nong Khiaw. We arrived by minibus 4 hours later to see a moderately-sized village set on the Nam Ou river, with mountains lining the riverbanks. It was a beautiful place. We had planned to stay there that night and head up to the next town the following day, but decided to go straight to the second town. It was an hour boat ride to the next town, Muang Ngoi Neua. What luck that we decided to go - it was a magnificient town: beautiful scenery and a perfect blend of authentic, rustic village with some tourist benefits. Well that statement could be argued - there was no ATM, Internet, actually, no centralized eletricity. :) But it was a wonderfully quiet and beautiful town, completely in tune with the cycles of village life.
There was one dusty road (just for walking. no motorbikes or cars used within the town) on which you saw the trademarks of rural life: dogs sleeping in the middle of the street, chickens with their chicks walking around, small shopfronts of basic services like laundry, snacks, etc, (mainly geared to tourists, even though there were few of us), and, of course, heaps of children. It could seem like the entire town is made up of children, if it weren't for the adults you see tending the stores on the road, or the gardens off the sides. A vibe that is unbeatable. And this is all set with a backdrop of mountains if you look up, or the river if you look down on the other side of the road.
We settled into a guesthouse called @moon, which was run by a swedish guy, Ted, and his wife, who is Lao (and their adorable son who is 8 months). This was great luck - having a non-partial, english-speaking host makes navigating the town much easier. We could ask him about trails, boatrides, where to exchange money, etc. Plus the chance for chilled-out nights on the porch drinking tea and chatting about a range of things.
The exciting amentities about this guesthouse were: hot showers, western-style toilets and electricity all day! This was rare for the town - typically electricity only exists from 6-10pm when they run the generators, but Ted had something installed that let him make electricity from the river (yeah i know there is a term for this - hydroelectric power i guess). The toilets, even though they were regular porcelin toilet seats, didnt have automatic flush, so you still have flush them like squat toilets. What does that mean, you may ask? There is a big bucket of fresh water with a small scoop next to the toilet. You scoop water from the bucket and dump it in the toilet to "flush" it. The hot "showers" were great though - really. The shower wasn't in the room - you walk to the back of the guest house to a stall. There is a family that lives right behind the guesthouse, and heats up hot water for the baths. When you get to the stall, they bring you over a bucket of hot water. You use the bucket /scoop system to mix some cold water into the hot water basin. Then you use the scoop to pour the water on yourself. I thought it would be really annoying, but I actually really enjoyed it. There was no loud rush of water on your ears the whole time and water isnt in your face the whole time - its a more gentle shower. Of course, it helps to have a wonderful ambient temperature outside :) otherwise it could be miserable. They also have a hot steam room with herbs set up, cost a little extra ($2), but I did that one day. Amazing. Actually Ted let me go for free because Dave and I had serious money problems due to lack of ATM and bad planning :)
Every morning around 7am, the sounds outside are too loud to stay asleep: dozens of roosters crowing at each other, a radio playing traditional music, babies crying, kids talking, parents chatting, pots clanging, and more. It's an uninterupted stream. Fascinating. The main reason is that there are no real walls - the houses walls are just thatching, and anyway, most of life takes place outside, under the houses if they are on stilts, or on the streets and in the yards.
On the first night, we were lucky enough to take part in a big party in the village. There was an environmental conference of about 75 people going on from 45 small fishing villages about the dam building on the river. Many of the people at the conference were from Thai fishing villages or environmental groups. Laos, with China's backing has planned for many dams, with some electricity gain for China as a result of the financial backing. This is a huge environment problem and will literally destroy these fishing towns. But - in Laos there is no protesting, the people have no say and would be punished if they even tried to create any organized opposition. So this was just a peaceful conference, it almost felt like a goodbye to the river as it was.
Everyone gathered together that night in the village meeting place, which was an open area with a roof on the side of the main path with. The Lao community did traditional dances and musical performances, and there was a religious Basci ceremony. I befriended some of the Thai environmentalists, who were these cool, old, hippie guys. They pulled me into the Basci ceremony which was cool. After that, a showing of a river documentary. The one guy that was my friend, Guratee, also played in the Thai band and his group was the one that did the film. He was totally genuine and was so happy to see everyone together. "everybody happy, everybody together. community - you dont find this in NY." he would say with a smile.
All this was followed by food and plenty of Lao Lao. Lao Lao is homemade rice vodka that is drunk for any reason at any time of the day. In fact, we had Lao Lao earlier that day when some of the convention people came to chat to Ted at the guest house. There is one glass and one guy that controls the bottle. He pours you a shot and you take it and then he pours one for the next guy. It goes on and on. Needless to say, I was ready for bed by 9:30.
The second day, I again caught the Thai guys while walking through the town. They pulled me into the farewell ceremony - which consisted of some singing and dancing on the street (maybe only 30 people this time) with of course, Lao Lao. 10:30am is not too early to drink in this town. I eventually walked to the river with other village people to see them off by boat. I am supposed to go visit them in Thailand, we shall see :) What good people. "the soul, the soul is so important" was another thing Guratee would repeat - even with his limited english, we were on the same page.
Later that day, Dave and I trekked an hour and a half to a village. We encountered some amazing landscapes. At one point, we were suddenly in a huge empty, dried up rice field with mountains all around, and cattle and water buffalo grazing everywhere. Surreal. We crossed a few streams and eventually made it to the village for lunch, with time to walk back before dark.
The next day, with our compatriate, Ron, we did a boat trip an hour and half upriver. Ron is a cool 60-year old from Kansas City, Vietnam vet and lifelong traveler. We took the boat with two village guys: Peng who served as our tour guide and his friend. We did a trek with Peng while his friend fished for our lunch. We trekked to two villages, then the boat picked us up and we went to a small deserted beach, where Peng cooked us fresh fish and potatoes on the fire, supplemented by ferns he picked form the forest and fresh papaya he brought. During the vietnam war, when US was bombing Laos as well, the people of this village lived in a cave. Peng said that is where he learned which ferns to eat. We had a great day hanging out on the island, eating and drinking Lao Lao.
The party continued when we got back to the main town - Peng invited us for more Lao Lao at his house. We bought the bottle and he provided some snacks - the typical fried, dried seaweed (delicious), peanuts, some sticky rice. All necessary for chasing the shots :) As is common, they are generous in the hopes that you will be generous to them, in other words, give some kind of "donation." And I dont fault them for that. We sat under the roof of a wall-less two story house he is in the process of building. He said it will take 2,000 US dollars, so approx four years for him to build. You can see the cement blocks which he and some workers formed indivudually, and timber lying around that he slowly acquires. I have been in this situation so many times now and its such an interesting dilemma. I will write more about that sometime.
After all the Lao Lao, I fell into bed at 7pm. But I didnt let myself sleep and pulled myself up to chat on the deck. We met this cool American couple from Seattle. They are 37 and met in the Peace Corp. Now he is a doctor and she is a phorographer. They have two sons. It's nice to see people living a happy, fulfilled life.
I'm back in Luang Prabang now - tomorrow heading to Vang Vieng which hopefully will be fun. Unfortunately (depending who you are), its known as a spring-break-for-backpackers place, but who knows could be fun and is supposedly beautiful as well. Ciao! I gotta get some rest and expedite my Lao Lao recovery.
By the way Happy Birthday Sarah and Mark!!!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Slowly Posting Pictures
I was able to download my pics to CDs. A lot of places offer it...mow I know that I could have just bought a CF memory card reader. :) Internet connection is really slow it takes a few mins per picture, but I will slowly post. See the Historic Hue entry!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
A Good Start in Laos
We flew to Luang Prabang, Laos in a noisy, vibrating prop plane - a short one hour flight. Thankfully, we walked off the plane into warm air which was welcome after Hanoi and Sapa. As there are always surprises in a new country, the first two were (1) the airport was about the size of a large house. The people on our tiny flight were the only ones in the airport (2) transportation to town was on two benches on the back of a covered truck. We shared a ride with two other girls and together tried a few hotels that were too pricey ($15), so decided to stop for a beer. We continued on after that and found a place for $9 each. Clean with a hot shower, hooray!
Monks are a huge part of life here - most men become monks for at least a few months of their lives. There are many wats (temples/monasteries) around here, so it seems one in four people is a monk, wearing a bright orange robe. The first day I arrived, I met a French guy, Julien, while I was walking around one of the wats. Me, Dave and Julien ended up talking to these Lao guys who were English teachers and they invited us to teach at the school that night. So for the past two nights we taught English in their classes. The classes are separate from regular school and students can elect to take classes if their parents can afford it. I think its 250,000 kip per term which is $30.
Teaching is really fun and its simply wonderful to be able to truly help the locals. The class is about 20 students, monks and regular kids, age range about 15-25. Periodically, the teacher will call me up to pronounce the phrases on the board and the children repeat after me. At the end, they clap and say Thank you very much. They really seem to love having us there, it's really too sweet. When I'm not teaching, I have been sitting next to this 16 year old girl and she is always reading to me from her workbook in between exercises, so I can help with her pronunciation. The quality of the schools is low compared to western style. It's much less organized and the lesson plans don't really teach the language in the traditional way from the ground up - its more about memorizing phrases. Kids are free to wander in and out of class (although they mostly stay in). And the teachers, who are kind and enthusiastic and you can tell truly love their jobs, do not have the best grasp of the language. Many times, the phrases on the board use improper grammar (which I simply can't read aloud without editing!). Their pronunciation is also off, which is why they said they always invite foreigners to class.
Last night after class me and three other young travelers who were teaching, went to dinner with the two head Lao teachers. It was a nice time, and we got to eat real Lao food. :) They eat sticky rice with their hand, form it into a ball in their palm and eat it with a bit of fish and some sauce. Totally addicting, esp for carb-lovers :) After dinner, I met up with some of friends we hung out with in Hue and Hanoi that we randomly ran into again. Good times. Luang Prabang has an 11:30 curfew! So early to bed for us.
This morning I woke up at 6am to watch the monks collect alms, which means about 300 monks walk in single file around the town and people give them fruit and sticky rice. It's nice having met monks in class because I see them more as human. I smiled and said good morning and they smile back, while the other tourists seem to regard them as gods. They are just kids! Another interesting thing is that the alms procession attracts a lot of tourists now, so the monks get more than they need. You see little poor kids with baskets who follow the monks around and from time to time the monks give the kids some of the food they collected.
Also of note - I had my record-breaking cheap meal two days ago: 60 cents for a vegetarian buffet at the night market. :) OK, so it wasnt the most delicious but it did the job. But you dont have to pay much anyway - Lunch was noddle soup for $1.25 and very good!
I will probably spend a few more days here, but I'm not entirely sure where I am heading next. Probably south but people have also recommended trekking in the north. Who knows, but for now I am enjoying my time here. I did some biking yesterday and today and I am going to get a massage and find a bookstore. :)
Monks are a huge part of life here - most men become monks for at least a few months of their lives. There are many wats (temples/monasteries) around here, so it seems one in four people is a monk, wearing a bright orange robe. The first day I arrived, I met a French guy, Julien, while I was walking around one of the wats. Me, Dave and Julien ended up talking to these Lao guys who were English teachers and they invited us to teach at the school that night. So for the past two nights we taught English in their classes. The classes are separate from regular school and students can elect to take classes if their parents can afford it. I think its 250,000 kip per term which is $30.
Teaching is really fun and its simply wonderful to be able to truly help the locals. The class is about 20 students, monks and regular kids, age range about 15-25. Periodically, the teacher will call me up to pronounce the phrases on the board and the children repeat after me. At the end, they clap and say Thank you very much. They really seem to love having us there, it's really too sweet. When I'm not teaching, I have been sitting next to this 16 year old girl and she is always reading to me from her workbook in between exercises, so I can help with her pronunciation. The quality of the schools is low compared to western style. It's much less organized and the lesson plans don't really teach the language in the traditional way from the ground up - its more about memorizing phrases. Kids are free to wander in and out of class (although they mostly stay in). And the teachers, who are kind and enthusiastic and you can tell truly love their jobs, do not have the best grasp of the language. Many times, the phrases on the board use improper grammar (which I simply can't read aloud without editing!). Their pronunciation is also off, which is why they said they always invite foreigners to class.
Last night after class me and three other young travelers who were teaching, went to dinner with the two head Lao teachers. It was a nice time, and we got to eat real Lao food. :) They eat sticky rice with their hand, form it into a ball in their palm and eat it with a bit of fish and some sauce. Totally addicting, esp for carb-lovers :) After dinner, I met up with some of friends we hung out with in Hue and Hanoi that we randomly ran into again. Good times. Luang Prabang has an 11:30 curfew! So early to bed for us.
This morning I woke up at 6am to watch the monks collect alms, which means about 300 monks walk in single file around the town and people give them fruit and sticky rice. It's nice having met monks in class because I see them more as human. I smiled and said good morning and they smile back, while the other tourists seem to regard them as gods. They are just kids! Another interesting thing is that the alms procession attracts a lot of tourists now, so the monks get more than they need. You see little poor kids with baskets who follow the monks around and from time to time the monks give the kids some of the food they collected.
Also of note - I had my record-breaking cheap meal two days ago: 60 cents for a vegetarian buffet at the night market. :) OK, so it wasnt the most delicious but it did the job. But you dont have to pay much anyway - Lunch was noddle soup for $1.25 and very good!
I will probably spend a few more days here, but I'm not entirely sure where I am heading next. Probably south but people have also recommended trekking in the north. Who knows, but for now I am enjoying my time here. I did some biking yesterday and today and I am going to get a massage and find a bookstore. :)
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