Our Last Town in Laos: Luang Prabang

My sister June is thinking of nominating Dennis for sainthood. And I think I may have to second that nomination. Is there someone we should direct this to other than Pope Francis? We haven’t written much since we’ve been in Luang Prabang. There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all it’s a beautiful UNESCO town situated on a peninsula at the confluence of The Mekong and Nam Khan rivers and there’s so much to see. Luang Prabang was formerly the royal capitol of Laos.

The second, reason for less writing is that I haven’t exactly been myself so in my gratitude for Dennis’s patience, I haven’t been nagging. I picked up some kind of a stomach bug that causes nausea and dizziness. I have little appetite for any drink other than soda water or plain water. OMG, that woman is ill! Thanks again to cousins Candace and Lai for directing me to an English speaking pharmacist. I’m feeling much better. Almost good enough to nag someone about writing. So Saint Dennis, right?

The first tour we were supposed to take here was a cooking class—The Bamboo Experience. I was really under the weather so Dennis went on his own and it was terrific. I’m sure he’ll write about it.

Yesterday we went to a Hmong village and the Kuang Si waterfalls. The village was our fist stop. The Hmong are traditionally mountain people but about 50 years ago some groups were resettled by the government. This resettlement strategy of ethnic minorities has become a central feature of rural development in Laos and other SE Asian countries (Han in China, Kinh in Vietnam, Khmer in Cambodia). It is intended to facilitate the ban on slash-and-burn agriculture and opium growing. It also allows the state to implement new roads, schools, sanitation works, land reform, etc. (Evrard & Goudineau). If you’re interested, there’s lots more information out there. 

We started in the village with a demonstration of how cotton used to be milled and turned into thread. Dennis got a chance to try his hand at it. Sitting on that tiny low stool for very long would soon have become painful for a novice. Then a quick demo of a whiskey still where rice is being distilled. According to Mr. Schulz, it was like drinking straight alcohol.

From there we went up to the cultural center where Dennis got a chance to use a crossbow. His target? A pig and a chicken. He hit the pig (styrofoam) on the snout and the chicken (again styrofoam) on one foot. No dinner tonight. To get there and then out of the village we had to go through a gauntlet of small children—all holding something for us to buy. This was very painful. We wondered if we couldn’t just make a donation to the village. I don’t think we have enough friends to cover the number of coasters offered for sale by beautiful little children. At the end of this visit our guide, Boun told me I paid too much for the handmade fabric that I bought. He added that as I bought it at the first place we stopped for the demo it would be shared with the whole village. I will use it as a table runner. It was 500,000 (LAK) kip or $30.00 all elegantly stitched.

From the village we went higher into the mountains until we came to Kuang Si Waterfalls. The waterfalls are blue and turquoise and beautiful. Dennis had a refreshing swim in the azure waters and even enjoyed a bit of a shower under one the falls.

Later that night we took a tuk-tuk to the night market. I found the perfect bag to replace my trusty Baggallini which I had left at home. This one has beautiful Lao stitchery on it and will become my carry-on. I’m going to check my bigger suitcase. There are many who would never check a bag and I used to be one of them. Now both Dennis and I are happy to take our chances and let someone else wrestle with our bags. The few extra minutes at baggage give us a moment to figure out our next moves. My neighbors on the flight are welcome to the overhead compartment.

The night market is a very colorful and lively place. It is a blaze with golds and reds—treasures for the eyes and perhaps one or two to take home. There is a painting there that I can’t get out of my head. Should I warn Dennis that we shouldn’t venture that way again? Hmmm, no that’s part of the adventure. 

Yesterday we went on a day tour with Somsay from the Bamboo Experience. It turned out to be for both of us, the highlight of our trip to Laos. We visited the small remote Hmong village of Ban Long Lan. The tour began with Somsay asking us if we wanted to visit a small village and school. Of course. Then we first stopped at a school supply store to buy some items to take to the school. There are about 100 students in this primary school with four teachers and one of these serves as the director. The kids start school at approximately four years of age and the school ends at 5th grade. We bought notebooks, pens and crayons for the youngest. Once we had our purchases we set out. First we were on a blacktopped road, then blacktop with plenty of potholes, then dirt and gravel and more potholes. Since Covid there has been little money for road repair. Up the side of the mountain we went avoiding potholes and washouts as much as possible. The view from the edge of the road into the valley was sensational.

We entered Ban Long Lan and went directly to the school. Somsay spoke with the Director and a few of the teachers. They made us welcome and opened their classrooms to us. I remember those long ago days where there would be an interruption to our classroom routine.  How exciting.Those were the days when every minute was not underscored with testing. That was the long ago time of the “teachable moment.” When every occurrence became an opportunity. I hoped that was what we were. The kids were seated in pairs in rows of desks. They looked at us rather solemnly but there were a few shy smiles and then more and more smiles appeared. When was the last time a new notebook or a new pen or a new box of crayons made you excited? For me, it was right then. If I could change anything we did that day, it would be to have brought crayons for all students not just the young ones. And if I could have I would have brought paper and more art supplies and done a quick art experience. Next time. The teachers do need warning that their classes are going to be invaded and interrupted with such frivolity.

After we visited every room, it was time for everyone to go home for lunch. As they left the school they clustered in small groups to see what they had received. Then chatting and giggling, off they went for home and lunch.

Somsay, Dennis, and I went to the teacher’s house who lived at the edge of the school field. He and his wife and three children lived there and ran a small store. His wife is a weaver and she gave us a short demonstration on her loom. She had finished 3 scarves or table runners and I bought two of them.

Next we were off on a walk through the village. Here we discovered a whole new version of raised beds. The bed was quite high which prevents animals from nibbling on the plants and in the rainy season it prevents the plants from being washed away. The beds usually contain herbs, especially chives, mint and coriander. We also found coffee, avocado, mangoes, and corn growing in and around the village.

As we continued to walk, we began to hear drumming and chanting. Somsay told us a ceremony was taking place. As animism is practiced here, he rightly predicted there would also be animal sacrifice. We followed the sounds to the house where a healing was proceeding for an older ill woman. Two pigs were slaughtered. I was told, if the illness was serious it would have been one, if it was quite serious then two and if death threatening, three.

A young man came out of the house and introduced himself as Kam. The ceremony was for his mother. His English was excellent. He knew where Chicago is and he was very gracious in allowing me to take photos. Somsay explained later that Kam had been a tour guide in Luang Prabang. Then Covid hit and there was no tourism so he returned to the village to raise cattle.

Soon after, we walked back to the teacher’s house where we had our picnic lunch. The lunch was beautifully packaged in banana leaves. Banana leaves also formed the bowls and the plates and the table covering. Our “silverware” was a wood spoon and chopsticks, all biodegradable, none of it headed for a landfill. Don’t be surprised if you see banana trees sprouting up in Dennis’s garden. After the beauty of the lunch came it’s tastiness. Every dish was scrumptious. My favorite was the green beans. For Dennis, I’m guessing the chicken or the pork. Yummy!

After lunch we headed back down the mountain. Near the intersection back to town we took a short detour to visit a town that specializes in producing whiskey. Dennis tasted several and was fascinated by the bottle that contained a cobra, a scorpion, and a spider. I passed on the tastings but they had some very pretty silk scarves and shawls/table runners. So always trying to do my part for the economy, I bought several.

We have taken my cousin Candace’s advice to heart. She said to be generous and in both buying and tipping we have done our best to do that. It really appalls me when I see tourists of all nationalities, all ages, shapes, and sizes demand service and then get up without leaving even a small tip. We have a couple of stories that are disgusting. I know this doesn’t describe any of our readers. I’m getting dizzy on this soapbox so I’ll get down now.      

Words from Dennis—

My day with Say (pronounced Sigh) at his Bamboo Experience:

As Cindy related, she was sick so I did this tour on my own. Say believes that bamboo is the answer to some of SE Asia’s problems. It is fast growing, provides material for building homes and shelters and also is edible and sustainable. He sat me down in his shop/home and gave a seminar on the benefits of bamboo. I was the only attendee that day. It was wonderful—an audience of 100 would also have enjoyed it equally well. Regarding sustainability? It is an exceptional tool. 

After the presentation, Say’s wife prepared a delicious meal and asked me to participate in its preparation. What a great experience! His neighbor Oncle then demonstrated the art of weaving bamboo into many useful items for the home and kitchen. He finished his presentation by offering me a few shots of banana whiskey. Yahoo! Then we ate…

After the meal, a student from the village demonstrated a Laotian dance in costume while playing a traditional instrument. Again, this was all done for an audience of one—me.

I’m sorry Cindy missed it but I took lots of pictures in her absence. I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed it and making a new friend with Say. He’s going to take us on a tour of a Hmong village as well and I’ll follow up with notes regarding that visit. 👍

Two days later, Hmong Village:

This account is tough for me because it involved children. They provide the brightest moments as well as most personally emotional. Say took us to a real traditional Hmong village. It was about 1 1/2 hours from Luang Prabang over a washed out highway and then up a steep mountain path that only a 4 wheel drive vehicle could traverse. If I had a jeep, I’m not sure I would take it up there but Say took his vehicle.

We may have been the only tourists in the village since Covid began in 2020. The village contains about 60 homes most built of bamboo with metal or thatched roofs and dirt floors. Population? Approximately 250 men, women, and children. They have electricity but water is the main problem. They share a community well that usually runs dry in the summer when they rely on water stored in large urns trapped in the rainy season. There is a community school with about 100 students, ages 4 - 12. One of our goals was to visit the school and provide a gift for each child. Say helped us out here and suggested bringing notebooks, pencils and crayons which we bought before we left town. The woman there said kids use 10 - 20 notebooks a year.

We met the four teachers and then were taken into each of the classrooms to dispense our gifts to each child. Here’s where it gets tough for me to write. Each child sitting at their desk, smiled, put their hands together as in prayer and bowed their heads in thanks. At recess many sat excitedly in small groups comparing their small gifts. For the cost of a pair of tennis shoes in the USA ($80.00) we made this a “special day” for these little children. Seeing those smiles and that excitement over such a small gift made me happy. But also brought me to tears that I tried to hide. They got so much from so little…

Cindy in high school attended a presentation by a young Peace Corps Volunteer. Because of that brief talk, two young students out of a class of 40 volunteered to join the Peace Corps. It opened a new world for her. Cindy was sent to Ethiopia for two years to teach English. It changed the course of her life and made her who she is today. Did the volunteer who spoke at that assembly know that he changed two lives dramatically? He simply moved on to make his next presentation. Will we, by briefly meeting these children unknowingly change the direction of a life by what we said or did?

The more we travel and meet people of many cultures, I think I’m starting to get it. Dennis, be careful of what you do and say. You may change the direction of someone’s life that day or just maybe for a lifetime. Please make it positive. It’s such a hard lesson for me to learn it seems. 😢 

😊