Baby in traditional Yao headdress, Laos

Akha Village,
Near Muang Sing, Laos

Patience is truly a virtue. If there is one thing that I have learnt travelling through Asia, it is this.

Somehow in the last few weeks the Lao way of life must have seeped into my psyche, for events that would normally thrust me into ranting fits (and possibly inspire me to launch a shoe across the room) now only lead me to sigh, smile and accept (albeit quietly ranting under my breath) that ’such is life’.

My new found patience was put to the test on a recent bus journey, when we took an unexpected 2 hour ‘break’, while the bus was given an exterior paint job. And with no vegetarian options available on the bus station menu (but plenty of ‘bitter soup take softly excrement of buffalo’), it was a truly a long and frustrating wait. I really should have known that gloating about our cushy seating arrangements (2 seats each; enough to accommodate the glorious girth of our western thighs) would come back to haunt me…

The bright side of the bus journey was that we (eventually) arrived in Luang Nam Tha, gateway to Muang Sing, a tiny town on the cusp on the Lao-Chinese border and central to a number of Lao Hill-tribe villages. Here night time excitement saw us in an epic battle against mice and moths (I was SO brave!), whilst daytime excitement consisted of an attempted (illegal) border crossing (we got 20 meters past the immigration booth before we were hauled back… “What? OHHH, THAT’S the border???”) and trekking to local villages, including those of the Yao and Akha people (pictured above).

Relative isolation has allowed these villages to preserve their traditional beliefs and ways of life; The Akha people practice animism and erect protective spirit gates at the entrance of their villages as well as a spirit alter where dog or chicken sacrifices are delivered if a villager falls ill. Opium was traditionally central to Hill -tribe culture, poppy crops being cultivated for both trade and personal use and the region still produces some opium despite government crackdowns (We were offered it often enough to testify this) Amazing! (The villages that is… I don’t know about the opium).

So from the tiny villages of Northern Laos (the land that time forgot) to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand… It has been a bit of a shock. I mean, what happened to the ‘fried vegetable with noddle?’ and where did all these people come from? I think I’m a bit slow on the uptake!

I anticipate Thai people having to exercise a little bit of patience with me…

So between the “Ridge cut nature identical barbeque flavour potato chips” and the “Birds nest white fungus” (soft drink), there is this packet (of chocolate wafer biscuits):

explaining…

“May the breeze bingyouthe
Tendemess and warmthfrom me
far each other we may be,yet
stil you are bere.at the botto
m ofmy heat.”

So here’s hoping that the breeze of Laos brings you all the “tendemess” of my “heat”…

Otherwise, just think; those same winds could instead deliver a waft of “Bitter soup take softly excrement of buffalo” (of bus station menu)…

Delicious!

Wat Mixay
Vientiane, Laos


Buddhas, Wat Xieng Thong
Luang Prabang, Laos

Sabai-dee! (That’s ‘hello’ in Lao)

We are currently in Luang Prabang, which is a very small city nestled in the hills of Northern Laos. We travelled here from the capital, Vientiane, by ‘king of bus’ VIP service, which despite its title, stopped for maintenance often and lacked consistent air-conditioning. Still, as long as the decor is colourful… (read: ghastly)

I am presently feeling a little worse for wear… and for once it is completely my own doing. Last night I discovered that Lao Lao is near to methylated spirits in both taste and effect and that bowling (yes ten-pin bowling) when drunk only results in a shattered ego and a sore arm. (the only establishment open here post 11.30pm is a bowling alley outside town… bizarre…)

Memories. (no, actually, not really)

Ok… so on to what I CAN remember of the last week…

Vientiane, the capital city of Laos is the most relaxed city I have ever been to (and I’ve been to Launceston); the kind of place where a shrug and a smile is more valuable than a wad of cash or a jewel encrusted golden tiara (vote 1 *Nicky* Miss Laos 2007!) The laid-back attitude of the locals was encompassed by the lack of worry or hurry regarding the bog patch (drainage works) of one of the principle roads of the city: Take a street of ditches up to 3 meters wide and 2 meters deep… add pre-monsoon downpours and you have a recipe for both hilarity and filth.

Sightseeing in Vientiane (and, well, everywhere in Laos really) consisted of Wats and Stupas as well as a visit to the local market. Laos is definitely the most ‘devout’ Buddhist country we have visited and it seems as though there is a Wat around every corner and a monk on every third motorcycle. Whilst in the capital, we also completed a weaving a dying course at a Women’s vocational training centre, so somebody (mum?!) should now anticipate an earnestly made, poorly patterned shawl in the mail…

A bus, a waterfall (lovely!) and a lot of Beer Lao later… I’m off to get some ‘breakfast’ (its 3.10, is that too late for breakfast?)

xx Nicole