We're now in Central Laos, in a town called Tha Khaek. I wasn't expecting much of the town - it is more or less a place to layover for the night before we head south tomorrow -- but it is actually quite lovely. Nestled on the banks of the Mekong, with a palm-tree esplanade, and, of course, the slow-moving Lao people doing much of nothing -- it'll be a nice place to see the sunset and eat some more curry.
Here are some more tidbits from the last few days:
1. Tree Snake: We did a hike to a cave outside of Vang Vieng, on a trail that cuts through rice fields and a teak forest. In the woods we heard a noise in the tree. I looked up and saw the tail of a snake twirling on the outside of a gnarled trunk of a teak tree, the rest of its body burrowed in a hole in the tree. Moment later two large rodents came scurrying down the trunk, running for their lives. Later we came back the same way and the snake was still there, this time its entire body coiled around a higher branch. He was lime-green, about 6 feet long, surveying his environs in a creepy serpentine way. Beautiful creature.
2. Venetiene: The capitol of Laos -- felt more like a sleepy provincial town, with a heavy dose of French influence. I could have spent more time there but we are now moving a little more quickly so we have more time in other countries.
3. Kong Lor Cave: From Vientienne we took a chicken bus to a small village called Vieng Kham, then transfered to a sawngthaew (essentially a pickup truck with two parallel benches in the bed of the truck, on which can be squeezed, like clowns in a volkswagon, about 20 people) to a village called Ban Na Him. From there we took another sawngthaew to the Kong Lor Cave. The main chamber of the cave is 7.5 kilometers long; it starts on one side of a mountain and ends on the other. There is a river that runs through the cave, the entire length of which is navigable by longboat. Our boatsman manning the helm was our One-Eyed Willy. I don't know how he lost his eye and I don't want to know. The trip down the river was like traveling through the intestines of a whale, with the Mystery Machine, along with Scooby, Shaggy and the rest of the gang, waiting for us on the other end. The scoured and scalloped ceiling varied in height -- anywhere from 5 feet over our head to who knows how high. It was truly unlike anything I've ever experienced.
4. School Fundraising Event. Erin and I, along with a Canadian we met on the bus to Ban Na Him, went to a party in the village being held to raise funds to add another room to the school house in the village. There was heavy imbibing of alcohol by the locals and Lao dancing, which must be seen to believe. It is exactly what you'd expect Lao dancing to look like -- no lower body movement whatsoever, just the ever so slow movement of the hands in a twirling motion and some swaying back in forth. We, of course, being the only falangs (Lao word for "westerner") there, were forced to dance. I actually felt, for the first time in my life, somewhat competent on the dance floor (despite the laughing of the Laos who I think we're amused not just by the novelty of falangs dancing Lao-style but also by our impressive, graceful hand movements).
5. UXO. There is still unexploded ordnance in rural areas in northern, central and southern laos, graciously dropped by american planes during bombing raids in the late 60s and early 70s. It bothers me to no end to think that our bombs are still killing Lao people -- these people don't deserve that. They are so pleasant it almost seems Leave-it-to-Beaveresque unreal. On our drive in the sawngthaew to and from the cave yesterday farmers in the rice fields would stop their work to stand up and wave to us. Virtually every child playing on the side of the road or riding a bike or standing naked on the threshold of a bamboo hut would pause and wave and scream "Sabidee." There are three kids standing outside of the internet place right now greeting me with a hearty "Sabidee." I pray modernization, which is starting to leak in (and could come swooping in soon), and the devouring dollar of the falang, does not change these delightful people.
6. Four Thousand Islands: We're headed to southern Laos tomorrow, towards the Four Thousand Islands of the Mekong River, on the border of Cambodia. We've heard its even more slow-paced and somnolent than the rest of Laos. I look forward to it.
Hope all is well.
I think I need to say again -- Laos is a special
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