Luang Prabang Tak Bat



Lao Monks Receive Offerings from Tourists

 Life has a way of presenting pleasant surprises if you are willing to take advantage of the opportunities as they present themselves.  A willingness to take advantage of opportunities often requires an unabashed curiosity and the realization that even though you may believe that you have seen it all before, you most likely have not.

During our recently concluded journey to Luang Prabang in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, I was presented with an opportunity which ended up in a couple of surprises.  Our hotel was located next door to a Vat (Wat in Thai) in the Temple Historical District close to the Nam Khan River.  At 4:00 A.M. I was awoken by the banging of a bell at the Vat.  I had heard a similar sound before from Wats in Thailand as well as Vats in Laos.  I refer to the sound as the Monk's alarm clock.  The heavy walled metal tube is struck several times to notify the Monks that it is time for them (perhaps everyone else next to the temple) to awake and start the day.  For the Monks the day commences with meditation, followed by personal hygiene, and then around 6:00 A.M. their morning alms walk.

Although I have witnessed and documented the morning alms walk, Tak Bat, many times in Thailand as well as Laos, I decided to get up and watch the morning's Tak Bat.  It was a wise decision in that I was able to photograph events that I had not seen before; events that I can now share.

When I went downstairs of the hotel, my hiking boots were still lying next to my wife's shoes beneath the Christmas tree.  Both the boots and the shoes were empty.  Prior to going up to our room the night before, I had joked with the staff and Duang about perhaps Santa Claus would come early and leave something in my boots.  I guess it was too early for Santa or I have been not necessarily a bad boy but more likely a naughty boy this year for the boots never were filled.

I walked out into the very early morning darkness to observe what was going on.  Some of the local people were up and about starting small wood or charcoal fires in refractory lined cans for cooking on the sidewalks.  They were also busy setting up their sidewalk restaurants.  Several Lao women were silently walking along the street in their flip flops carrying large baskets suspended from a bamboo poles balanced over their shoulder.  Their baskets were filled with food, mainly packets of sticky rice, to be offered to the Monks as part of a merit morning ritual.

Tourists Lined Up Along Th Sakkarin In the Early Morning Awaitng the Monks

On the sidewalk that passed in front of our hotel and eventually intersected with the road that runs parallel to the Mekong River, there was a series of long sahts, woven reed mats neatly placed.  Each saht had several woven bamboo covered small containers, gon kao, that store cooked sticky rice.  This arrangement had been set up for the tourists who would arrive shortly by a wide variety of transportation.  Tourists arrived by three wheeled motorcycles called "somlaws".  Some tourists arrived by small trucks called "Tuk-Tuks".  Many of the tourists arrived in specialized Toyota passenger vans.  Some of the wealthier tourists arrived from their resort accommodations in long electric golf cart type vehicles.  It was quite a sight and also a little noisy.  The people were excited about the upcoming ritual and busy posing their family as well as friends for photographs.


Tourists Come in All Sorts of Shapes, Sizes, Nationalities, as Well As Vocations

There was on group that I was fascinated by.  I had not seen a group of Monks before making offerings to other Monks.  Several Monks had arrived and set themselves along with their plastic bags of offerings and gon kao of rice on sahts placed on the sidewalk just like the other tourists.  One of the younger Monks took great delight and interest in filming his companions.  Next to me there was a Lao tourist guide, I found out from him that the Monks that were preparing to make offerings were visitors from Thailand.  I had never seen Monks making offerings to Monks before so this opportunity in itself was worth the early morning wake up.

After a short while the local Monks appeared silently and purposefully walking along the long sidewalk of Th Sikkarin. 


Thai Monks Making Offerings to Lao Monks

I have walked with the Monks in Luang Prabang as well as in Luang Namtha on previous trips, but this morning's Tak Bat was unique.  First of all the Monks did not chant after receiving offerings from the people.  In Thailand I have witnessed and participated several times in the ritual where Monks appear to give a personal blessing to the individuals who had made offerings of food.  In Luang Namtha, the Monks did not appear to give personal blessings to the donors but instead walked a very short ways from the donors and instead appeared to give a blessing to the donor's property. Since most of the land behind the donors was actually Vat property, that might explain the absence of "blessings".

Tourists Make Offerings to the Monks



Young Boys Follow Monks In Expectation of Food Offerings From the Monks

 Another difference in this morning's Tak Bat, was the young children who accompanied the Monks or who waited along the sidewalk for the Monks.  In Tahsang Village and some of the other villages where my wife and I have participated in the Tak Bat ritual, the Monks sat on a slightly raised platform in the Wat complex.  People came to the Wat and brought their food offerings with them.  The family's offerings were then placed upon a metal serving tray and offered to the Monks; typically by a male member of the family.  The Monks would pass the tray along amongst themselves after taking what they wanted off of the tray.   If any food remained on the tray after the Monks had completed their meal it was available for the worshippers to eat.  In Tahsang Village, which is my wife's home village, the worshippers are all friends, family and neighbors so eating the remaining food becomes a festive community social event - sort of a picnic.

A Young Lao Boy Awaits A Food Offering from a Novice Monk

Monks are supposed to eat only one meal a day and it must be consumed by Noon.  They are forbidden to store food and do not have refrigerators.  The assembly line of food offerings along Th Sikkarin in Luang Prabang presents some logistical challenges.  Everyone wants to earn merit by offering food to the Monks.  The more Monks that you offer food to, the more merit that you gain.  This boils down to every worshipper wanting to offer some food to each and every Monk.  It is not proper for a Monk to decline an offering, so in a very short period of time as well as in a short space, a Monk's alms bowl is filled with way more sticky rice as well as other foods than he could possibly eat in one seating.



A Monk Tosses Some Sticky Rice Into Young Boy's Basket

 For every problem there is a solution and often there are more than one solution.  In Luang Prabang, young children follow along with the Monks.  The young children, typically boys, carry plastic bags or baskets into which the Monks place the food that they will not be able to consume during their one meal of the day.  The children are collecting food for their families.  Some of the children set up on the sidewalk and patiently wait for the Monks to pass and hopefully add some food to their basket.  There was one boy who caught my attention.  He seemed to eloquently express his condition without words but with an admirable dignity.  I spent a great deal of time observing him and photographing him - more reason to be pleased that I had gotten up at such an early hour to witness an event that I had seen so many times before.

I have titled my blog "Allen's World" but unlike Disney World or Disneyland this world is not a fantasy world.  It is often fascinating but the occupants of this world, which is as much yours as it is mine, are real people.  They are real people, many of them with many hardships and struggles to survive.  They are not actors employed for amusement or entertainment.  There is a dilemma in photographing and writing about the people and their hardships.  It could be misconstrued that my work glorifies their struggles and hardships which to me would be offensive.  There is nothing glorious or noble about hardships or struggles.  Unfortunately for many people, hardships and struggles define their conditions.  However I believe that there is a need to communicate to other people the condition of others in our world. So my intention in writing and photographing the people in our world is to express my respect as well as admiration for the various peoples and  how they deal with their individual circumstances.  I guess my desire is to speak for those who can not speak for themselves, and to share with an audience that they are unable to address.  My goal is to increase the awareness of  others to the other people who inhabit their world.

Headed Home

A young boy and his sister also captured my interest during the Tak Bat.  They were working together to gather food for their family.  After the Monks and tourists left, they were left behind to consolidate their bounty for the walk back to their home. 

Brother and Sister Consolidating Their Morning's Bounty

Preparing for the Walk Home

The little boy and girl had amassed about 12 to 15 kilograms of sticky rice along with other food items.  The boy, who was older than his sister, supervised the consolidation of the sticky rice into a single thin plastic bag.  This did not look to be a good idea to me.  I was certain that the thin bag would eventually split open spilling its contents on the road.  I got down on the sidewalk next to the children and tried to communicate my grand scheme of placing all the rice into a single bag and then to place the filled bag inside of the just emptied second plastic bag.  The children's suspicions that I was scheming to steal some of their food apparently prevented them from understanding what I was trying to communicate.  A woman who was walking by understood what I was trying to do and explained it to the children.  Even though she spoke Lao, the children remained reluctant - perhaps they thought that we were working together.  The woman got down to the sidewalk level and between the two of us with the children eventually joining in got the sticky rice double bagged.

Off to the House!

With their food successfully bagged I told them to head off to home.  They each grabbed a side of the heavy bag and walked down the street dragging the bag as they went along.  This appeared to me to be another disaster in the making.  I caught up with them and was able to communicate that I would carry the bag of rice for them.  I had developed some level of trust with them by now so they let me carry the bag.  We walked down a side street towards the Nam Khan River and then along the road running parallel to the river towards the Mekong River.  After a while we came upon another narrow street leading up from the river.  We climbed part way up and I saw where their home was.  It appeared that their grandmother was waiting so I returned the bag to the children and continued my pre-breakfast foray about the town.

Almost Home

That night Duang and I had a nice pizza and a couple of Beer Laos for dinner at a restaurant that we had eaten at two years ago.  Some hip-hop music was playing.  The irony of listening to the trials and tribulations of a young American making millions of dollars "singing" his tale of woe and defiance was not lost on me after what I had experienced and observed earlier in the morning - in the real world.

Been There and Done That; Only This Time It Was Different



A Young Hmong Girl Eats Her Snack At the Festival In Laos

We arrived back home in Isaan, Northeast Thailand, last night from our four day trip to Laos.

Here in Isaan there is a phrase that is utilized often, perhaps too often for some foreigners who are of a more structured and precise ilk.  The phrase is "Same, Same, but Different".

At the risk of offending those foreigners I will describe our just concluded journey/adventure as "Same, Same but Different".  We specifically went up to Luang Prabang to witness "Pee Mai Hmong" (Hmong New Years).  It had ended up being a pretty much spur of the moment decision.  I had wanted to attend the festivities last year, but I had a great deal of difficulty determining exactly when the celebration would start.  Actually to paraphrase a recent former US President; "It all depends on what the meaning of the word, start, is"

Hmong Girls In Traditional Festival Clothing

The Hmong New Years celebration occurs in December but it is a 10 day festival with the first two days being allocated for rituals conducted in the homes.  The public celebration, which we had previously witnessed and wanted to see again, starts on the third day and runs for 8 days.  So for Duang and me, the "start" day was for the start of the public celebration.  I called the driver that we had used on our previous trip, Johnee's father, to no avail.  His cellphone was no longer in service.  I suspect that since he was married to a Danish woman, he and Johnee had immigrated to Denmark.  I had the phone number of the headman from the Khmu village outside of Luang Prabang but he was not all that helpful last year - the exact "start" date is determined by the moon and decision of the local people as to exact "start" date.  I researched the Internet and came up with a date of 16 December.  Having made what I considered to be a good go at it by myself, I reached out to a friend of mine with extensive knowledge as well as contacts in Laos.

My friend reaffirmed the difficulty in determining the "start" date.  He had a contact in Luang Prabang did not know the exact date.  I resigned myself to missing out on the celebration for yet another year.  Fortunately, my friend's friend  came through about a week ago with the "start" date of December 6 and a completion date of 9 December or 10 December.  I still did not know the meaning of the indicated start date of 6 December so I figured instead on working backwards from the end date of 10 December and worked to our arrival date of 7 December and departure of 10 December.

Previously we had stayed overnight in Vientiane and caught the 7:30 AM VIP bus to Luang Prabang up Highway 13 to Luang Prabang some 12 or perhaps 13 hours away.  This was a been there and done that experience - an experience that I nor Duang wanted to do again.  I researched flying to Luang Prabang on Lao Airlines.  There is or was or perhaps there is a direct flight from Udonthani to Luang Prabang.  However I was unable to book a flight on the Internet.  I kept getting a message to effect that a flight was not available for one of the dates that I had selected.  Great help; I have encountered the same problem at other airline websites - you are left to try to figure whether or not the problem lies with your departure day or return date or is only a particular flight time that is the issue?

After further research at other sights, I came to the conclusion that the direct flight from Udonthani to Luang Prabang had been suspended.  Later I was lead to believe that the flight has been reinstated now that it is the "high season".  No matter the case I dropped back to Plan "B" which was to go to Vientiane and fly out of there to Luang Prabang.  There are a couple of daily flights from VTE to LPQ.

We were not able to book on the morning flight on Tuesday 7 December so we settled for a 1:20 P.M. departure from VTE with a 2:00 P.M. arrival in LPQ.  This still saved us the overnight expense and time in Vientiane and got us into Luang Prabang 6 to 7 hours earlier than the bus.  With a 2:00 P.M. arrival there was still some time on Tuesday for some touring.  For the return flight, I selected a 5:50 P.M. departure which gave us most of the daylight of Friday for sightseeing.  With no difficulty our flights were reserved and paid for - $320.80 USD.



Hmong Girls Strolling - Seeing and Being Seen

 We had flown earlier this year from Vientiane and Luang Namtha on Lao Airlines.  This month's as well as our flights at the start of the year were great.  The flights were what you used to enjoy and hope for today - no nonsense.  Our ticket included baggage.  There was no additional fee for checked baggage.  We split up the camera gear into two carry on backpacks; I carried one and Duang carried the other.  There was no problem with our carry on size or weight.  Our clothing and other gear was in a single checked baggage weighing 12 KG.  The checked bag was an approved size for carry on by international carriers.  I indicated that there was one bag for two people and it was accepted without question and more importantly no additional fee.  On our return to Vientiane, the bag weighed 14.4 KG and again there was no problem.

Lao Airlines flies ATR72 and MA60 turboprop planes.  We once again flew on the Chinese made MA60.  A Chinese designed and manufactured 60 passenger plane powered by Pratt and Whitney of Canada engines - a common situation in the global economy of today;  an American company supplying aircraft engines through it's Canadian subsidiary for a Chinese company.  This is like a Toyota, a Japanese company, assembling cars in the United states out of parts made in Mexico, Canada, and Japan.  Is it a Japanese car or an American car?  Perhaps the answer is not on the manufacturing details but rather on the financial side.  The answer may be defined as to where the profits are sent.

I had used the Internet, http://www.agoda.com/, to research and book a room in Luang Prabang.  For our travels here in Southeast Asia, I always rely on Agoda and have never had a problem with them.  I am pleased with the discounts that Agoda can offer for all types of accommodations.  We did not like the hotel that we stayed at two years ago so I selected a different hotel, the Chang Hotel, to stay at this year.  The price was roughly double the rate where we stayed before but was well worth the money - but that will be the subject of another blog.

We had our airline and hotel reservations, our plan was once again to trust our intuition and select a driver for local transportation upon arrival at our destination.  Yes, there are people who will rip you off.  Yes, we have been ripped off a few, very few, times.  However most of the people that you encounter in these rural out of the way destinations are typically just an ordinary guy trying to make a living.  Duang and I do not go on organized tours.  Our traveling style is not compatible with an organized group in that we do not like being told how long we have to visit what particular location that they have selected.  We prefer to select our own locations and sights to visit supplemented with knowledge from local people who drive us about.  We are able to get a more personal experience from our travels by closely interacting with local people.  Very quickly the local drivers realize what we are interested in and take us to more unique places that meet and often exceed our expectations.  We run the risk perhaps of being ripped off but if we don't like a particular driver we do not hire for the next day.  I believe that the costs that we have paid for being ripped off are far less than the profit and overhead charged by an organized tour.  The benefit to us is to travel on our own schedule and a flexibility to enjoy serendipitous events or locations.




A Little Hmong Girl At the New Years Festival





This Little Guy Actually Managed to get Some Food Into His Mouth

 So yes this was basically a trip to a place we had been before for things that we had done before.  Same Same but different.

We stayed at a better hotel in a better location.

We ate at the restaurants that we ate at before but I could not drink the free draft Beer Lao that came with our second pizza at the Hive Restaurant; a large bottle and the first free draft Beer Lao was more than enough for me this year.

We went to the same locations for the public Hmong celebrations but this year I had a new and better camera.

We went to the Presidential Palace just as we did on the previous visit but whereas on our first visit the Sala Pha Bang was filled with scaffolding and workers, it is no longer under renovation.  It was a thrill to see the completed renovation but that will also be the subject of a different blog.

On this visit we visited two different outlying villages and saw Lao Kao (whiskey) production, embroidery, silk weaving, knife making, and brick production.  This was different.

Since our visit this year coincided with the Lunag Prabang International Film Festival, one night we attended the screening of a foreign film from Malaysia.  This was different.

We went the Night Market every night.  That was the same.  We spent far less at the market than during our previous visit and that was a big "different".

We ate French pastry at some new cafes.  That was different.

I went to an elementary school for the start of the morning.  I wandered about the school grounds photographing the young students and then photographing the classrooms.  I was ignored by the adults and never saw a security guard or policeman.  I was however like the Pied Piper with the children.  I enjoyed speaking or trying to speak with the children.  They were pleased to see digital photographs of themselves and their friends.  I did introduce myself to a couple of teachers and got to speak with them - a little bit.  This was different - wonderfully different.  But once again that will be subject of a future blog entry.

So this year's trip just as in life was a continuation as well as refinement of the past.  We built upon what was good from the last trip and took steps to eliminate or improve what was not 100% from our last trip.  To keep it all interesting and improve the overall experience we tried some different activities and locations on this trip.

Same, Same but different.

Perhaps even better!

17 December 2008 - Leaving Laos

Leaving Laos
17 December 2008

Saturday 06 December had arrived so quickly. It was the day that we had scheduled for our return home to Thailand. I had seriously considered staying longer but my credit card had expired and Duang's family was expecting us back on Saturday so we kept our plan.

We had arranged for Jone-nee's dad to drive us to the bus station. We had purchased our tickets to Vientiane the night before to prevent any problems in the morning. Right on time our transportation along with Jone-nee arrived at the hotel.

When we arrived at the bus station, I discovered that our "tickets" from the night before were more of a reservation and I had to go to the counter and confirm the reservation and pick up the actual ticket.

We boarded the 45 passenger VIP bus for the 9 hour trip to Vientiane. The passengers were mostly Lao with about 6 foreigners in the mix. Some Lao people came on board as we exited the bus station. They sat on the floor in the well entering the bus. I suspect that the driver was earning a little extra cash from these people since they had no tickets.

As we settled in to our seats at the front of the bus for the long voyage down the mountains to Vientiane I noticed a young man, perhaps 20 years old, standing in the aisle next to Duang. He was dressed in typical Asian youth clothing - blue jeans, sandals, baseball cap and sweatshirt EXCEPT for the AK47 gun concealed beneath his sweatshirt! The gun was strapped over his shoulder underneath the loose fitting garment with the barrel peaking out at the bottom.

I was aware that there had been some problems with bandits along Highway 13 in the past but I was not aware of any recent problems. The young man was calm, well groomed, and well fed so I suspected that he was not a bandit but most likely a private guard or undercover policeman or military man. As I observed him (closely) for the remainder of the trip, I became more assured that he was a guard - he stayed at the front of the bus even when some seats became available in the back, he kept his focus on the road ahead and along the sides of the bus, and there was an ammunition clip in his weapon.

Upon returning home I did some checking on the Internet. On May 24, 2007, the US Department of State issued a Public Announcement regarding security concerns in Northern Laos. There had been reports of sporadic fighting and movements of Lao military forces and unidentified opponents in the Vang Vieng area. After one year I guess there are still some concerns.

The "unidentified opponents" are actually Hmong fighters. These fighters are remnants from the CIA's secret army of the 1960's and 1970's. After 40 years these soldiers and now their sons are still holding out. Part of their struggle has spilled over into America - California to be exact. One of the Hmong leaders, a powerful legendary general from the CIA era, was arrested in California last year on charges of conspiring to overthrow the Lao government.

We arrived in Vientiane safely but not without our moments. The long and winding road that we slowly ascended the mountains to Luang Prabang, was the same road that we rapidly drove down on Saturday. Whereas on Monday there had been very little traffic on Highway 13, there were many more trucks on the road. These trucks were heavily loaded, and attempting to save their bakes so they were slow on the descent. These trucks were heavily loaded and underpowered so they were slow on the rising portions of the road.

It did not matter to the bus driver. He had a large and load horn. His frequent use of the device kept us safe from the oncoming trucks, cattle, motorbikes, children, adults, and bicycles that we either overtook or encountered even on the many, many blind curves. The trip back to Vientiane took one hour less than the trip up. Most of this time savings can be attributed to the talents of our "skillful" driver.

We have all been told that in certain human activities "Size does not matter". That may be true for some human activities but it does not apply to driving in Laos especially on mountain roads. If you are big enough and have a large enough horn, the rules of the road do not apply. You can pass anywhere you choose to. You can drive as fast as you dare which turned out to be much faster than I would have dared. You however must liberally use your horn to inform the world that you were coming through!

In addition to the harrowing scenery whizzing by our window, the monotony of the trip was broken up by the sights and sound but fortunately not the smells of two women who became motion sick. One young woman was sick for at least 4 hours. The little pink plastic bags that were passed out at the bus terminal came in very handy as well as the Handi-Wipes that I always carry in my camera backpack.

About three hours outside of Luang Prabang, Duang had to go to the toilet. Toilet? What toilet? To paraphrase a line from a famous movie that is often quoted "Toilets? Toilets? We don't need no stinking toilets!" There was no toilet onboard the bus. Duang asked someone in Lao and the person told the bus driver. He pulled over almost immediately - despite the fact that we were on a blind curve. Duang was quickly joined by about 6 men and 5 other women disembarking the bus. The people scattered along both sides of the road seeking their own little spot. The men due to their plumbing, basically went to the edge of the road, turned their back to the bus, and took care of business. The women, in general sort more private locations. In general - there was one older woman who was either afraid of what might be in the heavy vegetation or more experienced in these matters, selected a spot about 20 feet from a man, turned her back to the bus, hiked up her skirt, and did her business. Duang was shyer and headed deep into the bushes. When she returned, I noticed that she was heavily covered with grass seeds. These were seeds that get transported to new areas by attaching themselves to animals and people with barbed coverings. We spent at least the next 5 minutes laughing and pulling all the seeds off of her clothing.

After 4.5 hours, the bus stopped for lunch which was included in our ticket. We had another good meal. I noticed some of the Lao men drinking something out of a fish shaped glass bottle. The bottle was rather fancy with textured scales on the surface. I asked if it was Lao Lao (Lao white lightening). That was all it took. They immediately offered me a drink. I accepted and downed the shot in one gulp. It was just as bad as anything that I have drunk in Thailand. I did appreciate their kindness and the experience.

On this trip we experienced some different food and drink. For as long as I have been in SE Asia, it was on this trip that I ate my first banana pancake. They are delicious. We drank Lao Hai at the Khmu New Year Festival.

Lao Hai means "jar alcohol" in Lao. It is a rice wine served in an earthen jar. The drink looks and tastes very much like sake. We drank it out of a gallon sized ceramic wide mouth jug through either thin vinyl tubing or long reed straws with other people. After we became acquainted with the village headman, one of the jars was placed before us on our table. I enjoyed drinking the stuff although I did have to force myself to ignore the flies that kept landing on top of the fermenting mash in the jar. At the celebration there did not seem to be any age restriction on drinking Lao Hai. I saw children as young 12 years old sucking on a tube out of the jar. I got a picture of a 14 year old girl reacting strongly unfavorably to her swig of Lao Hai!

Our lunch at the Khmu celebration included laarb, a mixture of shredded meat and chilies. The meat was cooked but in Isaan I have eaten it several times where the meat was raw. At a wedding, I helped prepared the raw meat by using a heavy knife to chop the beef up to the point that it became a paste. Sticky rice is dipped into the laarb and then eaten.

There was also another dish at the celebration to dip our sticky rice into - Jaew Bawng. Jaew Bawng is made out of chilies and dried water buffalo skin. Jaew Bawng is very tasty - musty, hot, and a slight hint of sweetness. I got so enthusiastic about it that I ate one of the chunks in the sauce - a hunk of skin. That was not so good. The texture was slimey and it tasted like what you would imagine water buffalo skin would taste like. I washed it down with a healthy swig of Lao hai and did not repeat that mistake again.

Our trip to Laos was over much too quickly. It is a beautiful land with a very good hearted people. There is so much to see and experience there. There is so much that we will return. Hopefully we will return soon.

11 December 2009 - Laos Day 5

Laos Day V, Friday 05 December 08

After we enjoyed a nice breakfast of chicken rice soup cooked over an open wood fire and French bread at the hotel, we went outside at 8:45 AM to wait for our hired driver. As we exited the hotel we were greeted with two surprises - the driver was waiting for us and he had brought along his 2 year old son.

The little boy was all bundled up for the morning chill - he was wearing a thick one piece blue snowsuit. He was very cute but did seem a little out of place in his attire. Later I found out that his mother is Danish which would explain the heavy winter clothing.

The little boy stared at me with his dark penetrating eyes and gave me a Kung Fu style challenge or greeting. I returned his gesture with a few of my own and said hello in Thai to him. It was obvious that he was what Duang refers to as a "Naughty Boy" and what I call "Little Rascal" - just the kind of children that we enjoy - full of curiosity, unbridled enthusiasm, and a dash of mischievousness. I could tell that he and I had hit it off when he replied to my greetings with a big smile and a thumbs up gesture.

Our vehicle for the day was a four wheeled small truck. The back of the truck had a metal canopy over it with two narrow benches along the side - Lao version of the songtell of Thailand. Duang and I got in and sat in the back. The little boy stood up on the front seat inside the cab with his father - there were no seat belts. The little boy, named "Jone-nee", kept pointing and talking to us as we went down the road. We arrived at a sort of checkpoint on the road to a waterfall. Our driver had to stop, get out, and register. When he came back, Jone-nee had a temper tantrum because he wanted to ride with us. We agreed and he joined us. He sat on my knee or on Duang's lap as he saw fit. A few times he had me hold his hand while Duang held his other hand, he then lifted his feet off the floor and swung in the air like a little monkey. Great entertainment!

As we drove along the countryside, Jone-nee started acting as a tour guide for me. He would see cattle and point them out to me while saying "Carrabao" or point out ponds and say "Nam". He would add very expressive facial expressions to ensure that I knew and understood what he was showing me. He provided additional commentary that I didn't know what language it was in. Duang speaks Thai, Lao, and English. She didn't know what he was saying either. I suspect that like my Grandson back in America, he speaks his own language, knows exactly what he is saying, and it is everyone else who has a problem.

Whenever we stopped, his father would come to the back to lift Joe-nee out of the truck. As soon as his feet hit the ground, Jone-nee offered his hand to help Duang and me out of or into the truck. He's a real charmer.

We stopped along the side of the road across from a school. The villagers were all dresses up to celebrate New Years. There were Hmong people and some other Hill Tribe lined up in a single file on one side of the narrow road to the school. Some of them were banging long narrow drums while others were playing cymbals. We got out of the truck and the driver told us to enter the schoolyard. As it turned out we were the first people to enter. As we walked along the road to the school the villagers started clapping in unison and singing. As we passed them they welcomed us with a variation of the Thai Wai greeting and said "Sawadee" (Hello). We returned the gesture and greeting. When we got to the entrance gate two young beautiful girls greeted us with a bottle of Lao Kao (Laotian Moonshine) and two shot glasses. They poured each of us a shot and we downed them - PARTY ON!!

I donated 50,000 Kip ($6.14 USD) and signed their guest book. Jone-nee reluctantly stayed with his father at the truck. We walked on to the festival grounds.

There was a nice stage built out of bamboo at one end of the field. There were colorful flags of solid colored cloth flying around the perimeter of the stage. A large banner was erected behind the microphones and huge speakers.

To the left of the stage was a reserved shaded area underneath a canopy of an old, very old parachute. The ground underneath the canopy was covered with sahts (woven bamboo mats - just like in Isaan) Two centerpieces made out of banana leaves along with candles and pieces of cotton thread were on top of the sahts next two several ceramic jars. Other than the ceramic jars this was a familiar setting for a Baa Sii (animist ceremony to bind the good spirits in one's body to ensure health and good luck). I have had the honor to participate in such a ceremony and witnessed several of the ceremonies in Isaan. Baa Sii rituals are performed to welcome important guests, wedding ceremony, house warming, exorcisms, and to help sick people get better. Apparently there would be one at the school.

There was another shaded area created by another parachute. Duang and I sat on the ground in that area.

Directly in front of the stage was a large shaded area created by awnings. Underneath the awnings were neat and orderly rows of tables and plastic chairs set up to eat lunch. The first row of tables was covered with fancy table clothes, bottles of Johnny Walker Red Whiskey and flower centerpieces. These were for special guests. Since this is the Lao People's Democratic Republic, these tables were for the government and Party officials.

To the side of the visitors pavilions were pavilions for the local people. These areas were filling up with many young people dressed in different native costumes along with their parents and of course their many younger brothers and sisters.

We sat there largely ignored by everyone. Duang remarked that this was not like Isaan. She said that in Isaan people would take care of us and ensure that we had food and a chair to sit in. It didn't bother me but I knew that she was right.

We sat and watched the ceremonies. I am not exactly sure of the exact details of the ensuing ceremonies but this is what I think that I saw. The big shots came in and sat down. People were falling over themselves in deference to the authorities. I don't think that it was a coincidence that the prettiest young women were waiting on them. Power has its benefits. In SE Asia power provides you the attention of beautiful young women.

After welcoming speeches by two village officials, the government officials went up on stage and gave their speeches. The government officials were not impressive looking people but they did fit the stereotyped image of a party official. Their speeches were not dynamic or inspiring. From Duang I learned that they were wishing everyone a good New Year, talking about how last year was so good, talked about how everyone had helped each other out, talked about everyone needs to work hard and help each other out, and talked about how much the government had done for the people, and talked about how much the Party had done, and talked about, and talked about. They definitely liked to talk - real Joe Biden type bureaucrats. It was actually kind of humorous - for a while.

After the speeches, there was an exchange of gifts. Gifts and garlands were given to the government dignitaries. The dignitaries and big business leaders then went up on stage and gave cases of beer, bottles of liquor, and envelopes to the village leaders.

After that gift exchange, the Baa Sii ceremony was conducted. The ceremony was similar to that in Isaan but not as much a spiritual ritual. It was more of a social bonding activity. People jockeyed to tie the cotton strings around the big shots. The big shots took it all in and were enjoying themselves. They may have not been good speakers but these guys seemed to know how to party (Perhaps that is why they are referred to as Party Officials ) The cooked chickens that were part of the Baa Sii offering were ripped apart by hand and devoured with gusto. Again it appeared to be an honor to break chicken with the officials. The Baa Sii participants also sat down and drank the liquid out of the ceramic jars through 1/8 inch diameter vinyl tubing or the 3 foot long reeds sticking out of the jars. Occasionally someone, usually a pretty girl, would pour a glass of water from a large tub into the ceramic jar. Other times she would stick a thin bamboo rod up and down in the jar.

After awhile, several people including one female falang tourist came up and got or tied cotton strings around wrists. Duang and I did not get involved. I was busy photographing and Duang sat off in the shade - perhaps sulking?

A man in his late fifties wearing a nice cotton shirt, formal slacks and a suit coat came up to me and invited me on to the saht to sample the liquid out of the jar. He spoke English rather well. It turned out that he was the village headman. I drank from the plastic tubing and enjoyed the beverage that came out of the ceramic jar. I sampled it out of the reed too. It was an interesting experience the communal drinking out of a jar. I called Duang to join us and to drink out of the jar.

That was it. We were not alone for the rest of the day. Mr. Xayaseng invited us to join him at his table to eat and drink. He introduced us to his friends and family. At the end of the day we went to visit him in his home. He has invited us back to visit. He is a remarkable man and gracious host. The people of Lack Paid Village turned out to be as nice as the people of Isaan and Duang was happy.

From Mr. Xayaseng I found out that we were drinking Lao Hai (Rice Wine). The rice wine is made in the village and is fermented either 7 days or 14 days depending on the maker's preference. It is actually very pleasant to drink. The ceramic jars are filled with the mash and the sweet mixture does attract some flies but they don't appear to drink very much and are easily chased away. As the free liquid is used up, fresh(?) water is added to the jar and everyone continues to drink. For those people who prefer to guzzle their brew, your place the jar on a table, drop your thin vinyl tube below the level of the jar to create a siphon action to fill a small empty water bottle with your beverage of choice.

The village that we were at is called Lack Paid Village. It is a village of the Khmu Hill Tribe minority. The Khmu are also known as the "Khamu" or "Kammu". Other inhabitants of the village are Hmong people and another Hill Tribe minority.

The Khmu are the indigenous inhabitants of Northern Laos. There are about 541,000 Khmu in the world. 450,000 Khmu live in Laos - the second largest group in Laos. Interestingly and ironically, there is a large group of Khmu people living in Richmond, California where I worked for many years at the Chevron Refinery.

At the new Years Festival I met two of Mr. Xayaseng's friends who had fought with (WITH not against) the Americans during the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam, aka as the American War, Laos was the site of a secret war. Vietnam used Laos to infiltrate men and supplies into South Vietnam. The US carpet bombed eastern Laos in an attempt to halt the North Vietnamese efforts to support their war efforts in South Vietnam. The US through the efforts of the CIA developed and outfitted a secret Army of "Montenards" (Hmong) and landing strips in Laos. To this day, remnants of the Hmong secret army are engaged in Northern Laos. In mid 2007 the US State Department issued warnings against travel on Hwy 13 from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang due to clashes between the Lao Army and unknown opponents.

All afternoon groups of Hmong and Khmu young people performed traditional dances. In between the dance performances, people would go up and dance on the stage to Lao music - music that is just like the music of Isaan. Several times one of the young Khmu women went onstage and sang a song. She was a very good singer although I had no idea what she was singing about.

By now the distinguished guests were feeling very good and "relaxed". After the young people finished their routine, the big dignitary would go up to them with a wad of money and peel off some bills and give it to them. Power, money, liquor, young women - ahh, the good life! After one performance, the big shot motioned for me to go up there and dance. I told him that after a few more drinks I would but would he pay me too? We had a big laugh!

The music, or was it the rice wine and beer, eventually got to me and I went up on stage with one of the older village women to dance. I asked an elderly woman to dance because earlier Mr. Xayaseng had told me that I could have any of the unmarried girls sitting with us as a girlfriend if I wanted. I thanked him but declined. I am not sure of the Khmu traditions regarding personal relationships. Mr. Xayaseng has only one wife and no girlfriends. However his brother has three wives and 18 children. A friend of his has 4 wives so I suspect that monogamy is not a foundation of their culture.

Dancing at the festival was easy. Men get in a circle inside of a circle of women facing their partner. The circles dance in a counter clockwise rotation. The lower body movements are a slow stroll with slight dipping in best to the music while the hands move in Siam style movements. The villagers were surprised that I could or would dance their way. It was no big deal - I do it all the time in Isaan.

Joe-nee had woken up from his nap and joined us. He enjoyed the dancing and continued to entertain us.

We went to Mr. Xayaseng's home to visit and have a beer. We met his family and got to visit with his friend. Mr. Xayaseng is a farmer in addition to being the village headman. He gets paid to be headman by the Lao government. His duties as headman are not limited to Lack Paid Village. He also has responsibilities at two other villages. He sometimes has to travel by motorbike to Phongsali Province. Phongsali province is Laos's most inaccessible province. (Hmmm … perhaps a future destination) It is bordered by Vietnam and China. According to the Lonely Planet Guide 2005, Hmong people still cultivate opium poppies in the area. The journey by motorbike takes twelve hours if I remember correctly.

Mr. Xayaseng has 4 "gardens" where he raises rice, corn, and teak wood. He rents the land from the government and pays $61 USD a month to the government whether he has a good harvest or not. Ironically the 500,000 kip a month rent that he pays is the same salary that he gets from the government as head man.

We left the village at 4:00 PM with an invitation to return soon. When never did get to see the waterfall but did not mind. We had enjoyed a very unique and satisfying experience with some great people. It is a day like the day we had just experienced that makes living in SE Asia so stimulating, rewarding and exciting.