Laos Day #6

Saturday 30 January started off very cool. The temperature during the night had gotten down to 14C (57F). It made for a very refreshing start to the morning. Duang chose to remain in the relative warmth of our bed underneath the comforter and a special Chinese blanket. The Chinese blanket was the same type that we had seen used in some of the minority people villages. The blanket was made out of a felt type synthetic material and about 5/8" thick - making it very heavy. The blanket was also decorated with very garish colors - predominately reds. All told, I was even glad that we had that blanket the previous night.

I left our cottage at 7:00 A.M. and walked to the Vat (Wat in Thai) in Ban Khone which is close to the hotel. There was a fog bordering on being a light mist. People were congregating in small groups outside of their homes getting warm from small wood fires built on the bare ground. Once again my morning's walking experience gave evidence to the open and friendly disposition of the Lao people. People walking, riding bicycles, riding on motorbikes, and squatting around their home fire gave me smiles and "sabai-dii" (Lao "Hello"). Walking provides so much more dimension to travel. The slow pace of walking exposes you to the sounds, smells, as well as the intricate details of the area through which you pass. You also are exposed to more intimate contact with the local people. Travel by truck, car, motorbike, or bus will cover more ground and cover the ground more quickly but it doesn't seem like you have been there unless you put your boots or, as is so often the case here in Southeast Asia, put your flip flops on the ground.

I arrived at the Vat, Buddhist temple, after most of the Monks had apparently left on their daily alms walk. Several young Monks ranging in age from 15 to 20 years old milling around in the fog. The chickens and roosters that live on the Vat grounds were busy greeting the morning and leaving their roosts in the many trees and shrubs that grow throughout the compound. At 7:00 A.M. the Lao public radio started broadcasting on the large speaker mounted in one of the large trees of the Vat. There was some ethnic music and what seemed to be a reading of the daily news. Shortly later two separate groups of younger Monks returned with food offerings from their early morning alms walk. I assume that the older Monks had finished their walk prior to my arrival at the Vat. However, I did see one of the older Monks look into a very young Monk's bowl to see what he had brought back - sort of like checking out a younger brother's trick or treat bag on Halloween night.

The Monks were shy so it was not easy to get meaningful photographs. Some of the older Monks were doing morning chores - sweeping out their houses, and carrying water to the outhouse. Most of the Monks were occupied keeping an eye on me, trying to figure out what I was up to,and ensuring that I could not photograph their face. Two Monks, about 8 years old, were busy playing a game with a woven rattan ball - perhaps Takawh without a net. I often find it ironic that these "holy men" quite often can be seen behaving just like so many of the other young boys of their same age. In Laos, and to a lesser extent, Thailand, the Vats and Wats offer an opportunity to poor boys to obtain a higher education for free. One of our new Lao friends, had attended the same Vat from when he was 9 years old until he was 18. At the side of the Vat grounds was a fairly large two story building - the Vat's school.


I wandered around the Vat grounds and eventually made my way to the village outside of the back gate to the Vat. Upon my return on to the Vat grounds, I heard some voices. I peered over a bamboo fence and saw several Monks huddled around a small fire. They were trying to get warm and in deep conversation - perhaps theology? I said "Sabai dii" and asked their permission to photograph them. They indicated that there was no problem. I took several and I am optimistic that this aspect of a Monk's life is not often seen.

I returned to the hotel, showered with plenty of hot water from the solar water heating system, and enjoyed breakfast with my wife. The hotel manager was not there so we made arrangements with the receptionist to hire Mr Kpmpak and his van for the next day so that we could attend the Lanten New Year celebration in Ban Pakha. Just as in Isaan, news travels quickly and far in Luang Namtha, Duang and I returned to our cottage - Duang resting in the bedroom and I writing at the desk in the front room. I heard a voice letting us know that someone was coming - a sing song type lilt used by peddlers when they are making their rounds through Baan Chorada where our home is located. It was Kuhn Khone, and his 11 month old daughter, Soolani. She was all bundled up against the morning chill and clutching a large balloon from the local festival. She was just too precocious in her little pink hat with ears at the sides to ignore so I hauled out the cameras and started taking photographs. She was a very easy and willing model. We all had a good time. Khun Khone had heard that we were traveling to Ban Pahka the next day and inquired if he could accompany us. Without hesitation we gladly agreed. He had been so helpful and kind to us that we were happy to help him out.

After his visit, Duang and I headed out on our first walk of the day. We first stopped at the rice milling "plant" to the right of the Boat Landing Guest House towards the Acrow style bridge spanning the Nam Tha River. The miller has been busy with all sorts of rice deliveries to the mill. These are not huge shipments but are deliveries from local people - deliveries by motorbike, push carts, the ubiquitous Chinese farm trucks 5 HP and 10 HP variety and some of the more modern small farm trucks - approximately 1 to 2 ton rated capacity. Often the farmer's family will accompany him on the trip to the mill. I was able to take several photos of "The Farmer's Daughters" as they waited in their 10 HP Chinese farm truck. The people wait their turn. When it is their time, they dump their rice out of their bags into a square hole in the floor. A vertical conveyor elevates the rice to the top of the milling machine where gravity is utilized to feed the grain through the process. The hulled rice exits the bottom of the milling machine on to a short horizontal conveyor that feeds another enclosed vertical conveyor that fed a chute which dumped the finished product into an awaiting grain bag - the same bags that were used to bring the grain to the mill. just as in Isaan where the rice thresher is paid with a certain percentage of the finished product, the miller kept his share. In the back and side of his milling room (plant?), there were high stacks of filled 100 Kg bags of milled rice. The milling plant was extremely interesting - it was filled with many large cobwebs that had captured the dust generated by the milling process and nearby dirt road for unknown days, weeks, or perhaps months or longer. Exposed drive belts offered a constant source of potential accidents. Standard safety equipment and practises often required in similar American facilities were no where to be seen. This was a down to the basics, one person facility - minimally fit for purpose. A facility where a local person was providing his neighbors with a necessary and valuable service. About 4 kilometers away alongside the main road into town, I saw another similar milling plant. No doubt there would have been more of these small independent plants if I had looked more carefully and more widely.



From the milling plant, we walked back to the paved main road and a very short ways towards the new part of Luang Namtha to Ban Khone where the Vat I had visited earlier in the morning. The Monks were now accustomed to me so photographing them was much easier. Unfortunately the Vat was locked and the Monks we spoke to did not have the key. We grabbed a passing taxi truck and rode into town. After having lunch at a local restaurant, I withdrew 700,000 KIP from my bank account back in California. The world has changed so dramatically in such a relatively short time.

In 1973, I obtained an American Express card for the sole purpose of making foreign currency purchases by credit card during my first overseas trip - a trip to Europe. At the time the only alternative was to carry Traveler's Checks. Today I am able to be in a small town in northwest Laos, use my American ATM card to get funds from my account in California, and check the current balance of the US account - a small town that was leveled during the Second Indochina War, 1973 to 1975 - amazing!

So ended our morning of our sixth day in Laos. The day was one-half over with a full afternoon remaining but that will be subject of a different blog.

Laos Day #5 - A Day In Luang Namtha

After our full and exhausting day to Xieng Kok on Thursday, Duang and I decided to relax and "catch up" on Friday 29 January. Duang caught up on her sleep and I caught up on my journal.

While Duang slept, I had my breakfast and wrote in my journal. It is very easy to fall behind in maintaining a journal especially when there are so many interesting sights, and people to write about. Kees joined me prior to his departure to go on his photo assignment of the Lanten wedding. It had been a surprise as well as a pleasure to see him again in such wonderful surroundings.

Later in the morning, Duang and I attended the local festival. At 11:00 A.M. Jorgon and Helga drove us out to the Vat (Wat in Thailand) in their camper. We were somewhat disappointed. Just as we were surprised at the small size of the Luang Namtha Night Market, we were surprised at how small the festival was. We climbed the staiway from the dirt road up to That Phum Phuk (That Phoum Phoul) and were rewarded with some nice views of the Luang Namtha Valley.

During the Second Indochina War, the stupa of the Vat was toppled by a bomb blast which occurred during fighting between Communist troops and Royal Lao troops. The ruins of the toppled stupa now provide an interesting climbing experience for local children as well as many of the young Monks, who are often not much older than the village children. A replacement stupa was built alongside the ruins in 2003.

The festival consisted mainly of several small booths selling food, snacks, soft drinks, and beer. In the end of the festival furthest from the stupa was an area set up as a beer garden complete with a stage and powerful sound system. Unfortunately, we had arrived after the performance of local minority dances. There were several booths where anyone, children, Monks, as well as adults could throw three metal darts at air filled balloons placed within vertical wooden trays. If a person burst three balloons they won a small container of soy milk or some other type of soft drink. The booths were doing a very good business. Gambling is legal in Laos unlike in Thailand where it is banned. From this trip to Laos I can report that they start them young. Many times we saw 7 and 8 year olds trying their luck or rather testing their skill. Another common sight at the festival was a small child enjoying the simple pleasure of a helium balloon tethered to their hand.


After walking along the two aisles of booths three times, Duang and I sat down at one of the food booths. I ate some squid flavored potato chip type snacks while Duang had a plate of chicken feet to munch on. We shared what eventually became three bottles Beer Lao - the excellent Lao beer brewed in Vientiane. We sat listening to the mahlam lao and mahlam sing music blaring from the beer garden while we watched the world, or at least this small part of the world go by. After awhile 5 middle aged men strolled by and nodded "Hello". By their demeanor, haircuts, slacks, and cotton solid colored pastel shirts, I knew that they were government officials.

After a couple of hours we decided to return to the hotel. We passed two tables with plastic chairs under a canopy where the five men along with three officers of the Lao People's Army were enjoying themselves. Just past their location, as we approached the exit, Duang left me to go to the bathroom. As I stood waiting for her to return, one of the men came with a plastic chair and motioned for me to sit. Since it was already getting quite warm and my camera backpack was heavy, I gladly accepted his invitation. He left but quickly returned with a glass of Lao Lao, the very potent rice whiskey popular in Laos as well as Isaan. Having lived in Vietnam for awhile I was familiar with party and Party protocol - party etiquette and Communist Party etiquette. I accepted the offer and took my glass over to the table where the dignitaries were seated. I thanked them in Thai and toasted them in Lao to their shock and amazement. Fortunately a Lao toast is one of the few Lao terms that I know. By now Duang had joined us and she was treated to their hospitality - a glass with some Lao Lao. She spoke a little to the men explaining that I was from America and that I was visiting for one week. We thanked them and headed towards the gate. I then remembered about certain laws in Laos. Foreigners are not allowed to "fraternize", "be with" (as in the Biblical sense), or be intimate with Lao women. I suppose that such laws may also apply to relations with Lao men, but I never cared or researched that aspect. If a foreigner wants to marry a Lao woman, they have to apply and request permission from the Lao government. Duang is often mistaken for being Lao in our travels and I wanted to ensure that there were no misconceptions regarding our status or perhaps it was the effect of our beer and Lao Lao, so I returned to the dignitaries and explained in Thai and pantomime that they did not have to worry - Duang was Thai not Lao, we were married, and they did not have to take me to jail. We all had a big laugh and said good bye one last time.

We returned to our hotel and found that Mr Thone had brought his 11 month old daughter to the reception area. We spent some time playing with her and photographing her before returning to our cottage. After two hours of cleaning camera gear and writing in my journal I went for a walk.


Outside of the hotel in the gravel parking lot, local boys were having a cock fight. Cock fighting has deep and long traditions in Southeast Asia. It is not illegal here. This was the second cock fight that I had witnessed. I had watched my first fight in Tahsang Village. Unlike what I had read about cock fights the first fight as well as this one was not a bloody or fatal affair. In the first fight, the spurs on the roosters leg were taped to prevent them from being used as weapons. In Laos there were not any spurs on the rooster's legs. True to form, I found this fight to be as boring as the first one. In Laos the fight consisted of two twenty minute rounds. I had arrived towards the end of the second round. I don't know if it was actually at the end of twenty minutes or not, but it was obvious to me which rooster had won - the other one pretty much given up although both animals were tired from their jumping around and pecking. The boys mercifully declared the winner, grabbed each rooster, split into two groups and went their separate ways on bicycles. I continued on my walk.

I walked to the bridge, an Acrow type structure, spanning the Namtha River. I never made it all the way across the bridge. Down below my perch at the start of the bridge, a fisherman was cleaning off his throwing net on his way back home in the late afternoon. Across the river, women were busy washing laundry, and bathing in the shallow water below their village. Truckloads of farmers and harvested broom plant crossed the bridge on their way back to their villages. As the heavier vehicles crossed the bridge, the bridge bounced up and down from the moving loads. One of the smaller farm trucks, the 10 HP type, did not have enough power to cross the bridge so men were assisting it by pushing it up the slight rise towards the middle of the bridge. Bicyclists were a major part of the bridge traffic that afternoon. All this made for interesting photography and observation of daily village life in a remote rural area of Laos.




For a relaxing and a "catch up" day, Friday turned out to be another satisfying day. It had been another day of surprises and an opportunity to observe as well as learn about daily life in Laos - a beautiful land inhabited by extraordinary people.

New Gallery Available for Viewing - "Monks In the Mist"

On the last morning of our trip to Northwest Laos, Luang Nam Tha Province, I joined the Monks of Ban Khone on their daily alms walk, "Tak Bart".

It was a very interesting experience, similar to my walk with the Monks of Luang Prabang, Laos one year ago. However this year, I had a Nikon D700 camera which allowed me to take photographs in the fog and early morning light without having to use a distracting flash.

The gallery includes several photographs of the local villagers "making merit" (Tum Boon) by offering food to the passing Monks. After accepting the offerings from the villagers, the Monks stopped in front of the people's home and chanted a blessing. In Thailand the blessing is given directly to the people, but here it was to the home.


The gallery can be viewed at this location:

http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/Travel/Monks-In-The-Mist/11244834_dQcTy#788653120_T8FcM

New Photo Gallery Available

A new photo gallery "Monks In the Morning" is now available for viewing.

http://http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/Travel/Luang-Namtha-Monks/11225188_PaeU3#787229048_Cg4yD

Laos - Day #4 Xieng Kok to Luang Namtha

Outside of Xieng Kok, we stopped at a Vat ("Wat" in Thailand. The young Monks were busy preparing the Vat (Temple) for the start of the three day festival commencing the next morning. They were putting a new coat of gold paint on the chedi. Upon climbing the long concrete stairway from the dirt road up to the Vat level, we came upon several Monks. The oldest Monk appeared to be 20 years old and the youngest Monks were approximately 9 years old.

Four Monks were standing upon bamboo scaffolding that surrounded one of the two chedis. Each of the Monks had a paint brush and a small plastic pail of of gold paint. As they busily painted the concrete surface of the chedi, the young Monks were busy chatting to each other as well as keeping an eye on the 3 falangs (foreigners) who had appeared in their sanctuary. Another Monk, about 8 years old, was painting a small statue at the corner of the chedi foundation.

Several other Monks were involved in mixing some more of the gold acrylic paint. They were pouring the vicious paint into a small plastic bucket and adding water to it to create a more spreadable mixture. Three young boys, who were not Monks but I suspect were related to some of the Monks, intently observed the mixing operation. Just as we observed in the Khmu village with the blacksmiths, there were plenty of people watching and giving morale support to the few that were actually working. The tradition of observing work is acquired and embraced at a young age.

When we first arrived at the Vat, the Monks were a little shy with us and definitely camera shy. Across the dirt road from the Vat, the Lao People's Army is building an outpost on top of a small hill. Loud music was blaring from within the "complex". In this communist state the music was not state martial music, or music extolling the virtues of the workers, or even music praising the universal brotherhood of the proletariat. They were broadcasting mahlam lao and mahlam sing songs - some of the exact tunes that are currently popular in Isaan and are played at every concert show. When my favorite song started playing, I showed the Monks some of my Isaan dance moves - much to their delight and amusement! After my "performance" the Monks were neither camera shy or leery of us - not even weary of us either.

Jorgon and I spent a great deal of time photographing the Monks painting the chedi. Helga and Duang, no doubt accustomed to our obsessions, did not seem to mind and patiently waited. At one end of this level of the Vat's grounds local women were erecting bamboo poles to form the framework to hang tarps to create booths for the upcoming festival. The booths most likely would sell local food specialties or just as likely some type of game of chance. Unlike Thailand, games of chance or rather "gambling" is legal. In fact upon crossing the border out of Thailand going into Laos, Thailand has posters advising people that if they lose their money gambling in Laos, the Thai government is unable to help them. Favorite games for all ages are throwing darts at balloons or tossing bamboo rings around the necks of empty beer bottles.

Back on Highway 17B, the dirt road back to Muang Sing, we stopped in an Akha village. We had spotted some women sitting outside in front of their home alongside of the road caring for children and babies. It was a scene composed of three generations - baby, mother, and grandmother with the women wearing traditional Akha clothing but also topless. As we approached, the grandmother came to us and was obviously demanding money to be photographed. My experience in Thailand, Vietnam, and on our previous trip to Laos, is that this behavior was typical of the Akha people. The opportunity for what could be some excellent photographs was too tempting to dismiss her demands. I thought that she wanted 5,000 Kip for "modeling fee" and I thought that it was a fair price. I paid her the 5,000 kip and there was immediate confusion - through our driver we found out that she actually wanted 50,000 Kip. I told her jokingly and very animatedly in Thai, which she understood, that for 50,000 Kip I would want to take photos of "nome falang yai, nome falang one - may ow nome Akha lek" (Big foreign breasts, fat foreign breasts not small Akha breasts). She started laughing and Duang as well as the driver were laughing like crazy. When it was translated for Jorgon and Helga, they laughed too. Duang told me that when we got back to the hotel I could take pictures of her breasts and pointed out they were bigger than the Akha grandmother's. We all laughed for a good long time as we continued down the road. This encounter was a topic of conversation for the remainder of our journey back to Luang Namtha as well as to this day. I suspect that the women were accustomed to being paid for being photographed but had never been rejected like that before.

Further down the road we came upon an extended family building a new home on the side of the road. The home was being built on the side of the road but their materials, equipment, and children blocked one-half of the narrow road. We spoke to the people, mainly the young husband who was Lanten. His wife is Akha and the house is being built in her village. As we found out later during our trip to Laos, new homes are typically "relocated" existing houses rather than "New" as in built from scratch houses. The houses are heavy timber framed structures using notched as well as mortise and tendon joints. The heavy investment in labor and I suspect the inability to easily or cheaply obtain similar heavy timber today necessitates recycling the houses. The man informed us, through Duang, that he does not say his wife's name and she does not say his name because if they were to, the person would die. Animist beliefs play a very large part of daily life in the minority peoples of Laos as well as in Isaan. He offered each of us a shot of the volatile locally made rice whiskey to show his hospitality and to wish us good luck on our trip. We gave him a few thousand Kip, but not 50,000 to express our gratitude. We happily continued down the bumpy road laughing about the Akha grandmother once again due to the hospitality of the Hmong husband.

We stopped at a Hmong village and I got out to photograph two little boys on a hill overlooking the road. The sun, as so often it seemed on this trip, was in the wrong location for effective photographs. While I ws in front of the van taking photographs, Duang started yelling at me from within the van. I walked back to see what the commotion was all about. I got to the open sliding van door to find Duang, Jorgon, Helga, and the driver, Mr Kompack all laughing like crazy. Duang pointed out to the top of the hill to the left of the boys I had been photographing and explained what was happening. On top of the hill was a little boy around three years old completely naked, dancing like crazy and shaking his backside at us. Duang said that this little boy had clothes on when we arrived but as I started to photograph the other boys, he took off his clothes and put on his "show". I have no idea why he did it but we all got a good laugh at this entertainment or act of defiance - such are the surprises along the back roads of Laos.

At one home alongside the road we saw a mother and 7 children all younger than 5 years old. The mother and 4 of the children were standing in what was essentially a large drainage ditch alongside the road. The mother was wearing her sarong pulled up to her arm pits and was wringing part of it dry with her hands. The four toddlers were completely naked and were enjoying their combination bath and playtime. This ended up being a familiar sight in Laos - people washing clothes, washing children, and washing themselves in whatever body or source of water was convenient.

We stopped at the Lanten village of Ban Pakha. The village was a bee hive of activity. People were preparing for the Lanten New Years Celebration on 31 January. Women were preparing home made sausage for the party. Outside of one of the homes, a woman was cooking meat in a very large wok. The wok was basically sitting on the ground - atop a mound of clay. The inside the clay mound had been dug out to form a fire pit. A fire of bamboo and some hardwoods had created a healthy amount of coals for cooking. Inside the home, past the women and children milling outside the door, another woman was stuffing pig's intestines with chopped up meat and other things. Banana leaves were spread upon the well compacted dirt floor to provide a large work place. While I was busy photographing the scene, Duang was engaged in conversation with the women and ended holding a very young baby. I was not allowed to hold the baby, but I did provide some entertainment to the women as well as children - they were fascinated with my hairy arms and once they overcame their initial reservations amused themselves patting, stroking, rubbing and pulling on my arm hair. I felt it was a very fair exchange for being able to photograph the village people.

The people invited us to return on the 31st to attend their New Year Celebration. I told them through Duang that we would seriously consider coming back.

Further along the dirt road we saw some people bathing in the river. The adults turned away from me when they saw me. I got quite a different reaction from the children. Although I had stayed a comfortable distance away from their bathing area, the children quickly descended upon me either by running or riding their bicycles. It was wonderful. They were curious and inquisitive. I had a great time photographing them and showing them their pictures on the camera's LCD monitor. It made the children even more excited and willing to be photographed. Up on the road, Duang, Jorgon and Helga were getting a kick out of the sight of me and the children interacting. I also saw two women walking along in the river upturning stones and rocks in their search for food. They were not as willing to be photographed but I managed to take a couple shots.

We arrived back at the guest house after dark and weary from a long and enjoyable day. As we climbed up the wood stairs into the reception area I heard a voice say "Well you made it back alright." I was surprised to see it was our friend Kees. Kees and I had met through the Internet. His wife had discovered my blog and photography site. She shared it with him. We corresponded by email and then Facebook. Kees and Dorothy visited our home late last year. It was from and through Kees that I became aware of the Luang Namtha area. He has taken many wonderful photographs in the area and participated in the development of tourism in the area. He had gotten a last minute email to photograph a wedding as part of ongoing tourism development for a government agency. Unfortunately, Dorothy was not able to accompany him on this trip. We ended up having a wonderful set dinner with him at the Boat Landing Restaurant. It was a treat to be able to visit with him so unexpectedly and to introduce him to Jorgon and Helga.

It was a very fitting conclusion to a very satisfying and full day.

Laos Day #4 - Xieng Kok Market

One of the places on our agenda to visit was the market at Xieng Kok. The market is open on the 14th and 28th of each month. Xieng Kok is a river port on the Mekong River. Across from Xieng Kok is Myanmar which was and in some places still referred to as Burma.

We got up at 4:00 A.M. to be ready to leave in the van at 5:00 P.M. with Jorgen and Helga. I twas a typical morning in the region for this time of year - foggy and at times a mist. However you can almost set your watch to it disappearing at 11:00 A. M.

The first leg of our trip was to retrace our previous journey out to Muang Sing. Traveling in the van made a world of difference. Whereas I was concerned the other morning that our driver was driving much too fast and we arrived in Muang Sing, on this trip we were quite comfortable and arrived in 1-1/2 hours. It was too early to get something at the Muang Sing market so we took the fork in the road that leads to Xieng Kok. After aways down the road we stopped at a small village market and had some breakfast. We didn't need to buy too much because Helga had brought along some muffins from a bakery in Luang Namtha.

Xieng Kok is another two hours by dirt road, Lao Highway 17B, southwest of Muang Sing. By the time we got to Muang Sing, the sun had rose and we were able to view the countryside as we bounced along. We passed through many villages and a beautiful countryside. There was a good sized banana plantation where bananas on the stalk were draped in thin blue plastic.


Every where broom plant was being harvested. Often both sides of the road were flanked by harvested broom plant carefully laid out to dry in the sun. Once it is dry it is bundled together into sheaves and transported to central locations to be weighed, and loaded onto large trucks for transport to China. For the larger fields, the large semis drive into the fields. There is a tent made out of an old tarp where some of the farm workers camp out to watch over the harvest through the night. Whether in the large fields or small settlements, the broom plant sheaves are weighed on a small portable spring scale most likely 25 kilogram (50 pound) capacity. The sheaves are stacked in groups upon the scale. To accelerate the weighing process, sometimes boards are placed on top of the scale to allow the stacking of more sheaves each time. A scribe sits in the shade and records each weight in a notebook, the paper kind - not the electronic kind, as called out by the weigh master.

Sheaves that are not loaded directly onto the big trucks are transported by all other means - strapped to the backs of woman with sheaves almost as long as the women are tall, some women haul the sheaves in a woven bamboo basket strapped to their back with the large fluffy heads of the broom plant bouncing up and down above their head as they trudge along the road towards their destination. Some men carry sheaves balanced atop one of their shoulders. Children are also part of the migration of the harvest from the remote fields to a central gathering location.

Small farm wagons pulled by 5 HP diesel engines are sometimes used to transport the harvest from scattered locations along the road in the middle of nowhere to a tiny village closer to some where. Some larger Chinese olive drab farm trucks, powered by perhaps a 10 HP diesel engine and using fan belts instead of a metal drive shaft carry even larger loads.



We arrived in Xieng Kok and observed some workers offloading coconuts from a large river boat. Across the rapidly flowing Mekong River, we could see into Burma - a large mass of hills and dark green vegetation. Other than the swift current there appeared to be nothing to stop anyone from going into Burma (Myanmar) - if you wanted to or leaving Burma. I don't know what would happen if you got caught in Myanmar without proper documentation. This area was once a hot bed for opium cultivation and production going back to the days of French colonial rule. Opium poppies are still cultivated in the area but obstensibly to supply drug manufacturers literally and possibly figuratively in China. Myanmar is also recognized as a source of much of the amphetamines that find their way into Thailand. The Xieng Kok area is one of central points to smuggle the drugs into Laos on their way into Thailand. This could go part of the way in understanding the people's shyness at being photographed at the market.


The market was smaller than I anticipated, perhaps one acre total. The market did have just about anything for sale. It was very busy. Outside of the entrance to the market there were two tables set up with hand cranked machines that shaved blocks of ice that was served with various flavored syrups in small plastic bowls - Lao Snow Cones (Bowls?). The vendors were doing a landmark business. The twice a month market was an obvious treat for the children as well as the adults.



The women, mostly from the Akha minority, filled their woven bamboo baskets with their purchases. The baskets were worn on their back like a backpack but had a rope from each side of the basket bottom up to a wooden yoke on the woman's shoulders. The middle of the yoke was cut into a semicircle to allow clearance for the neck and to allow the yoke to rest fully as well as squarely upon the shoulders. A rope from each end of the yoke rose and was attached to either a cloth or braided band across the woman's forehead. What ever the mother or grandmother could not carry in this manner, their daughters carried in their basket. Girls, as young as 8 years old, were participating in market day in this manner. Quite often younger girls, 6 or 7 years old, were carrying their baby brother or sister in a sling over their shoulder resting against their hip. It seems that the shaved ice treat had to be earned. Childhood in the villages of Laos is a short term experience. Everyone has a contribution to make to the success of the family.


When we were about ready to leave, a man arrived with four cases of tangerines or mandarin oranges to sell. He was immediately surrounded by a horde of woman reminiscent of the film clips of the wedding dress sale at Macy's in NYC. I thought that fights would break out. The decibel level increased dramatically. I could see that every piece of fruit was being meticulously inspected, selected, and argued over. I focused my photography efforts on woman in particular. She had an attitude which was enhanced by the large wad of betel nut that she was chewing in her mouth - staining her mouth a deep red. Perhaps it is a masterful negotiation strategy - who wants to upset or argue with a woman who has a mouth full of red saliva and organic matter? In 15 minutes all the fruit was sold and the vendor was gone. There is no need to worry about shelf life at the Xieng Kok market.

Some of the young Akha ladies were looking at silver ornaments to wear on their hats, ears, or clothing. They also used their time at the market to socialize and catch up on gossip. I also saw some flirting between some young women and young men. It was an intensive 1-1/2 hours at the market. Jorgon and Helga were terrific travel companions. We enjoyed their companionship immensely. The 12 hours that we spent traveling in the van reinforced our initial impression of the "travelers" - They are definitely "Khun jai dai" - Nice people. People with good hearts.

Our long day was half over but there was plenty of additional adventures and encounters to write about - subjects of future blogs.

Forest Cemetery - Laos - Still Day #3

27 January, Wednesday, although a rest day for us on this journey turned out to be a busy as well as a productive day for us. Besides our visit to the Lanten village of Baan Soptud, the Khmu village of Sopsim, and the Tai Dam (Black Tai) village of Ban Pasak, we or more accurately I visited a Tai Dam forest cemetery.

On our way back to the Boat Landing Guest House and Restaurant we stopped at a forest cemetery between Ban Mai and Ban Pasak, another Black Tai village.

When Tai Dam people die, they are buried in the forest beneath small raised houses. The houses are about five feet above the ground. They are miniature replicas of actual homes complete with porches, porch railings, windows, and either a corrugated metal or wood shingle roof. The houses are about 6 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet high. They are located inside of individual plots of land in the forest. The plots are about 12 feet wide by about 20 feet long with a narrow drainage ditch around the perimeter. A fence constructed of woven strips of bamboo surrounded the plot very similar to the homes in the nearby village. The fence as well as much of the houses were succumbing to the ravages of the forest environment. The fences were falling down, Vegetation was attacking the structures. Rain and sun were bleaching and breaking down the house walls and roof. Inside the houses, outside the houses were items that the deceased would need in the afterlife - baskets, bamboo stool, fishing nets, plates, cups, candles, articles of clothing, and some decorative items. There were remnants of offerings around the houses.

The cemetery that I visited had two of these miniature houses. I had read about these forest cemeteries and wanted to see one up close. This burial practice is not related to Buddhism but originate with the Animist beliefs of the Tai Dam. Many of these beliefs are retained by Lao Loum people in Isaan. The strong belief in "Pii" ghosts or spirits was sufficient motivation for Duang to remain in the taxi truck parked on the edge of the road alongside the forest.

The burial houses that I visited were located about 300 feet inside of a heavily forested area bordering the dirt road. The forest, considered to be a sacred forest by the Tai Dam people, separated some plots of rice that had been harvested back in late November. The forest floor was covered with many varieties of small plants. Sunlight form the late afternoon sun was filtered and diffused by several species of tall trees. Vines ascended from the forest floor high up into the tree canopy. There were a couple of large spider webs with small spiders on them along the narrow trail to the houses. I did not see any snakes despite looking - looking very carefully. I really did not want to find any so I was not disappointed. I did find some large red ants scurrying up and down a hanging vine in the center of the very narrow footpath. Based upon my unpleasant experience with red ants in Isaan a year ago (blog entitled - "Ants In Their Fish, Ants In My Pants"), I gave them wide berth, preferring to risk an encounter with an unknown snake than repeat with known red ants.

At the end of each of the burial plots, there was a sort of tombstone. Both of the stones were rather weathered and rapidly advancing into a decayed state. One of the stones had a photograph of a man attached to its surface reminiscent of the tombstones that I saw being carved in Hanoi where an actual photograph is incorporated into the stone. Burial sites are marked to indicate the sex of the deceased. A single flag flown from a tall pole signifies a man's grave. A circle of flags signifies a woman's grave. At one site I found the remnants of a very tall bamboo mast with attached flag that had collapsed the ground. At the other site I found what appeared to be several flags with poles laying on the forest floor. I was curious to investigate further but out of reverence I did not. I am fairly certain that there was one male and one female grave. On one the end of one of the houses, some one appears to have written the birth and death date of the deceased. It had been less than two years since the burial.





Now that I look back, my decision to risk an encounter with an unknown snake rather than the known red ants was consistent with decisions in my former career. Once in preparing to do a project in California, I learned that the Site Manager was hiring a person that a former client, years ago, had requested that we remove from the job, which we should have done without their direction. I reminded the boss of that incident and he responded that he knew this person and was familiar with his performance (lack of performance?). I said that rather than repeat a mistake, I would rather go to the bus station and hire someone new. I believed that I could pick some one there and obtain better performance than rehiring the "familiar" person. In the end the familiar person performed poorly and the Site manager had to explain and apologize to the client why there were 2 surplus 30 inch valves. The familiar person had needed one valve but had ended up requisitioning three valves over the course of the 3 month job. It is so important to take responsibility for the direction of our life. I made a conscious decision to avoid the ants at the risk of the unknown. The unknown is not always to be feared or avoided. Embracing and exploring the unknown as well as the unfamiliar leads to education and enlightenment. This trip like so many other trips taught me a great deal about cultures, people, and about myself - a journey into the unknown, - the unfamiliar but so rewarding.