lao 1

the full name of the country is the lao people's democratic republic...but it's not democratic, not at all...it's communist politically, though capitalist economically...people are now able to open businesses and make money, but they're still not allowed to talk badly about the government..

after getting ourselves stamped out of thailand, we crossed the mekong river in a small longboat..i wanted to swim, it wasn't that far...but i didn't want to soak everything i had..hee hee..after we crossed the river, we got our lao visas, passports stamped, and exchanged money..we also signed ourselves up for a slow boat ride to luang prabang..it's a two day ride (7-8 hours in the boat each day) down the river..the name is slow boat, but it didn't feel slow at all..there was a constant breeze, and it was nice to just watch the landscape go by..lao is the least developed of all the countries in this part of the world, nearly 85% of the people have rural lives, living in small villages..lao has had a very turbulent past, like the rest of the countries in this part of the world..there isn't much of a lao national identity, partly because there are people of so many different ethnicities..the most well known culture and group is the lowland lao, they compromise about 50% of the country..it's their culture that is known, if any is known at all..anywho, throughout the two days on the river, we stopped several times for locals to get on or off the boat, and also to take on supplies..the first day i mostly stared at the landscape and daydreamed..layna did the same, in another area of the boat..the second day, i ended up getting to know a group of travelers who had all joined up randomly in the past week or so..one american, one aussie/american, two brits and two germans..all great fun..the first night on the boat we all stayed in pak beng..the second day, we arrived in luang prabang, a former royal capital..a fantastic town..it's at the confluence of the mekong river and the khan river..it's a UNESCO world heritage listed town, which means there is a ban on buses and trucks in town..how awesome is that?
there are a number of wats in luang prabang, as well as a night market..though it has become more touristed over the years, you can still see local traditions that have been taking place for years..one morning layna and i got up before daybreak to watch the morning alms round of the monks..the monks from eat wat walk out in a line from their respective wats, and walk around with their alms bowls to collect alms from the locals..i'm not sure, but i think the monks are only allowed to eat what they receive each morning..the locals gather in several spots to give the alms..at first, i was surprised by how much each person seemed to have..but after seeing how many monks walked by, it made a lot more sense..a little bit is put into the alms bowl of each monk in each line..the women who give alms stay on their knees the whole time, and reach up to the alms baskets/bowls..men who give alms stand at the same height as the monks..i'm not sure how i feel about that..
the first full day i was in luang prabang i went with the group i had met to a waterfall about 35km outside of town..sam and i decided to rent a motorbike, the others all hired bicycles, and pedaled the whole way..needless to say, sam and i arrived their first, nice and relaxed..the others were all covered in sweat..hee hee..anywho, the waterfall is actually a series of waterfalls, about 7 levels in all? i don't remember for sure..several of the levels are perfect for swimming..one of them has a rope swing, and you can jump off that particular level!! it turned out that one of the germans (andre) was pretty good off a rope swing, he was pulling gainers..anywho, the others decided to hire a tuk tuk and put their bikes on top for the way back, but since sam and i had the motorbike we decided to explore the countryside a bit more..lots of fun to just follow the road and see where it went..at one point we actually came to the end of the road, just after a village..i don't think i've ever come to the end of a road before!! judging by the stares we got riding through some of the villages, i don't think they ever see many foreigners..on the way back, sam and i had a little mishap, but we are both fine..
the second day layna and i wandered around town..temples, relaxing, etc..she discovered a local sauna, and loved it..with my scratches, i didn't think a sauna would feel very good..(at that point i still couldn't make a proper fist, or use my right hand to shampoo in the shower)..we both went to the night market each night in town..tons of fantastic street stall food..it's a good thing i'm on a budget, and don't have a house or flat to decorate, because there was plenty in the night market that i really liked..