well the first days are the hardest days, don't you worry anymore

     It has been 100 days since my departure from Seattle and the western life I experienced the past fifty years. Almost everything is different, living in the eastern world. Renting a house in Ban Wat Luang Kao, Champasak Province, Lao, has been both effortless and challenging. Learning the Lao language has been both easy and difficult. Understanding village life with the locals has been both enjoyable and frustrating. I knew the transition to Lao life would be difficult, and I did a lot of research before my move, and that all helped. But, life on the ground, living the daily life in a small Lao village, has been a challenge. This blog is a bit different from the others, in that I begin to share some of the ups and downs of my life in Lao.

BUDDHA FACING THE RIVER, HE WAS HERE BEFORE THE ROAD BEHIND

     Renting a house has been effortless yet challenging. It was relatively easy to rent this house, paying one month at a time, and finding that the house was furnished. This is in a previous blog post. However, it took two months to sign the actual lease papers, and I found that I had to now pay six months in advance, no longer month-to-month. During the first two months of my living here, the house was not painted (as I was told it would be), and the yard was not being cared for (as I was told it would be). I’ve been told to now do these things myself, and I don’t want to paint a house or take care of the huge yard. I chose this house partly because this was going to be done by others. Seems like the owner is getting a lot from my effort, and this inexpensive house is not looking so inexpensive anymore.

WAT PHONE PHENG, CHAMPASAK

     Learning the Lao language has been easy yet difficult. The major problem I have found is the various dialects being used. For example, I will learn a word in Pakse, the city 40 km north, and the pronunciation will be different in my village and nobody can understand what I say. Same thing in reverse, I will learn a word in my village and it is pronounced differently in Pakse. I am able to count, which helps a great deal in the market, and I am able to say the words of various vegetables, fruit, meat, and prepared dishes, which helps a great deal when buying food. I am slowly learning the language and have found a few people willing to help me speak Lao. The Lao people speak slowly and repeat themselves, which makes it easier for me to learn. Repetition is a big help to me!

DRY SEASON RICE HARVESTING NEAR MY HOUSE

     Understanding village life with the locals, has been enjoyable yet frustrating. This has been my biggest ‘issue’ living in this particular house. My rental house was empty for years, as the owner was living in France. Some of the neighbors had been using the house and yard during this time, and once I moved in, they were no longer able to use ‘their’ space. This has been a HUGE clash for me, especially with the landlord’s family across the street. Now that I rent and live in the house, and lock the gates for my own safety and security, some of the neighbors are upset. There are three families, all across the street, that will not look at me, or even say hello. However, all is not lost, as the neighbors on my side of the street are all friendly and welcoming. The neighbors on my side of the street have made me feel part of the community. We don’t speak the same language, yet, but we smile, say hello, and acknowledge each others existence. Life in Ban Wat Luang Kao is bearable because of these families!

TOP OF THE TEMPLE AT WAT LUANG KAO

     My other challenge concerns location. I now live 4 km south of the town of Champasak. This is the place I originally wanted to live, but was unable to find a rental house. Champasak is made up of eight villages, each full of friendly and personable villagers. This is the town where foreigners come and stay while visiting Wat Phou, the UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are numerous guesthouses and restaurants in Champasak and the local villagers are used to seeing, talking, and interacting with foreigners. The village where I live, is halfway between Champasak and Wat Phou, which means that foreigners pass through my village, and do not stop. My village neighbors have little, if any, experience with foreigners. And here I am!

RICE HARVEST NEAR MY HOUSE

     Knowing and experiencing are two different things. Before I moved, I knew people were the same everywhere. But, I didn’t realize it would be so obvious, living in a place where I don’t speak the language or know the customs. Just as in America, there are people here I can get along with, and others I can not. There are people that are friendly, and there are others that are not. There are happy people and sad people, there are joyful people and angry people. We are all doing what is necessary to survive, to be comfortable, to love, and to live. Here in Lao, people just have themselves, family, and friends, to keep them going. And that looks to be enough to be happy!

SUNSET OVER THE MEKONG, CHAMPASAK

 

they're dancing, dancing in the street

     The baci I last wrote about, is a formal affair, and the boun’s throughout the country are much less formal. A ‘boun’ is a festival, a temple fair at a wat (Buddhist temple), or any celebration of a public holiday that involves a party. Think of a baci as a time when monks go to a private home with relatives and community members celebrating a life event in someone’s home. Think of a boun as a time when the community members and families go out of their private homes to celebrate an event, usually at a wat, with the monks. The Lao people have many celebrations during the year, the public world into the private (baci), and the private world into the public (boun). And, the Lao people know how to party!

CROSSING THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE TO GET TO THE BAN TA TENG TA BOUN

     The past few months I have been here, I have attended many boun’s. Each village is centered around a temple, and each temple has a boun this time of year. They are planned to be at different times, no two temples having a boun the same day. Reason being, in the town of Champasak, for example, there are eight villages that make up Champasak. Well, each village has their own temple and their own boun, which makes eight boun’s within a few kilometer long street! The temple boun’s I have attended are all quite similar. A small marketplace is set up that sells plastic toys, lao food, and assorted beverages. A stage is set up with a large sound system, and this is the center of entertainment. Either a band, or a keyboard/karaoke machine, is on stage with female dancers. The music is turned up so loud it is distorted beyond recognition (a Lao theme at all events). Many tables and chairs are set up and massive quantities of Beer Lao are consumed by people of all ages. The wacky thing, to me, is that this all takes place within the Buddhist temples walls!

STAGE, BAND, AND DANCERS AT A BOUN

     

     These boun’s are relatively small, attended by the local villagers. Pi Mai Lao, however, is a country-wide event. This is the Lao new year, celebrated on April 14,15,16. The Lao people go back to their original villages to celebrate, and the cities empty of workers. Some guesthouses and restaurants are still open for the foreigners, but most are shut down for a week to celebrate. Yup, officially it is a three day holiday, but it lasts a week. Which makes sense, in that people have to travel to their families home, celebrate the holiday, then return to work, and it takes a week. The cities are quiet, but the villages are not. I went many places to celebrate the Lao new year and each was fun! Each event was similar to the temple parties, a stage with loud music, lots of alcohol being consumed, lao food aplenty, and plastic toys for the children. The new year is an end of the dry season and the beginning of the rainy season. To bring on the rain, water is thrown on people. This sounds fun, and it is, because it is extremely hot and it is refreshing to get wet. However, driving a moto with buckets of water being thrown on you, gets old after a few days. But, it worked this year, because on the evening of the 16^th, the skies opened and it poured rain! The seven month dry season is coming to a close! It is still very hot, but the cooling rains will become more frequent next month.

MY NEIGHBORS WATERING THE PASSING TRAFFIC

     

     My friends in Champasak, the guesthouse owners, follow traditional Lao culture, and explained Pi Mai Lao, in a way I had not ever heard. Traditionally, it is a three day holiday. The first day, the last day of the old year, the Lao people go to their local temple and pour water over the Buddha statues. Also, the Lao people pour water over the heads of the monks. This is done with sacred waters, and signifies the washing away of the last year, and a time for cleansing. The wats are cleaned, with the Lao villagers helping. The second day of the three day celebration, is a day of rest. This is the day between the old and new year, and nothing is done, beyond staying in one’s home with family. The third day is the first day of the new year, and is a time to return to the wat and tie strings around the monks wrists, and to walk through the village and tie strings around the wrists of respected elders. This is the traditional Lao new year celebration and has nothing in common with the way it is now celebrated. The Lao culture is slowly disappearing and I am fortunate to have someone explain the traditional ways of Lao life! Boun’s and baci’s occur during the entire year, the past few months are just an example. The Lao people are ready to celebrate any event, and they do in style!

COOLING OFF IN THE MEKONG RIVER AT THE BAN TA TENG TA BOUN

it doesn't matter what you wear just as long as you are there

     I was invited, and attended my first ‘basi’ the other day. The family that runs my favorite champasak guesthouse, invited me to their grand-daughters first basi. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, but the family helped me take part in the festivities. I was amazed to find lots of people already present, when I showed up a bit before the event’s beginning. I got so used to things starting long after the stated time, that I was a bit shocked to see lots of people ready to go at 7am! In the center of the room was a ‘phakhoun,’ a tree-shaped structure that is an offering to the spirit world. The phakhoun was full of flowers and pieces of white thread, which were used later in the ceremony.

PHAKHOUN IN MIDDLE OF CEREMONY

     
     The monks arrived and sat along the outer wall, with the guests sitting everywhere else. Everyone was dressed in their finest, women in their best ‘sin’ (traditional lao skirt), and men with their sash (scarf draped around their shirt). An elder monk began the ceremony by chanting blessings in Pali and Lao. At times the audience spoke in reply, but, it was mostly the monks chanting. Everyone had a ‘khan’ with them, and at one point, two candles were lit and placed in their khan. A khan is a silver-colored container used to carry merit-making items. Since I did not have one, or even know of their existence, at that time, the family gave me one to use, filled with merit-making items.

MONKS SHARING FOOD

     
     When the blessings were finished, the guests rose and gave alms to the monks. This involved emptying your khan into each monks bag, some for each monk. The merit-making items included sticky rice, fruit, candy, and money. Merit-making (het boun) is the giving of alms to the monks. In daily life this can be observed at sunrise all over the country, where the local people give rice and food to the monks, as they walk through the village. For this basi, each monk present received something from everyone. Like everything else in Lao society, het boun is done in the company of others, but the merit-making is extremely individualistic. Everyone makes merit by giving alms to the monks. In simple terms, the thought is ‘do good get good, do bad get bad’. Everyone gives to the monks.

GIVING ALMS TO THE MONKS

     
     The guests returned to help the monks bless the child and the parents. At this time, the tying of threads commences. The white thread on the phakhoun, were first tied to the wrists of the baby girl, then the rest of the family. As the threads are tied, a wish is made and the person then ties a thread to another guest. Anybody can exchange wishes and threads with anybody else. The person who is subject of the ceremony, gets the most wishes and threads. The baby girl was covered in tied threads and received many wishes! At this time, the basi was over, but the festivities would continue, with lots of food for everyone. I was seated at the families table, and was honored to be a part of this wonderful experience! I met this family three years ago, they helped me find a house to rent, and have welcomed me into their lives. I am truly blessed!!!

TOP LEFT - FATHER AND MOTHER OF BABY GIRL

there ain't no bugs on me

     Ok, you caught me! I have been choosing lyrics from my favorite band, to use as my blog post titles. This one was not sung by the Grateful Dead, but was sung by my favorite musician, Jerry Garcia. And, since I experienced Jerry Garcia performing more than the Grateful Dead, it works for me! If interested, Jerry Garcia and David Grisman did an album of children’s songs called ‘Not For Kids Only’, and this song was on that album. While we are on the subject of my blog post titles, it must be understood that the lyric I choose for my blog post title, needs to be taken out of context from the songs theme. The lyric I choose relates to my blog post, the song from which the lyric came does not relate to my blog post. Here is an example: recently, I used the lyric ‘at least I’m enjoying the ride’ which relates to my blog post about motos, but the blog post has nothing to do with the song from which the lyric came, ‘hell in a bucket’. Another example: when I use the blog post title ‘sun going up and then the sun going down’, this will be the subject of that blog, but the blog post has nothing to do with the song from which the lyric came, ‘black peter’. ok, then, moving on to bugs.

     The first bug that comes to mind from living in a tropical climate, is the mosquito. Observation has helped me with this creature. First, I noticed mosquitoes swarming around my pile of dirty clothes, which got me thinking of human sweat, and how it attracts mosquitoes. The local people bath two to three times a day. At first I thought this was a way to cool down, but now, I think it is a way to wash away sweat to keep the mosquitoes away. And it works! I bath when I get up, I bath after morning work, and I bath before dinner. Also, eating chilis helps keep the mosquitoes away. I am slowly increasing my chili intake, and it seems to be helping the mosquito issue. And yes, after two days using the traditional ‘bucket shower’ I installed a shower line and head, and now take western-style showers. On another unrelated matter, I do have a western-style toilet. Ok, back to mosquitoes. The ones bothering me lately are the ‘ankle-biters’. these lovely mosquitoes stay low to the ground and quickly devour ankles. It is only a problem when I am staying still, reading, chopping vegetables, and cooking. My solution was to buy a floor fan and point it at my feet during these times, and it works! If anyone wants a business idea, make a decorative ankle bracelet that emits mosquito repellent. Similar to a animal flea collar, but one designed for humans to keep ankle-biting mosquitoes away. You design and make 'em, I’ll sell 'em!

     I have a resident frog, that lives in the bathroom. This wonderful creature eats lots of bugs, including mosquitoes. I’m encouraging the frog to start a family and live at my house forever! The only downside to frogger, was the night I went to sit on the toilet. Oops, earlier I had not put the lid down, and when I went to sit down, frogger jumped out! SURPRISE! The other helpful animals are the geckos and lizards. These wonderful creatures eat lots of bugs, including mosquitoes, and I am encouraging them to bring their gecko and lizard friends for a lengthy visit. The lizards, for the most part, stay outside, and I visit with them on the porch. The geckos, however, live inside and outside, and I find them everywhere, eating bugs. The only downside to my gecko friends, is that they poop everywhere, lots of poop to clean up each morning, but a welcome cleaning, as they eat bugs!

     Then we have the mud wasps, making nests in the downstairs rafters. When I first hung my mosquito net over my upstairs bed, I let it drape to the floor, as it was designed. Well, I did not have a solid floor, so the wasps came up to visit me in bed. Ouch, one sting was enough, and I tucked my mosquito net under the mattress until I figured things out. This is the picture from a few posts ago. For those of you that asked, I have since made the floor under my bed solid, and once again let the net hang to the floor, as designed. I have knocked down the mud wasp nests, and will continue to do so, as they are built. You see, the traditional wooden house is not sealed up, and bugs come into the house. There are openings around all the window frames, and the walls are not completely solid. I do not have netting on the windows, and see no point in doing this, as there are so many more ways for bugs to get in. The buggy solution for me is to observe the neighbors, and learn how to get around the bug issue.

     Which gets us to ants. I’m used to the various sized black ants, but am now encountering red ‘fire’ ants. My first experience was gardening. I started pulling weeds along the fence, and within seconds, my hand was covered with fire ants, OUCH! For being small, they pack a serious bite! I gave up gardening for a few weeks and observed the neighbors. Nobody weeded with their hands, they use a hoe, shovel, and/or rake to remove any weeds. Ahhhh, hand tools, which I am acquiring, have saved me from the fire ant problem. I have yet to find where they came from, but a woman down the road was gardening with gloves! What a concept! Yet, I’ve spent hours looking and asking in the huge Pakse market for gloves. Haven’t found them yet, and I need to learn more Lao to find out where the smart woman got her gardening gloves! In the meantime, I keep observing the local people, and I can now happily sing ‘there ain’t no bugs on me! 

at least i'm enjoying the ride

     I have bought my very first, brand new vehicle!!! It took me fifty years to get to this point in my life, but I made it! I have bought a 2013 Honda Wave 100, from the Honda dealer in Pakse, Lao. I watched it roll off the truck, and into the shop for a ‘going over.’ And there it was, on the street, with 1 km on the odometer, and I had the keys in my hand. Well, there was a lot more involved than that, foreigners cannot buy new vehicles and put them in their name. So, I found a trusted Lao man, to put the moto in his name. This way, I get legal registration and plates. The moto is just like everyone else’s in the country, 100cc. Not a lot of power, but not much needed when you only travel at 40 kmh. It is a four-speed, with a semi-automatic transmission. This means there is no left hand clutch lever, the shifting is all done with the left foot. The Honda dealer will do all the maintenance for me, and I look forward to many years of driving!

     I have noticed many new motos on the road this year, and it seems that even the rural families have a number of motos. I started looking into this phenomena and I discovered an ugly truth, capitalism has roared into this tiny country! ARGH!!! Lao has been a ‘closed’ country since 1975, the currency has only been used in country, and has not been traded on the world currency market. For many years, Lao has been a member of ASEAN, the economic group of surrounding countries. But, it is only this year, that Lao has joined the WTO. The International Monetary Fund, and World Bank, now have ‘projects’ in the country for the very first time. The Lao banking system has done a complete change, and now offers credit to the Lao people. This is why there are so many new motos on the road. The Lao people are putting down a small deposit and driving away on a new moto. They are now in debt, for the first time in their lives. I see this as a HUGE problem, coming from America, where debt is a huge burden on many people!

     The Pakse Honda dealer is selling twenty motos per day, and receives three shipments per week. That is a lot of motos! I’m glad people are getting transportation for their families, however, there is no driving instruction required, nor are there drivers licenses required. This means that young children can drive motos, and they do! The problem for me is that no one follows traffic regulations. The local people drive on both sides of the street, and turn corners without looking. But, I am learning to safely get from point A to point B, mostly by driving slowly and always looking in all directions. I’m glad to have my own moto and it may be difficult to drive in the city, but, at least I’m enjoying the ride!

ancient footprints are everywhere

OPENING TRADITIONAL LAO MUSICAL GROUP FOR THE FESTIVAL

     

     I settled into my new home in time for the annual festival at Wat Phou. This archeaological site is about four kilometers from my home. I live in Luang Kao, the ancient city connected to the spirtiual gathering site of Wat Phou. This has been a place of worship since the mid fifth century! The annual festival is called Magha Puja (Makha Busa) and is celebrated on the full moon of the third lunar month to commemorate the preaching of the Buddha to 1250 enlightened monks who came to hear him without prior summons. The third lunar month is February, as the count begins after the rice harvest in November, December full moon being month one. This festival is HUGE and LOTS of Lao people come to this festival.

OPENING PARADE OF DRAMA TROUPE

     

     I attended the opening ceremony on Friday afternoon with a lovely British woman, who is on a year-long, round-the-world adventure. We watched the opening parade of the drama troupe, complete with elephants, and we watched the apsara dance performance. The president of Lao was in attendance, and there was a ceremony with him releasing birds and balloons. This was followed by the world heritage banner parade and the traditional dance praising the party (the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic party). 

APSARA DANCERS PERFORMING

     

     The rest of the afternoon, we wandered the ASEAN flea market, pondering why anyone would come to the festival to buy shampoo, soy milk, or plastic tubs. It looked to be a market for sponsors of the festival introducing their products to the people. But, most of the market stalls featured the same products found in the local daily market. Either way, it was a pleasant day, and we had a bite to eat before the evening performance.

'THE LEGEND OF VAT PHOU' PERFORMANCE

     

     Well advertised, was the countries first ever ‘drama performance with light and sound show,’ and we got to experience the very first performance! ’The Legend of Vat Phou’ was outdoor theatre performed in front of the ancient ruins, and was highly entertaining. The show was spoken in Lao and came with no subtitles, but we did our own narration, and enjoyed the show! The Lao president watched this performance as well, and the show ended with a fireworks display. A wonderful day at Wat Phou, spent with a kindred spirit, a fellow traveler!!!

FIREWORKS AFTER THE OUTDOOR THEATRE - ACTORS IN FRONT OF TEMPLE

    

     I went back to Wat Phou on the last day of the festival, Monday, the full moon. In the evening, four thousand candles are lit to pay homage to Vat Phou, and I wanted to experience this event. I showed up late afternoon and was a bit disappointed in that the booths of products and food were taken down, and the vendors gone. I’ve gone to enough fairs and festivals in my life to understand that at the last day of a six day festival, most of the sales are complete and it is time to move on. But, wow, what a change since Friday, when it was in full swing!

LIGHTING OF 4000 CANDLES

    

      I watched the lighting of the candles, from the entrance, along the walkway, up the hillside, to the temple with Buddha. As the sun went down, the hillside glowed from all the candles, and the full moon beamed down on the temple! A beautiful sight that I will remember forever!!! I am fortunate to have experienced this festival on two different, but joyous days, and recommend this event to everyone!!!

WHAT A SIGHT!!!

 

right outside this lazy summers home

DOK CHAMPA TREE (FRANGIPANI) OUTSIDE EACH SIDE OF THE GATE ON THE ROAD 

     Renting a house in Lao, comes with a few requirements. After settling affairs with Simone, my landlordress, I met the village chief, who had to approve of my living in his village. He happily agreed to this arrangement, and filled out his required paperwork. The next step, still to be done, is to register at the nearest police station, so they can look at my passport and visa, and fill out their required paperwork. I was supposed to do this the day after meeting with the village chief, but, well, when in Lao . . . Simone has a grandson living across the street from me. He will take me to the police, at some unknown time in the future. I check with him every morning, but I have still not been to the police station. Things can take time to get done here. When I traveled in Mexico, I learned the saying ‘manana,’ literally meaning ‘tomorrow.’ What this phrase means, is that if it doesn’t get done today, there is always tomorrow. Here in Lao, ‘manana’ is much too quick. If it doesn’t get done today, there is always next week, or next month, etc. I am assured this is not a problem with the police, after all, they know where to find me if needed.

     Yup, this is a small community, everyone knows of the American living in Luang Kao. The first week, I met the villagers, a few at a time. The shopkeepers I met by buying various products from each of them. The rest of the community visited me at my home. This sounds pleasant enough, eh? Did the villagers come to my door with food or beverage? Dream on! My house is surrounded by a metal fence, with a metal gate on the road. The locals came to visit me by randomly looking in my window and watching whatever I was doing. Ok, then, so much for security, the fence and gate are an illusion. The locals already knew who I was renting from, and that all furnishings were provided. They were looking to see what I brought with me, and what I was doing. They lose interest when they find me cooking, reading, listening to music, writing, or napping. After all, they do these things, and the foreigner is not so strange after all. Nobody will come into my home uninvited, but I still have people looking in, which isn’t that strange. My observations of the neighborhood, show that everybody does this at all houses. To greet the neighbors, or see who is home, people will walk into yards and peer in windows. When in Luang Kao . . .

     Ah, yes, the fence and gate. Most houses have them, and this is to keep the animals out of the yards. Herds of cattle saunter through the village, and if gates are left open, the cattle quickly enter and devour any gardens. The chickens and roosters stroll through the village as well, and quickly destroy any gardens they can enter. Every house has a vegetable garden, and my home has one already growing! Simone’s family, across the street, uses her yard for their vegetable garden. This is fine by me, as I now have fresh lemongrass, cilantro, mint, chives, onions, and garlic! I am expanding the garden beds and have happily taken over watering duties! So, yes, I have a gate and fence around the yard, but there is no lock, so the folks can get fresh vegetables and herbs, and so others can peer in my windows! I have a large mango tree in the back yard, and the fruit are developing quite nicely. The problem is that I like sweet mangoes and the locals like unripened green mangoes. They eat them with a chili/sugar/shrimp paste mix to get the balance of sour/spicy/sweet/and salty. This sounds good, but I love fully ripened mangoes. Maybe I can get them to leave a few unpicked . . .

BOUGANVILLA BRIGHTENING MY FRONT YARD