don't tell me this town ain't got no heart, you just gotta poke around

     Pakse, Lao, the largest city in the southern part of the country, is not a popular place to stay for foreign tourists or travelers. For them, it is more a transit town, to get on to the next place. Busloads of foreigners arrive on the overnight bus from Vientiane, the Lao capital up north. They either stay a night in Pakse before moving on, or immediately hop on another bus out of town. Ahhh, yes, the tourist circuit. It still amazes me how many foreigners carry around a travel guide and go only where the guidebook tells them to go. If they would put down their travel guide for a day and explore on their own, they would find so much more. In this case, Pakse, which actually has a lot going for it!

VIEW OF MEKONG RIVER AND PAKSE FROM 'BUDDHA ON THE HILL'

   
     I moved from the small village I was living, and am now living in a studio apartment in the middle of Pakse. I like this central location, as I can walk a few minutes to the big market. In another direction I can walk a few minutes to the Mekong River. And, in another direction I can walk a few minutes to the center of town. I still have my motorcycle for trips out of town, but, otherwise, it is parked inside my apartment. Pakse is in a good, central location. An hours drive to the west is the Thailand border, so my monthly visa runs are quite simple. An hours drive to the east is the Bolavan plateau, where coffee, tea, and avocados are grown. A few hours south of Pakse are the 4000 islands, a group of islands that are in the Mekong river, as the river here spreads out to about 10 km in width. These places are why the foreigners travel through Pakse, rather than stay in Pakse. The travel guides say there is nothing to do or see in Pakse, and the foreigners don’t bother to find out that Pakse is a lovely city, with loads of stuff to experience!

VIEW OF PAKSE -  'JAPANESE' BRIDGE ACROSS MEKONG RIVER

   
     Pakse is made up of many small villages. In the middle of each village is a wat, a Buddhist temple. So far, I have found twelve wats in Pakse, thus twelve villages. I think there are more wats in the city, some are not seen easily from the street, and I will continue looking for more, on my daily walks. Pakse has about 120,000 inhabitants, and it is located at the confluence of two rivers, the mighty Mekong river, and the smaller Don river. The plateau is visible from Pakse, and with more hills to the southwest, this city is in a beautiful location.

VEGETABLES ALONG MEKONG'S RIVERBANK - PLANTED IN THE DRY SEASON

   
     When I‘m not looking for wats, I enjoy sampling the street food. Many vendors all over town,  make delicious, flavorful food. This is the least expensive food in town, and it has all been tasty! There are local craft shops full of items made in Lao, and the large market has more good examples of what is made in this country. Lao massage is available for reasonable prices, and there is even a sauna in town. Pakse has a golf course, a bowling alley, a movie theatre, and a swimming pool. There are lots of restaurants, coffee and tea shops, and drinking establishments, some with live music. There is plenty to see and do in Pakse!

EXAMPLE OF A STREET FOOD VENDOR

   
     What I like best about living in Pakse, is that I have community here. Westerners from all over the world are living, volunteering, and working here. We get together weekly to share stories and experiences, and to help each other understand all things Lao. This is what I lacked living in a small village, being with like-minded people. I am blessed to have these friends living in Pakse!

THE DON RIVER JOINING THE MEKONG RIVER IN THE DRY SEASON - PAKSE

and i say row, jimmy, row, gonna get there, i don't know

     In October, there is Boun Nam (water festival) also called Boun Suang Heua (boat racing festival). Many villages from around the country, build boats, and have boat races in the larger towns. The small village where I lived, built three boats for this years festival, and will be raced in the Lao capital, Vientianne, as well as Pakse and Si Phan Don (4000 islands). I had a chance to watch the building of these boats at the villages wat, Wat Luang Kao. The process took about four weeks, and I went to the wat every few days to watch the boat-building process.

     The longest boat was 24 meters long, and I watched the tree’s main beam coming down the road and into the wat. The tree was cut on the nearest island in the Mekong river, Don Daeng, and was cut into a squarish beam before transport. One end of the beam was attached to a lao tractor, and the tractor’s cart was placed in the middle of the beam. The villagers came out to watch this, and the atmosphere was festive! The tree was brought into the wat and lifted off the cart. The next day the chain saw came out, with a rip chain, and the beam was cut, freehand, all 24 meters. This was amazing to me, after my years working as a ripsaw operator with precise, technical machinery. This beam was cut freehand with a chainsaw!!!

     I watched the beam take shape using an electric hand-held jigsaw, and an electric sander. Measurements were made, and curves developed.

     The ribs were cut with a jigsaw and sanded into shape. These were screwed onto the bottom beam.

     The boat sides were cut, again freehand, using a rip chain on a small chainsaw. These were attached to the ribs with screws.

     The gaps between the boards were filled with caulk and the entire boat was sanded, inside and out, before installing seats.

     The boat was turned upside down and coated with, of all things, automotive bondo! Traditionally, a tree sap is used to fill the gaps of a boat. The sap hardens and is flexible enough to deal with the expanding wood as the boat is submerged in water. I was a bit disappointed to see gallon jugs of bondo being applied to make an outer shell.

     The entire boat was sanded again and the top rails were installed, voila, one boat complete! the last thing to do would be to paint. Last years boat is the painted one, alongside, in the background.

ashes, ashes, all fall down

     It was difficult finding a title for this blog. I couldn’t find any Grateful Dead lyric dealing with bridges, certainly not fallen bridges. There were no ashes, but the bridge definitely fell down! The first week I was living in the small village south of Champasak, this bridge collapsed. I was outside watering the plants along the front fence, when I heard a large truck coming through town. This was making much more noise than any other vehicles that pass us by. I noticed neighbors running to the street to see what was happening. Well, a large semi-truck with two trailers was passing through Ban Wat Luang Kao! We watched the truck safely pass over the town bridge, thankfully, the structure was steel. The bridge into the town of Champasak, however, was not so fortunate.

THE DAY AFTER - LOOKING FROM ONE END

THE DAY AFTER - LOOKING FROM THE OTHER END - TRUCK LOWER LEFT

     

     This bridge, on the south end of Champasak, crosses Huay Phabang (stream Phabang), with a posted sign reading weight limit 15 tons, and no trucks allowed. Well, full fuel trucks use this bridge, large busses use this bridge, it is the only bridge crossing this stream. The stream was spanned by two steel trusses. The problem was that only wooden beams connected the steel trusses, and these easily broke from the weight. The truck had come, loaded full, on a slow, bumpy road on the other side of the hills. The truck was empty as it attempted this crossing. The driver was ok, but the bridge would take an indefinite time to fix.

BRIDGE REMOVAL PROCESS

STEEL FRAMEWORK REMOVAL

OLD BRIDGE REMOVED - READY TO BUILD NEW BRIDGE

    

     The problem, as my town villagers saw it, was that when the rainy season comes, there will be no way to get to Champasak, Pakse, and the rest of Lao. The road on the other side of the hills is impassable during the rainy season, and this bridge is crucial to road travel for thousands of people. A new road is being built from Champasak to Wat Phou, but is not finished, and the bridge across this stream is nowhere near being built. A detour was made around the collapsed bridge, down the stream bank, across the stream, and up the other stream bank. This worked ok, but would be covered by water during the rainy season.

NEW BRIDGE ALMOST ACROSS STREAM

FINISHED WITH FRAMEWORK

FINISHING TOUCHES - READY FOR USE

     

     We were told the bridge would be repaired in two months, and it was finished in four months, which is actually quite quick for this country (bureaucratic bullshit and the Lao work ethic, make doing anything extremely slow in this country). I was able to watch this process from February to June, from the removal of the old bridge to the building of the new bridge. The detour was a mess, loads of gravel were put down, but it just got packed into the soft red dirt. Crossing the stream by detour was a challenge for motos and bicyclists. Fortunately the rainy season had not really begun, and the bridge was passable before the first rain storm washed away the detour route.

DETOUR ROUTE AFTER FIRST RAINSTORM

     

     I enjoyed watching the bridge removal process and the rebuilding, because most of it was done by hand. Very little machinery was used, other than an automotive jack, pulleys, ropes, and human energy. The broken wooden beams were carried up the bank, the twisted steel frame was torched into pieces and carried up the bank. The new bridge was assembled in pieces and pulled across the gorge with ropes and pulleys, and lots of people. An amazing process to watch!

the grass ain't greener, the wine ain't sweeter, either side of the hill

     My original reasons for living in Lao were to live in a warmer climate, in a place filled with friendly people, that was inexpensive to live, and live the simple, non-materialistic way they have lived for generations on end. The biggest reason, was to experience the lifestyle steeped in 2500 years of Theravada Buddhist beliefs. I have shown that the local people do not embrace Buddhist beliefs (in general, because I know one family that actually does), and I have shown that the simple, non-materialistic lifestyle is quickly fading away. As for friendly people, well my little village is not the place, but I am willing to give Pakse a chance to show me different. It is still a relatively inexpensive place to live, but I have not covered the warmer climate aspect.

COFFEE FIELD - BOLAVAN PLATEAU - NEAR PAKSONG

     I’ve been here before for the cool season Nov-Feb, and that is the perfect temperature of the year. The hot season Mar-June has been hard on my body. The first time it was over 40 C (110 F) both day and night, for days on end, I got sick, running a fever. My body couldn’t adjust to the continual heat. A Lao friend gave me some medicine, and I was better in a few days. A few weeks ago, it was again over 40 C both day and night, with the added bonus of near 100% humidity! You got it, I got sick again. I thought I was prepared, and took the same medicine as before, but this did not help this time. I went into Champasak, and checked into an aircon room at my friends guesthouse. Getting to a cooler environment helped, as well as some additional meds. What this has gotten me to believe, is that if I stay here during the hot season, I need to live in an aircon house. The problem with aircon, however, is that I get congested whenever I spend any time in an aircon room. Hmmm . . .

COFFEE PLANT IN FULL BLOOM

     Well, so, here I am. The last three blog posts have filled you in on my experience thus far. Now we are all in the same place of understanding. I sure thought things would move a lot slower here than they actually do. My reasons for living in this country have been crossed out, except the inexpensive living situation. I am not sure if that is enough to keep me here. I have time to think more before I make any decisions on my future. What I do know, is that I am quite happy with myself for having a dream, working toward it for years, and going for it! It was a HUGE move to get here, and I did it! And that makes me smile! Where I go in my future doesn’t really concern me, it will all work out. If I can get here and live this dream, I can do anything!!!

COFFEE FLOWERS - EACH ONE CREATES A COFFEE BEAN

we can share what we got of yours, 'cause we done shared all of mine

     In the short time I have lived in Lao, I find it no different than the surrounding countries. The people are struggling to survive and they see a rich foreigner and want my money. The difference in Lao is that they don’t come out and ask for it. Instead they get angry with me because I won’t hire them to do my laundry, cook for me, clean for me, and do yard work for me. They don’t understand that I am not wealthy and from a world perspective, I am a poor man. They will, however, steal from me. Even with a fence and locked gates around my house, anything left outside will be gone in the morning, tools, chairs, water hose, clothes line, even part of a light fixture! I am told that the Lao people live a community-based lifestyle. When one needs something in anothers yard, they go take it. This only works if everyone does this. Me, I’m not going to go into someone’s yard and take things, I think that is stealing. My question is, if this is a ‘community-based’ lifestyle, why are so many bars being put on windows, and fences being built? I’m not talking about simple fences to keep the animals out, I’m talking about cement posts, metal grills between, and spikey metal along the top. Another question is why does everyone bring their motorcycle inside the house at night? Seems to me there is a contradiction here, between this ‘community’ living and private property.

AGAIN, NO PIX FOR THIS BLOG POST - BUT WE STILL LOVE ELEPHANTS

     

     I think I am living in Lao at a time of transition, between their way of life of thousands of years, and the modern world. Most families have a television, and since there are no Lao tv shows, they watch Thai tv shows. Well, Thailand is easily twenty years ahead of Lao, and they have loads of advertisements. When the Lao people watch these commercials, they want things. This is what tv and advertising is all about. In this case it is to manipulate the people and have them give up thousands of years of culture, so they can buy things they don’t need. Of course, the banking system sees opportunity, because this is what they do, manipulate the people to get a little bit of money from a lot of people. This is why the local Lao population can now buy building materials, motos, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, etc. The problem is that the interest rate is 25%, so the Lao people, who struggle to feed themselves, are now in debt for the first time in their lives. And at this interest rate, they will be in debt for generations to come. The Lao people watch the Thai tv and see them living in big houses and having all the stuff to put inside, and they want it all too.

PASSING THROUGH CHAMPASAK ON THE WAY TO WAT PHOU

     

     Now, here I come to live in Lao, ignorant of all this, because nobody ever tells you these things. All the books and websites say how great Lao is. The few people I knew ahead of time say how great Lao is. The travelers I talk with, say that Lao is their favorite country in Southeast Asia. This is because they see so many smiling people and nobody is trying to get their money. Well, live here a short time and you too, will realize that the Lao people want your money. I think Lao is in a time of transition to the modern world, but the country lacks a vital part, industry. There are no jobs for the people. The Lao people buy all this stuff yet have no job to pay their debts. The banking system already figured this out because to get a loan, the Lao people had to put up their land and/or house as collateral. I think this will create some problems for the local population in the future. Maybe living in the Lao countryside is not such a good idea, a city might be better, as more people in the city have jobs.

TEN MORE KILOMETERS TO WALK TODAY

     

     I have learned a great deal over the little time I have lived in Lao. This is not the place I thought it was, and life here is a daily struggle. Living in the countryside, in a small village, has given me a perspective I would not get in the city. Maybe it was best to live here first. I’m currently thinking of looking for a small rental house in the city of Pakse. It may take me a few months to work this out, but I am paid up the next couple months, where I currently live. I think it would be good to get another view of this country, and living six months in a small village and living six months in a city, would give me a more complete picture of Lao. Thanks for reading, cheers!!!

GOING TO THE ELEPHANT RACES AT THE WAT PHOU FESTIVAL

 

comes a time when the blind man takes your hand, says 'don't you see?'

     My last blog post was about my difficulties in adjusting to living in another culture. Things have gotten a lot tougher since that writing, just two weeks ago. Lately, when I sit on my porch in the morning, waking up with a fresh cup of Lao coffee, the neighbors begin gathering next door and start to bicker. Sure, I don’t speak much Lao, but I can tell when people are upset with me. Much finger pointing and angry words are shared, and I just watch, listen, and drink my coffee. This goes on for days, and I always notice the elder Lao man sitting in the back, listening, but saying nothing. He is a blind gentleman, and we have shared hello’s the past few months. I got my local interpreter to come over one morning to find out what the neighbors, mostly women, were talking about. After a long discussion with them, he told me that they do not understand foreigners and the way they live. He left out a lot, which we will get to later. I had him tell them that I do not understand the Lao people at all, and that I won’t if they continue being so angry. Things settled down and the women left. The elder blind man came to my fence and handed me an onion. Through my interpreter, I was told to look at the onion, at the fine outer layer, unblemished, and indicating an excellent onion. He said that Lao people are like this onion, the outer layer looks great and there is every indication that all is well on the inside. He had me begin peeling layer after layer from this onion and said that when you peel off layer after layer, you find this not always the case. Things on the inside are not always what they appear to be. Sure enough, the inside of this onion was rotten in the middle! WOW, this is one intelligent, profound blind man, and I thus learned a great deal about Lao people and even about myself!


THERE ARE NO PIX FOR THIS BLOG POST - BUT, EVERYONE LOVES ELEPHANTS - MORNING BATHTIME

     My prior experiences in Lao have shown me a happy and contented people. This is the mask they put on to hide their feelings and their thoughts. So many travelers comment on the joyous, always smiling Lao people. But, underneath that smile, lies another person. I do the same thing, always putting on a happy face. People ask me how I am and I say ‘great’ even though I may be miserable inside. However, the Lao life is much different than mine. My experience is with the Lao villagers in this small community, things may be different in the cities. I have had lengthy conversations with other foreigners living in the area, and I have come to some conclusions. The local Lao people are struggling to feed themselves. There are few jobs in this part of the country, and the locals look for anything to do for the least amount of money. I did not realize this simple fact. While I have been sweeping my floors, doing my laundry, watering the plants, cutting the grass, trimming the trees, burning the debris, etc., the neighbors have seen me doing this and want to do these chores for me, for a little bit of money. They know i paid six month’s rent in advance, and bought a new Honda moto with registration. They think I am super rich, and they want part of this. Ok, I have a few problems with this situation. One, I am not rich and need to spend as little as possible to make this living experiment work. Two, why would I allow neighbors into my home to clean up, when I have already experienced the high theft rate around here (we’ll save that for another blog post). Three, if they are so poor, why do they buy motos, refrigerators, televisions, and stereos on credit and pay 25% interest? They lived without these things for generations. Go back to riding a bicycle, there is no need to hop on your moto to drive to the neighbors two doors down. I’m told that Lao people are a proud people and they need to show that they have what everyone else has.

A SNACK BEFORE BREAKFAST

     WHAT??? THAT”S BULLSHIT!!! Here is my biggest issue with the Lao lifestyle. I was under the misguided belief that the Lao people follow Theravada Buddhism and practice Vipassana Meditation. This is not true at all, they don’t follow anything that Buddha taught. SHIT, this was the biggest reason I moved here, to experience a culture steeped in 2500 year old customs. Nope, not the Lao people. They steal from their neighbors, the men go to the local brothel and cheat on their wives, they beat their children, and they kill animals. All these things are against basic Buddhist beliefs. I’ve watched neighbors do these things, and I have followed them to the temple to have the monks say a few words and pour water over their heads. Then they just go back to doing whatever they like. Greed, pride, and ego are not part of the Buddhist basic principles. This is a HUGE discovery for me, and now the foundation of why I came here in the first place, is gone. Hmmm . . .

GETTING DRESSED FOR WORK

     Which brings me back to the layers on an onion and the layers on a Lao person. They all want to ‘save face’. This is the outer layer, the continual smile. There are 100’s of Lao smiles. They will smile at you when they have just stolen from you, they will smile at you when they are beating their child, and they will smile at you when they lie and cheat. I have seen this happen and it makes me sick! The inner layers involve family, work, love, dreams, etc. I don’t know much about this, but from what my blind, elder Lao neighbor said, sometimes, the Lao core is rotten. To balance out these thoughts, I want to let you know that there are kind, thoughtful, and generous Lao people. The family who took me in, in Champasak, are an excellent example! They have welcomed me into their lives and are some of the kindest people I have ever met! Let’s finish this blog post with that thought.

OK, LET'S GIVE MARK A RIDE THROUGH THE JUNGLE - YAWN

 

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