Saibaidee Pi Mai Lao!

Trip Start Dec 26, 2007
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Trip End Ongoing


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Flag of Lao Peoples Dem Rep  ,
Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Happy Lao New Year! All I knew was that I wanted to be in Laos during their New Year celebrations. I didn't know that Luang Prabang is "THE" place to be during the celebrations. Laos, Thailand and Cambodia all celebrate during the same time. The New Year is based on the Indian calendar which begins the New Year in the middle of April. My friend Gee and I had met another really cool girl, Stephanie, from Canada and her boyfriend, Francisco, from Spain while on the boat. We knew that room competition would be fierce when we arrived in Luang Prabang so we devised a plan for when the boat landed. As soon as the engine was turned off, Stephanie and I jumped out of the boat to beat the crowd to the guest houses. We split up and started going to every guesthouse asking about rooms. A good 95 percent of everything was already full and what wasn't already taken was available only for that night. We finally found a place that could accommodate all 4 of us and we could have it for as many nights as we wanted. The price was a little more than we wanted but considering our options, we weren't in a good situation to bargain.

The next day, the party began. There were people everywhere on the streets with water guns and buckets of water. The popular thing to do is wait until someone drives by in their car or even better on a motorbike and then douse them with water. No one is safe. The dryer that you are, the bigger of a target you have just made yourself. It has traditionally been celebrated by people just splashing water but now more kids have added throwing white powder that sticks to people when they're wet. Sunset in Luang Prabang
Sunset in Luang Prabang
 Also watch out for lipstick, colored water, and even some black greasy stuff that will not come out of your clothes at all. Trust me on this one. On the other side of the river, people make sand stupas which are decorated with flowers, flags, and powder. There is a lot of loud music, dancing, good food, and temple visiting. If you're interested to know more about Lao New Year check out the wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lao_New_Year

The second day of the New Year is pretty much a continuation of the first but they also had a big parade complete with monks, beauty queens, the local fire department, and people dressed in traditional clothes. I'm sure it is great to celebrate the New Year anywhere in Laos, we even had a lot of fun celebrating at the Buddhist temple back in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, but I don't think there could be anywhere better than Luang Prabang. It is a former French colonial town full of old buildings and beautiful temples. The best word to describe this town in "charming." Charming describes it completely. The people are all so friendly and everyone was just having a great time.

After the parade, a group of us rented a tuk-tuk (motorcycle converted to carry several passengers) and went to Tat Kuang Si waterfalls. They are some really nice waterfalls just outside of Luang Prabang flowing down limestone rocks. The water is so clear and beautiful, a great way to cool off during a hot and sticky Lao day. There are hundreds of small pools where you can jump in and swim and at one point there is even a small rope swing.
The next morning, I woke up at 5:30 in order to see the monks doing their morning alms where they walk around and receive food, money, flowers, small children and other things from the people (Ok, not really the small children). It is really nice to see them all walking around in their bright orange robes.

So far Lao is incredible. I almost feel sad because I don't think it can get much better than this here
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