How to Live a Lifetime in 2 Days

  Luang Phabang, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Sunday, May 2, 2004

We've discussed, and Laos may be summed up in one word: unassuming

Luang Phabang, the northern city which we've been enjoying for the past two days, is more than what we expected. The lifestyle here is gentle and relaxed, even compared to Vientiane, the capitol of Laos.

The Lao have an awesome sense of style, too. This city is very cultural and 'artsy', kind of like a 'Sag Harbor' of Southeast Asia (for all of you Hampton-ites and Watermillians).



Yesterday already feels like a lifetime ago. We strolled around the city grounds, watching the Lao living their regular daily lives, surrounded by gawking foreigners. But the neat thing was that they didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, it was almost as if they looked right through us, and lived their lives around us. (So different from the Thai in Bangkok). They all come up to Crystal and I and ask if we are Lao, I just smile and thank them like it's a compliment. (Although the Lao here in Luang Phabang are shy, they are also proud of their artsy and cultural heritage.)

Last night, the four of us visited some of the local wats, (a wat is a Buddhist monastery), including Wat Xieng Thong, where we met a novice monk sitting at the base of a Buddhist stupa. As we passed by, he called out to us, 'Sabai dee.' He told us his name was Sii-pen, and that he had been a novice monk for 6 years. He was just 19 years old. In just one years time, after graduating from his lessons, he'd have the option of becoming a fully ordained monk. Sii-pen spoke english like a grandfather, quiet and barely above a whisper. But when he'd talk to his fellow novice monks in Lao, it was the typically nasal 'pitchy' tonal language I'm beginning to become accustomed to.



Earlier in the week, while sitting in an english class in Vientiane, one of Frank's students told me that the name of the band 'Lincoln Park' also meant something in Lao: lin kin paak - monkey eating vegetables...

So I asked Sii-pen wether this was true, and he excitedly pointed to a tree right outside the gates of the temple. There was a monkey, and he was eating a vegetable. lin kin paak.

Sii-pen told us the story of how the monkey, named Gee, lost its mother when he was a baby, in a far away village. So he was given as a pet to one of the novices that studied at Wat Xieng Thong. But now the elder monks didn't like Gee, and they asked the novices to send him back to the village, or sell him. In any case, now Gee is tied up outside of the gates of Wat Xieng Thong, eating vegetables. lincoln park. Maybe you can visit him some day, and say hi to Sii-pen and Gee for me.





We ended our night last night with a stroll through the night market on Thanon Xiang Thong and amidst the mass array of hand spun silk, cottonware and silver (new and old), we found an artist just out of art school, (and we thought... Who the heck goes to art school in Laos!) But this man's art-work was inspiring. We each picked out a few paintings, and unlike the rest of the goods which we compulsively bargained down in price that night, we all knew, without saying it to eachother, that we would pay whatever the gentleman asked, (to ask for less would be an insult on our part). And it turned out to be 30,000kip per, (about 3USD). We finished the night sitting in a coffee shop and admiring our newly acquired art pieces with a round of hot, AWEsome Lao coffee with sweet milk.



This morning we left early to meet up with our friend Somphai, the former novice turned waiter (remember him guys??) Anyway, he took us to visit his village. He hadn't been home for a year, and he only lives an hour away by sawng-thaew (a converted pick-up). So we took him to see his family, while he took us around to visit his village. The drive out into the country side was incredible. We passed miles and miles of rice fields dug out on the grassy plains between rolling hills. Villagers, villages, grasshuts, water buffalo, lots of dust... it was a surreal morning. (Dad... is the Philippines anything like this place??) We met his mother and sisters, and his cousins. The people in this country are beautiful, (did I already say that??). And we had lunch at a little waterfall ten minutes up from his village. We had to make it a half a day visit because of our flight back to Vientiane tonight, but there was no desire to leave. Somphai says the next time, we can stay in his village overnight, and meet everyone. Ahh... next time.



So we leave Luang Phabang by plane in an hour, (I should get going.) Joe and I finished off our Luang Phabang weekend with one last stroll through the Old City, while the princesses (Crystal and Jenn) slept the rest of their stay away. We had fruit shakes at a book shop, stumbled upon a Lao party at the side of the river where the Lao thought I was one of them, and they kept hitting on Joe, (until we both said she was my 'madame' which is the only thing that made them leave her alone.) We had another round of shakes, this time at a restaurant along the Mekong River, (it's wicked hot here!), and then spent an hour giving the young novice monks living at the wat across from us some lessons. Joe taught them how to read and write english, I taught them a lesson in photography. I'll have to send them their art projects when I get it developed.

I ended my Luang Phabang stay with a final visit to Somphai (he was working at his restaurant), and we said a sad goodbye. I let him choose a picture out of my album (it turned out to be one of my favorite ones, but I smiled graciously as I handed it over, of course). I really like the kid, I hope it all goes good for him here. But then again, Laos is a beautiful and unassuming place. If he mirrors the characteristics of his country, I know he'll do alright.

Until next time guys...

Ciao,
JR Riel
via Thanon Xiang Thong, Luang Phabang, Laos