Big Trip Day 35: Justin Silences His Critics
In the last newsletter, it was announced that I (Justin), would be writing some of the upcoming newsletters. This news brought on a flurry of skepticism and doubt from various people whom I had, at one time, considered to be friends. So, the purpose of this newsletter is to give you the usual update, and also provide proof that I can effectively string a few sentences together (with the aid of several pictures, of course). Please, for the sake of my delicate ego, do not unsubscribe!
Visiting Thong’s Village
In the picture below, you can observe Dory encircled by a Khmu family, receiving chants and well wishes, having cotton strings tied to her wrists, while she nervously clutches onto a morsel of chicken and sticky rice.
Here’s how we got there…
Pre-pandemic, Dory’s parents came to Laos and visited a northern town called Nong Khiaw, which straddles the Mekong river. They signed up for a 2 day tour to see some of the highlights such as waterfalls and caves. They were assigned a guide named Thong (pronounced “Tong”), who showed them a wonderful time and spoke good English, allowing them to chat quite a bit and develop a friendship and continue to share messages and photos.
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, Dory’s parents put us in touch with Thong and he helped us get set up with a tour. More importantly, he invited us to visit his village for a few days. Without giving it much thought or asking for details, we took him up on his offer. The journey to his village was the first point in which we learned that we were in over our heads. For 5 hours, our 110cc motorbike struggled to push us up the winding narrow mountain roads that were littered with large intimidating semi trucks. To add to the challenge, the particular motorbike we rented wasn’t in the greatest condition and tended to turn off anytime we slowed down too much.
Upon arriving at the village, we were shocked by just how rural and impoverished it was. The lifestyle of the villagers in contrast to that of the tourists Thong works with was like night and day. In the village, people cook on an open flame inside the house, they use a community squat toilet and water tap for doing dishes and bathing, many people share one room (including us), and beds are simple cots on the ground with a mosquito net hanging overhead. Luckily for us, the Peace Corps had been the perfect training for us to keep calm and carry on.
Thong told us that the village was going to prepare a “good luck” celebration for us the following day to bring us a long life full of wealth, good health, and happiness. That night we went to bed excited, yet a little nervous about the celebration, not knowing what to expect. After our first night of mediocre sleep, which was accompanied by a Buddhist song playing on repeat on Thong’s cell phone, we awoke around 8am. Just as we were about to go wash our faces, have some tea, and get ready for the day, 20 or so people entered the bedroom. Thong followed, delicately carrying a round aluminum centerpiece. The central platter was adorned with a candle stuck into a pot of uncooked rice in the center, encircled by sugar cane pieces, candy, snacks, and small currency contributed by each person.
It was at this moment that we realized the celebration was happening now, here, in the bedroom. I still hadn’t put on my collared shirt or brushed my teeth as I had planned to do, but it was far too late for such luxuries. We then watched the celebration unfold and did as we were told. The grandfather of the family led the good luck chants, each person tied a cotton string to each of our wrists, and before we knew it, the celebration was over and we were up to our ears in good luck. We learned that the ceremony forces bad spirits to leave you and good spirits to enter you, but if we were to remove the strings before 3 days have passed, all of the luck will be lost. It’s been a couple weeks and we still have a few of the strings on, just in case.
The ceremony was certainly the highlight of our time in the village, but it was also nice to take a break from trying to see all the sights and just sit back and enjoy the simple life. We spent the majority of our time reading books, taking pictures of ducks, and watching kids cart each other around in wheel barrows. It was incredibly kind of Thong and his family to invite us to their village, cook for us, and show us their way of life.
We even got to learn a few words in the Khmu language, which is the first language of many people in Laos. My favorite word is “Mo,” which I understood to mean “watermelon,” after observing Thong’s 2-year-old, Anu, shout “mo mo mo” the very moment the watermelon was being sliced. I was very proud to have picked up this word and started using it. Thong later corrected me, telling me that the word for watermelon is “taeng mo.” In defense, I said “but Anu just calls it mo,” to which he explained, “yes, but Anu is a baby.” Fair enough.
Getting Stuck in Luang Prabang
We hung out in Luang Prabang both before and after our visit to Thong’s village. Our favorite travel guide, Travelfish, notes that it is easy to get “stuck” there, and we found that to be true (in a good way!) We extended our time there because we weren’t quite ready to give up our home base. Most days, we would “go to work” at a place called Big Brother Mouse, where we volunteered our time, speaking English with students who wanted to practice having conversations. It was a great opportunity to give back to the community while also learning more about the local people. We were most fascinated by our conversations with monks and novices (junior monks) who came in to practice their English.
All around Laos, you see monks wherever you go, dressed in orange robes and going about their business. My understanding is that many Lao people entering the monastery do so because it gives them access to a decent education all the way through university. Most do not stay a monk for their whole lives, and many even plan to only be a monk until they finish school. It’s easy to think of monks strictly as spiritual or enlightened beings; however, when talking with some of the younger novices, you begin to appreciate that they are just kids with the same thoughts, dreams, and behavior as kids anywhere in the world. One novice told us how he was peer-pressured into smoking cigarettes and is now trying to quit because it costs too much money and he doesn’t want the big monk to find out.
Speaking of money, there is a ‘call to alms’ every morning, in which monks walk through the town collecting handfuls of rice and sometimes money from the general public. They can then use that money however they please, which is why you might see a monk on the train, drinking a fruit shake, or shopping in the night market. In many ways, monks are just like regular people, but they are highly respected and always get priority seating and service everywhere they go.
Our hotel had bikes that we could use to commute around. Besides volunteering at Big Brother Mouse, the rest of our days were spent figuring out where to eat and maybe doing one activity such as going a waterfall, temple, storytelling theater, or museum. Speaking of museums, we visited the UXO museum was an eye opening view into the Secret War, which is perhaps the most atrocious crime against humanity ever committed by the USA (although it has some stiff competition.)
The Slow Way to Thailand
Soon enough, our Laos visas were running out, so it was time to move along. We had planned for a while to go to the Philippines next, but our craving for Thai food sparked a change of plans and sent us back across the border. We took the slow boat, which is said to be a backpacker’s right of passage. Inadvertently, we took the slow boat against the current from Laos to Thailand, whereas most tourists are traveling in the opposite direction. Fortunately for us, this meant that our boat was only a quarter full and we had plenty of room to kick back and put our feet up, while tourists going the other way were packed in like sardines, with some unlucky travelers standing or having to sit near the incredibly loud engine for the entirety of the 2 day journey.
Each day, we spent about eight hours on the boat. The chairs were repurposed minivan seats, and even the steering wheel came from a Nissan. The seats weren’t attached to the floor so we could shuffle them around as we pleased for maximum comfort. We passed the hours chatting with other travelers, reading, playing guitar, and enjoying the cheapest 2 day “cruise” we’ll ever take (about $20 each).
The Germans brought the party vibes, bumping dubstep on their speaker and drinking endless amounts of BeerLao. We passed countless villages along the Mekong. Everywhere we saw kids swimming in the river and waving to us as we passed by, and occasionally flipping us off. As we drifted on, there were water buffaloes half submerged, cooling off in the river, unattended bamboo fishing poles jammed into limestone outcroppings, and villagers possibly searching for gold as they sifted through the excavated dirt from active dam projects. The hours went by slowly but the 2 days whizzed by quickly and now we’re ready for some more time in Thailand.
Up next, we’ll be spending some time at an Elephant Sanctuary, doing another motorbike loop around Chiang Mai, and then doing a Vipassana retreat for a week. It’ll likely be a bit before our next update, since there are no laptops at the meditation center, but we will update you on our quest for nirvana when we’re back online in March!
With love,
Justin & Dory