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Published: August 13th 2009
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First, a little background. After returning from my vacation in Thailand and Laos I failed to get Laos out of my mind. I just couldn't stop thinking about it; the magic of the place had woven in to my very being. So after being back home a few months, I decided I would save money and as soon as possible, move to Laos.
I came back from my first trip September 30th, 2006. It took me until January 2008, fifteen months, to save up $3000, an amount I thought entirely sufficient to move to Laos and retire!
I had met a wonderful man while back home, but had told him from the night me met, "I'm saving money to return to Laos, and once there, am not sure how long I'll stay." But our relationship progressed anyway and when I left for Laos in January, I left a boyfriend behind. He wanted to come but financially he couldn't.
It took sixty hours for me to get to Luang Prabang from Boston, including four flights! That doesn't even count the twelve hour time difference.
The town has so much more to offer than I ever knew from my
short stay a year and half ago. The population roughly 26,000 and there's loads to see and do, all within walking distance.
The local people are incredibly friendly. Last night I was trying to find the school where my new friend, Suzy, was teaching English. But I kept getting lost. I asked a little boy, a novice monk, and he led me there, all the way to the woman's classroom on the second floor of a decaying building. And then he made me promise to met him at the top of Phousi Mountain, this hill in the center of town, at 2 the next afternoon to practice English together. It's like this with every novice monk I meet. Within minutes of speaking, they all want to set up a date to practice English.
Novice monks are young boys, age 6-20, who take 9 Buddhist vows, (monks take about 280), and live in one of the temples in town. They are supposed to pray and study the entire time. No playing! And no eating after noon! Being a novice is a privilege. It does not cost anything but their parents have to be able to sacrifice the child's help
in the home while they are away. Some novices stay for three months, while others stay for up to nine years. The duration depends on if their family needs them, if they are good novices, and if they like being a novice. Some kids love it; they live with boys their age, and do not have to do hard field work with their families. Others hate it; they miss their families too much, and have a difficult time adjusting to the austere style of life in which they are expected to live.
All the signs are misspelled or strange and none of the locals mind! Like, "Do not swimming here" or "Phousi massage" (a massage place right by Phousi Mountain). Last night, a menu offered, "Deep Fried Salt and Peeper" and "Chinless Soup with Lice." When you tell English-speaking locals about the errors and offer a revision, they could not care less.
Motorbikes are everywhere. There are few cars, but nearly every family owns a motorbike. And if you can walk, you can drive a motorbike. I have seen children looking about seven driving. You see whole families, including babies, riding together. Babies are generally held standing up
squished between parents.
Instead of trash buckets, there are short, little open bamboo baskets. At the end of the day, the trash collectors collect the trash in piles and burn it.
Most people only have access to cold water, (within town it is from the tap, though in the countryside it is from the river). Dish washing is done with a bit of scrubbing and some cold water. Vegetables are washed in the river before arriving at the morning market. Cups are cleaned between use by dumping out the contents. There is never soap or a towel in bathrooms, but there is sometimes toilet paper.
I've been very busy since I arrived here. I walk around exploring and since everyone is so friendly I meet a lot of people. We start talking and they show me places; we end up talking for hours, and then they make me promise to come back the next day. I've got eight places I promised to get to today!
This place is rather different than the US, and a fascinating mix of old traditions and new developments. I look forward to learning more and sharing as I learn.
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