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Published: March 16th 2007
A Perfect Kodak Moment
A young monk about to jump into the waterfall's 6th tier pool. To me, Laos was an award-winning country. I fell in love with this country’s rugged terrain of emerald mountains and dramatic limestone peaks crisscrossed with rivers and forests. Laos seemed relatively untouched by tourism. The people were warm, friendly, relaxed, and kind-hearted.
Laos is socialist country with a population of 5.6 million. 80%!o(MISSING)f the population live in remote rural areas. Many areas can only be reached by boat or by plane. Most of the small villages or tribes have never seen a Westerner. (e.g. The Yellow Banana Leaf tribe. This 21- member tribe lives under yellow banana leaves and, sadly, will soon become extinct).
After our 12-day visit in Laos, the following prizes were awarded by a panel of one lowly judge (aka moi):
World's Most Heavily Bombed Country
Tragic Winner: Laos Per capita, Laos is world’s most heavily bombed country. The Vietnam War spread into Laos in a secret war. During 1964- 1973, the US spent $2 million dollars per day bombing Laos. During those nine years, the US bombed Laos every nine minutes. Many of these bombs did not explode at that time. Consequently, Laos is littered with a significant amount of UXOs
Truly Humble Abodes
A village in Northern Laos. (unexploded ordnance) even though the war ended in 1975. These UXOs contribute to poverty, hunger, and disability on a daily basis. Large areas of land in Laos is virtually unusable until it is cleared. Abominably, the organization responsible for the removal of all UXOs predicted that it will take anywhere from 50-100 years to clear Laos of UXOs. This is an expensive and time-consuming process.
Award of Excellence
Winner: Jo Perierra Jo was our remarkable hostess in Vientiane., the capital of Laos. She did not know us from a bar of soap but graciously welcomed us into her home for three days. Jo is a friend of my Kiwi friend and boss, Emma Tuffy. Jo gave us red-carpet service. She picked us up at the airport; showed us around Vientiane (including visits to the day and evening markets), took us to a few of her favorite restaurants, and helped us organize accommodations and transportation for the rest of our trip in Laos. To top it off, she cooked the most scrumptious hamburgers I have ever tasted. They were a slice of heaven after eating stir-fries and rice for two months. She introduced to a new fruit, mangosteens
(my new favorite fruit), and to 3 new varieties of mangoes (Reportedly, there are hundreds of varieties of mangos).
Jo is Laos' first and only occupational therapist. She has been working in Laos for 2 years and works for COPE (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise). COPE is a joint venture between the Ministry of Health and several NGOs (non-government organizations). It supports the development of prosthetic (artificial limb), orthotic (limb support device) and rehabilitative services in Laos. It’s the only such service provider in the country.
COPE serves Laotians who have been injured. Most of their patients have been injured by UXOs. Due to the soaring prices for scrap metal and the millions of UXOs still lying around, poor and disadvantaged people are tempted to disarm UXOs to salvage the scrap metal. This has dramatically led to an increase in the number of UXO fatalities and causalities. Unfortunately, many of the victims are children who are trying to increase their family’s income.
We had the privilege of touring COPE’s clinic. We were impressed to see first-hand how the clinic has greatly improved the quality of life of Laotians. Jo and her colleague have travelled extensively (over 30
My Favorite Spot to Shop
Luang Prabang's night market: the ideal place for locally made handi-crafts. flights in 2006) to remote areas in Laos to find people who may benefit from their services. Sadly, many Laotians don't have access to primary health care due to poor infrastructure. Most people live hundreds of miles from a medical center and are unable to seek medical attention. Consequently, a simple injury can result in a life-long disability. For example, we met a little boy whose fingers on his left hand had become webbed like a duck due to a fire burn. The intense heat of the fire melted the skin between his fingers. His burn was not treated because his family lived too far away from a doctor. Consequently, the melted skin between his fingers fused together as the burn healed and resulted in webbed fingers. Jo and her colleague found this little boy in a remote village and referred him to COPE’s plastic surgeon. With the surgeon’s help and Jo's expertise in hand rehabilitation, this little boy will soon be able to wiggle his fingers and pick up small toys.
Jo told us about an 8-year-old boy who was house bound after a motorbike accident. As a result of the accident, the boy lost a leg and
Young Monks at Play
Even religious brothers need to have a bit of fun. the other one was severely damaged. He wasn’t able to stand or walk. He spent his days confined to a stool in the house for the last 2 years. He was found by word of mouth while one of the COPE workers was holidaying in Northern Laos. After surgery and rehabilitation, he is now able to use his foot and walk with an artificial leg. His mother was overwhelmed with joy when she saw her son walk again. She reported it was the first time that she had seen her child smile in 2 years!
To show our appreciation to Jo and the invaluable service that COPE provides we donated money to buy a leg (below the knee prosthesis) for an amputee victim.
Most Nauseous Ride in Asia
Winner: Van Ride from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang We decided to hire a private van to take us from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang. This stretch of highway is very twisty and windy. Most people suffer from motion sickness, especially in an overcrowded bus. We opted to pay a bit more to hire a van with a private driver. I am very susceptible to car sickness and
Changing a Flat Tire
Those are genuine looks of frustration on April's and Heather's faces. didn’t want to be confined to an overcrowded bus for 7 hours.
During the first hour of the drive we were quite pleased with our van because we each had our own seat. We changed our tune when we reached the mountains. The driver indicated, via sign language, that he had to turn off the a/c or else the van wouldn’t have enough power to make it up the hills. Consequently, the van became a stuffy sauna on wheels. Add 5 hours of negotiating twisty roads and you’ve got the recipe for "Supreme Motion Sickness". Needless to say, it was a quiet ride as we all grappled with motion sickness. Heather was lying in the back seat with her head buried in her arms. April was wilting in the middle seat, trying not to curse too loudly about paying for air conditioning that we weren’t allowed to use. I was in the front seat fighting the feeling of vertigo. We were none too relieved when we finally arrived in Luang Prabang, narrowly escaping “recycling our breakfast” a few times!
Most Frightening Moment in Asia (aka The Holy Sh*# Award)
Winner: Changing a flat tire on the roadside somewhere between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang
True to the Lonely Planet’s words of “flat tyres, breakdowns and unexpected detours are a feature of Laos bus travel”, our van got a flat tire while driving in the mountains. I got out of the van to see if our driver needed any help. (He didn’t speak any English). As the driver was taking off the flat tire, a stern man carrying a rifle appeared out of no where. I couldn’t believe my eyes as I saw this man walking towards our van. He stopped a stone’s throw from our van. The driver looked up for a second and then went back to changing the flat tire. Meanwhile, I stole a glance at April and Heather in the van. We all had fear in our eyes.
Jo, our host in Vientiane, had warned us that we might encounter armed men in uniform during our travels. She said to exercise extreme caution and to take these government men seriously. Our hostile-looking man wasn’t wearing a uniform, nor was he carrying an automatic weapon. Thus, I figured the odds of living to tell about this experience were a wee bit better.
Jo, Laos' Only Occupational Therapist
Jo (on right), our extraordinary hostess, and her housemate, Maz, took extra good care of us in Vientiane. Not knowing what to say or do, I just stood quietly on the side of the road. The armed man just watched as our driver changed the flat tire. After 5 minutes of nervous silence, I decided to ease the awkwardness. I apprehensively looked at the man and smiled. To my surprise he smiled back. I was so relieved and took this as a promising sign that he didn’t intend to shoot us!!
A few minutes later, I offered him some crackers that he eagerly accepted. I decided that the crackers would be a little peace offering to doubly ensure that he wouldn’t kill us. He continued to watch the driver. He stayed in the same spot until we drove away.
Later we surmised that the man was likely a village guard. He was probably protecting his village and ensuring that we weren’t up to any mischief. It was definitely the scariest experience of our trip.
When the driver put on the doughnut tire, it immediately went flat. He uttered a few Laotian expletives and then jumped back in the van. He started the engine and drove down the road, driving on the rim. We knew we
Jo's Backyard
Seems very inviting! couldn’t get too far driving on only three tires. We resolved that we might be spending the afternoon along the roadside while waiting for another van. Five minutes later, we came upon a little village. The driver stopped at a gas station and the tire was fixed in less than 15 minutes. Thankfully, that was the end of our van woes.
The Most Unforgettable Moment
We visited a 6-tiered waterfall outside of Luang Prabang. At each tier, one could swim. Most of the tourists were at levels 3 and 4. We decided to climb to the top of the falls where there were barely any tourists. We arrived at the top of the hill after walking for about 20 minutes. We had to cut though bush to get to the top of the falls. The sixth pool was hidden from our view by a groove of trees. I went off on my own to do some exploring. I followed the sound of rushing water by climbing down a small hill and through some brush. I came upon a clearing to have a bird’s eye view of the 6th pool. To my surprise, there were 7 young monks
playing near a water fall, jumping off rocks and trees into the crystal blue pool of water. They were totally immersed in the moment, laughing and splashing. Their bright orange robes against nature’s blue and green hues made for a “take your breath away” moment.
I let the monks know that I was there by waving down at them. They smiled back at me. Via charades, they granted me permission to take their photos. They even posed for a few photos!!
Fortunately, Heather and April saw the monks from the other side of the falls. Later we commented how precious it was to see these young monks having fun in the waterfall, proving that even religious brothers need to take time out to play.
Worst Massage Therapist
Winner: Heather’s massage therapist in Luang Prabang Without a doubt, this award goes to Heather’s massage therapist at the Red Cross building in Luang Prabang. She got a “free surprise bonus” with her $3-hour massage. As her therapist was massaging her head, he took the liberty of popping two pimples on her forehead.
All I could hear from behind the curtain was Heather indignantly exclaiming “Hey, you
A Hard Sell
Which of the 30 bracelets should I buy from this enthusiastic salesgirl? just popped a zit….and another one!!!”. Needless to say, this “Pimple Popper” therapist did not get a tip.
MVP (Most Voracious Purchaser)
Embarrassed Winner: Me Sheepishly I won this award for my nightly “retail therapy” in Luang Prabang. Every night there was a market on the main street. The market stretched for 5 blocks. I loved the market and couldn’t resist buying local hand-made crafts. During the day, the women would work on their crafts so they would have crafts to sell in the evening. I was impressed by their strong work ethic and wanted to support the local handi-crafters and artists. There were so many irresistible and beautiful hand-made crafts (quilts, purses, wall hangings, jewellery, art work etc). The workmanship was superb. I bought several hand-made quilts to give as baby and wedding gifts.
Foot-in-Mouth Booby Prize
Regretful Winner: Me at the post office in Luang Prabang As with most Asian post offices, a postal worker will pack and tape up your parcels to be mailed. I arrived at the post office with 6 bags of gifts and souvenirs for family and friends. Most of the souvenirs were hand-made quilts. As the man
Money Bags Heather
180 Laotian bank notes. was packing the quilts in a box, he commented that they were beautiful but very expensive. Unthinkingly I blurted out, “No, they weren’t expensive. They were only $20!”
As the words spewed out of my mouth, it instantly struck me that “Off the Cuff Celia” had struck again. Luckily, the postal worker didn’t take offence to my comment. He informed me that he makes $20 in a month!! Feeling badly, I tried to back pedal and told him that in Canada these blankets would be $300. To show my appreciation for packing my parcels and to apologize for my insensitive comment, I gave him a $1 US tip. He seemed very pleased and showed it off to his co-workers.
Busted at the Airport
Winner: April I got to the baggage claim area at the Vientiane airport before April and Heather because they were still in line at Customs. As I was looking for my bag on the conveyor belt, an airport man approached me carrying a backpack bursting open with shampoo, t-shirts, socks, and underwear! He was carrying a leather belt and a bottle of conditioner in his other hand. He politely asked me, “Is this
A Hand-Made Laotian Quilt
Incredible hand-stitching. Excuse the guesthouse's pink bed spread in the background. your bag?” Embarrassed by the public display of April’s underwear, my face turned red. I replied that it was my friend’s. I took the bag from him and quickly shoved the underwear and unmentionable toiletries back into the busted pockets.
Unfortunately, April’s $15 backpack didn’t survive the flight from Siem Reap to Vientiane. The side pockets’ zippers were busted and the main compartment’s straps were torn off. Consequently, a lot of April’s personal belongings were splayed about the baggage claim area.
Certificate of Appreciation
Winner: A salesgirl from a textile store in Luang Prabang One morning in Luang Prabang, I was walking along the main street after having breakfast at a café. I briefly stopped to look at some random merchandise displayed outside of a shop. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a young girl get off a motorcycle and approach me. She came up to me and asked “Hi, do you remember me from the store yesterday?”. I didn’t recognize her but then she jogged my memory. She said that I had bought some wall-hangings from her store and that they had accidentally overcharged me. She profusely apologized for her mistake and requested that I come back to her store to get my refund. I immediately put her at ease and told her not to worry. I couldn’t bare to see her look so regretful. I felt bad that she had been trolling the streets, desperately trying to find me. It turned out that I overpaid by a significant amount. I was greatly moved by the salesgirl’s honesty and that she went to great lengths to find me.
Best Customer Service Award
Winner: The Kopnoi Jewellery store in Luang Prabang We spent a day browsing in many of Luang Prabang’s quaint shops (jewellery, crafts, art, souvenirs, textiles). In one particular shop, I found some jewellery that caught my eye. Not wanting to make a rash purchase, I decided to think it over for a day.
The next day I was browsing in some shops near our guesthouse. I popped into the sister store of the store that had the eye-catching jewellery. I found a few more pieces of jewellery that I liked. I told the salesman that I needed to go back to the flagship store (a 15 minute walk) to compare the jewellery before I could make a purchase. The salesman told me to wait a moment while he called over to the other store. Within 5 minutes, a lady on a motorcycle pulled up to the store. She came to taxi me to the other store. The salesman gave the lady the jewellery that I liked from his store so that I could compare it to the jewellery at the flagship store. He assured me that I was under no obligation to buy.
I jumped on the back of the motorcycle and headed to the flagship store. It was my first and only motorcycle ride in Asia. The young sales/taxi lady and I hit it off. I got so caught up in talking to her that I forgot to barter. Too late to barter, she waived the taxes. She then gave me a lift to the restaurant where I was to meet April and Heather. The looks on April’s and Heather’s faces were priceless when they saw me climbing off a motorcycle. Now that’s what I call top-drawer customer service.
Haziest Day Award
Winner: March 15th, Luang Prabang As a result of crop burning, Luang Prabang was hazy with smoke. We were unable to see more than 100 meters ahead, not to mention difficult to breathe.
Most Dangerous Children’s Toy
Winner: An adult hand saw! During our drive to Luang Prabang, I saw a toddler playing with a hand saw while his Dad hammered nails into a wooden platform.
Money Bags Award
Winner: Heather The guide books recommend that tourists use American money when in Laos because $1US= 8267 Laotian kip. Our first stop, Vientiane, was the only place in Laos that had an international bank machine. Thus, we had to withdraw $200US to cover our expenses for 12 days.
Unfortunately, Heather’s bankcard would not allow her to withdraw American money. Consequently, she had to withdraw kip in the form of 10 000 bank notes. She needed a bag to carry her 180 bank notes.
Honorable Mentions
Okay, it may seem that most of the awards are related to shopping. Believe it or not, I did more than shop in Laos.
-We rented bikes for a day and rode around Luang Prabang, admiring its collection of French colonial architecture.
-We visited the Laos’ extravagant royal palace in Luang Prabang.
-We planned to go tubing down the river amongst the limestone cariffs in Vang Vieng. This is Vang Vieng’s most popular tourist attraction. The lady at our guest house advised us not to go tubing because the river was too low. We decided to take a boat to a popular reggae bar situated along the shore where tubers can stop for refreshments. We spent the afternoon relaxing under a gazebo, watching tubers sail by, and zip lining into the river (i.e., Grabbing a rope and then jumping off a 50ft high platform. After swinging on the rope a few times, you let go and plunge into the river below. It was lots of fun).
-We got asked by a group of young boys if we wanted to buy some opium while walking home from a movie night at a café. The café attracts customers by offering a free DVD movie night. We ordered a few nibbles and were very content eating and watching a movie in the comfort of a cozy lounge. In case you were wondering, we didn’t buy any of the opium.
Stay tuned for the presentation of the “Best of the Best Award”.
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samakomlao
non-member comment
Winning-award article
You story is very nice and I award you the best blog story about Laos ;) http://samakomlao.blogspot.com