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Published: December 6th 2005
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Today is Dec 6, 2005 morning.
Our last entry was made on Nov 27, morning.
That same night, we went to a cultural show presented by the children of Luang Prubang. It was sponsored by UNESCO. The show has about 10 programs, including children singing, dance, puppet shows and dramas. The music, dance and drama were all related to their lives and touched on violence, hygiene and immunization, harvest, meeting mates.
It was refreshing to see some of the older children (about 17, 18) participate in the dramas and puppet shows. In other countries, they would have preferred to go to bars and karaoke.
On Nov 28, we did not do much but rest. We did go to the Red Cross Massage clinic and had our lao oil massage. In the evening, we had a delicious BBQ fish (on a skewer) bought from street stalls. It goes well with the famous Lao sticky rice.
On Nov 29, we took a ferry and crossed the Mekong River and walked a few trails. In the afternoon, we visited the Kuang Si Falls. The Falls itself was nice, but not spectular. However, we were able to walk up half way up the falls and look down onto the pools. We had our swim suits but thought that we were not supposed to swim in the falls and therefore did not allow time for it. Just half an hour before we have to return to van-taxi, we found two big natural swimming pools that were so blue, just like you will see in the movies. So, this gives us a small regret for not able to swim in the pools.
On Nov 30, we rented one bicycle (with Phyllis sitting on the little seat in the back) and toured the town, but needed a little bit of help coming back. Later in the day, we visited the Royal Museum, which used to be the Palace of the emperor (until 1975). The palace is pretty modest (and not as luxurious as the summer homes we visited in Newport, Rhode Island).
On Dec 1, we were set to go to Vang Vieng. But after talking to other backpackers, we decided to take a side trip north to Nang Kio (or spelled as Nong Khiew). We took the slow boat for about 6 hours and reached Nang Kio. The town is dusty, but the guesthouse we chose was just by the Nam Ou river.
On Dec 2, we walked a few kilometers to a set of three local caves. These caves were inhabited by officials during the Vietnam war and the Luang Prubang Bank was doing business in those caves. The caves were pretty dark, and the local children took us into the caves and showed us around.
In the afternnon, we took another slow boat for Muang Ngoi. This little village is only accessible by boat and there were many bungalow gueshouses along the river. We rented one for US$1 per night (no kidding). A bucket of hotwater for bathing costs 50 cents, but cold shower is included. The village is so laid back and its scenery is so beautiful. In the area, there are Karst formations. Clouds descend onto the hills and the view is so spectular and peaceful. This is a real Shangrila.
We heard that the river section is is even more beautiful if we gone for another 25 minutes north, but the next north nearest town is 3 hours by boat.
On Dec 3, we walked to another cave. The trail is along a small river and the walk is very pleasant. The caves are pretty isolated and unexplored. To explore it, we had to crawl through the tiny space and possibly get wet. Therefore, we did not venture into the caves.
On Dec 4, we returned to Nang Kio and stayed another night. Again, we visited another cave, but this time we did not have to pay admission as there is no one to ask for money.
On Dec 5, just as we were about to leave Nang Kio, the lady in the guesthouse grapped me and put two strings on my wrists. It is a symbol of friendship (?), and good luck. We took the bus from Nang Kio back to Luang Prubang (a 3 hour trip, not bad) before noon.
In the afternoon, a few backpackers from our guesthouse told us about a festival to celebrate the Hmong Hill Tribe New Year. This is an annual event when the Hmongs from different parts of Laos congregate. The young girls are all dressed up in the beautiful traditional dresses. The purpose of the festival is to allow young girls and young men to meet and find a mate. They use a "orange throwing" ritual. We learned that Hmongs can take three wives (true ???) and some middle-aged men seemed to participate in the rituals. This is a real nice experience for us to see their costumes and their rituals.
On Dec 6 (today), we walked about Luang Prubang and visited many temples (Wats) that did not charge admission.
Tomorrow, we will take the bus (south) to either Vang Vieng or Vientienne. After Vientienne, we will go to Thailand.
Tidbits --
We love the lao coffee (with condensed milk), BBQ fish, sticky rice, lao laap (minced meat with lemon grass and mint).
In NangKio, we had deer lao laap, and it was tender and lean.
The price of noodle soup is about 50 cents for foreigners, but about 30 cents for locals.
In general, foreigners pay 50% more that locals in transportation, street food. Restaurants are of course more expensive.
The weather in Laos (in the parts we have visited) is pretty unique. Every morning, it is cloudy and misty. Then by 10 am, or at the latest 12 pm, the sun comes out and the sky clears.
In general, Lao are people are happy and soft spoken. Bus/taxi/car drivers seldom honk.
The air is cleaner (than in China).
Children take more responsibility at a very young age. We have seen many 10 year old girls taking care of their younger siblings (carrying babies). Today, we have seen many children carrying bricks to help build a new guesthouse.
We have met many interesting people, many of them from Europe. The lao family who runs our guesthouse in Luang Prubang is especially friendly and hospitable.
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