Blogs from Laos, Asia - page 2

Well… This month’s missive begins with mixed feelings. It has been related to us that within the village (outside of the children who universally call us “teacher”, whether we teach them or not) we are now generally referred to, obviously in Laos, as Grandma and Grandpa falang (foreigner). Whilst such titles reflect poorly on our aging you do have to bear in mind that elders are very much respected here in Laos and so, maybe, it’s simply an honourific term of endearment. That’s what we’re choosing to believe. Anyway, the decrepits are well known for their alcohol consumption and the bankside New Year celebrations didn’t change that opinion as, following one Lao Lao shot too many, 3a.m. saw me hauling my sodden muddy self onto terra ferma after an unplanned venture into the river. Of course ... read more

Midway between Vientiane and Luang Prabang on the Nam Song River, Vang Vieng is situated amidst gorgeous karst scenery. Although for some fifteen years or so at the turn of the millennium the inter-spliced limestone hills, their isolated monoliths and associated caves, the patchwork of rice fields and profusion of meandering streams, were not its primary attraction. That lure was the abundance of drugs, “happy menus”, sand-castle buckets of semi-free liquor and the opportunity to prematurely end your stint on this mortal coil. The “must do” activity during this period was to hire an inflated tractor inner-tube and be whisked several kilometers up-stream from whence you could float back towards town. This genteel sounding practice was spiced by the river banks being lined with bars who would throw you a line and haul you into their ... read more

I finish a blog and, once posted, have absolutely no inclination to type any new thoughts for at least a week. Of course you do, typically, have to wait for something mildly of interest to actually occur before you can write about it. But, with current inevitable time on our hands, I re-read our previous blogs from Laos and they bring the pandemic’s projection very much into real-time focus, revealing the shocking reality of quite what can happen, has happened, in such a short period of time. In little more than 5 months (since the WHO announced the outbreak as a pandemic on the 11th of March) we’ve gone from 126,214 cases and 4,628 deaths worldwide to a position where several countries are independently recording half that number of new infections per day and globally we’ve ... read more

Our last day in Brasil found us in our most favoured of habitats, a local’s boozer. Here the indulgent management blessed their rare gringo visitors with a – lengthy - Celine Dion medley on the jukebox. We were touched and not too traumatised, but still thought this weird. Fast forward eight months to yesterday in Laos. Teaching was over for the day and we’d just polished off our self-caught fish dinner when Khamlar came running. “Teachers, come come, we go”. Where? Along with the elder children we piled into the back of the pick-up and off we sped into the sticky night. The throbbing neon lights that greeted us did not suggest a two year old's birthday party, but that it was… for the stocky bruiser that is Mario (yes, a further name we can pronounce). ... read more

Laotian food is really something special, sure in most countries you could go out for dinner and a show. However, when you step into Laos, the Dinner is the show. Performance plays a big role in Laotian cuisine. You’ll likely find a spectacle in every Laotian market, from reckless rolled icecreams to expertly carved fruit, But there’s one show you simply can’t miss, and its performed by the Superheroes of Vangieng, The Sandwich Ladies. It really doesn’t take long to spot the Sandwhich ladies, Their stalls are everywhere around Vang Vieng. All with the same menu and prices, they stand ready from dusk to dawn behind a giant hotplate, the main stage for their creations. It’s a sandwich fairly similar to their own Laotian Bahn Mi called Khao Jee Pate, but customized to fit a pallet ... read more