Laos, 14. April bis 27. April 2023
14.04. - 19.04.23 Luang Prabang
19.04. - 27.04.23 Sam Neua
- First to the Hostel
After arriving in the evening by bus, we stood at the bus station and didn't quite know how to proceed.
Although we were sure that it would be overly expensive, we jumped on a TukTuk with some others that wanted to take us to the city to the hostel. One by one, everyone else was taken to their hostels. After we managed to explain to the driver where we wanted to go (he didn't know our accommodation), we found ourselves in front of a barrier. Here the driver explained that he couldn't go any further, the reason being the market that takes place every evening and blocked some streets. So we had to walk the last part.
Now we were in front of a hostel, where Google Maps said we should go. The hostel had just a different name...
Shawl and Smoke or something...
In front of us was a group of travelers who didn't get any beds anymore and were a bit upset.
Luckily, we had booked early enough. From here, we quickly looked for dinner, took a round through the market, and fell asleep tired in bed.
-Laos New Year
After a little sleep, we could now see the festivities for Pi Mai. Pi Mai is the Laotian New Year, and in Thailand, it is the Songkran Festival.
"The word 'Songkran' is derived from Sanskrit (meṣa-)saṅkrānti, which means the sun's entry into the constellation Aries, the first sign of the zodiac (from meṣa 'ram' and saṅkrānti 'transition'). Since the date depends on the position of the Aries constellation, Songkran originally had no fixed date and took place during the spring equinox (between March 19 and 21), but it has since moved to the current date due to the precession of the Earth's axis." - Wikipedia
The New Year is celebrated here over several days. Traditionally, on the last day of the old year, all houses and apartments are cleaned (you don't want to bring anything bad into the new year). On the second day, Buddha statues are poured with water to cleanse them. The monks also wash themselves to enter the new year cleansed. The new year then begins on the third day.
This traditional washing has evolved into a water fight in most places.
Even in the days before, there are always celebrations where it is difficult to stay dry. Even when we drove with the TukTuk to the hostel, we were constantly being splashed with water.
Luang Prabang is known for celebrating water fights extensively. The main street of the city center was completely closed and there were various parades and celebrations everywhere. And above all, it was impossible to stay dry here.
At 44°C, the water that splashes everywhere is a welcome relief. In every side street and on every path, people have water guns, hoses, bowls, pots, bottles, and cups. Anything that can be used to distribute water on others is used for that purpose. At the same time, people are celebrating, music is playing, people are dancing and laughing, drinking, and eating.
Occasionally, there are swimming pools set up on the roadside, from which water is sprayed. And whether you're walking, driving a car, or riding a scooter, you'll get wet. There are also some pictures and clips in the photo album.
📷 You can find more great pictures in the photo album.
In the evening, the night market is set up, along with the food market. There is also a large stage here. To ensure that people don't get too dry while eating and drinking, there is a sprinkler system over the area that occasionally turns on. Foam cannons are sometimes used on the stage.
But after the third day, it's all over. The night market and food market continue, but the water stops. After days of partying, the streets are cleaned up, and the focus shifts back to the culture.
-The Begging Monks
The Buddhist monks have no income. And neither do the temples themselves.
All they can do is beg. Begging is one of the daily tasks of the monks (I believe I have described this somewhere before). This means that every morning, they come to the temples and walk through the surrounding areas, usually on established routes.
Here, the villagers position themselves and give their offerings to the monks. They collect everything in bowls, which they carry with them on an unbound band. When these bowls are full, they transfer the offerings into plastic bags. (In Buddhism, it is called begging, but it's more the villagers who joyfully offer their gifts.)
In the rows of low plastic chairs or simply sitting on the ground, there are also poor people and children who do not offer anything but receive gifts from the monks. This way, the monks collect money, food, and everything else they may need (including things like soap, sponges, or razors).
Occasionally, the monks start to chant, during which the people usually pour water. During these rituals, it is not considered appropriate to look at the monks. Only children are exempt, and they can stare as much as they want. Unfortunately, some tourists are disrespectful and point their cameras at the monks from a few meters away, just to capture everything.
We tried to capture the whole scene, but out of respect, we kept our distance. (It's not a secret what you're not supposed to do; you can find hints everywhere. I find it disrespectful when so many people ignore these guidelines.)
Thus, a symbiosis is formed between the village and the temple. The temple itself belongs to the village; if something happens there, the village must have agreed to it. The monks live in the temple but take care of the village. Whenever there is a major purchase or event, the monks are asked for approval and blessings. Sometimes you can even find price lists. So you can see what the funeral procedure costs, but if you come from a different village, different lists apply again. And out of gratitude or to ask for blessings, the villagers sit by the road in the morning and give the monks some money or whatever they can offer as a token of appreciation.
-Smog and Bombs
It's incredibly hot in Luang Prabang as well. On top of that, the air pollution has reached alarming levels here. It's "Burning Season," and in all regions of the area, fields, forests, and garbage are being burned. The sun shines red through the veil of fine particles, and occasionally, ash falls from the sky.
That's why we created a short list of things we absolutely want to do or see in Luang Prabang before continuing our journey.
One of the items on the list was the UXO exhibition.
UXO stands for unexploded ordnance and refers to the remnants of the forgotten war. About 40 years ago, during the Vietnam War / Second Indochina War, America attempted to cut off the Vietnamese units' path. They wanted to bypass the combat positions and went through Laos. Laos was actually not involved in the war.
However, America bombarded large parts of the country with unbelievable amounts of bombs. More bombs landed in Laos than were used in the entire Second World War.
For decades, bomb clearance teams have been working throughout the country, defusing the bombs. Yet, they still need at least 100 more years, just for the cluster bombs (also called bombies). Then, there are still the large bombs and mines.
I knew little about the war and nothing about Laos, but what we have seen here has shocked me. Children still die today because they pick up bombies and wonder what kind of ball it is. And I would have reacted the same way. In the museum, there are various reports from unexploded ordnance survivors that made me hold back tears.
Until today, the bombs in the country are a source of aluminum. So, once we ate our soup with spoons that used to be bombs.
-Bus into the Unknown
With a queasy feeling, we continued our journey to Sam Neua. We couldn't find any bus schedules, so we set off without certainty, carrying all our luggage. A taxi took us to the bus station outside the city. Upon arrival, we had to buy tickets, but since no one spoke English, it was a bit adventurous to purchase them. Then, we waited. When the time on the ticket had passed, we became nervous. Upon asking, a new time was simply written down. Not very reassuring.
After what felt like an eternity, the bus finally showed up, and we embarked on a 17-hour ride with little space and few breaks. The minivan had 16 regular seats, but the aisle and the gaps between the seats were closed with beer crates to fit more people inside. This created seats for 20 people. The route was full of mountains and very curvy. The driver's driving style was hair-raising. The locals sitting behind us occasionally needed a short stop to vomit. On the roof, a live pig 🐷 and a rooster 🐓 were shaken up.
But eventually, we arrived at our destination, Sam Neua, in the morning.
-Sam Neua
In Sam Neua (also written as Xamneua), we ended up unexpectedly stuck for a few days. The visa for Vietnam took longer than expected to process.
Sam Neua is a well-known stopover on the way from Laos to Vietnam. However, we mostly found Asian travelers here. English was extremely rare. Even at the hotel reception, no one spoke it. We mostly communicated using Google Translate, which was sometimes quite funny.
ມືນີເຕັມແລ້ວມືອືນເຂົາອອກຈັງວາວ“
My hand was full, and I pushed him out.
We had asked at a hotel reception if there was a free bed for the upcoming night. You can read her answer from the translator above. We stood there for a while, puzzled by the woman's response. What does she mean?
At first, Janine was sure that she wanted to say that the rooms were still being cleaned. But somehow... Even the woman's body language is not clear. After what felt like half an hour, we decide that she most likely wants to tell us that the rooms are fully booked.
Here in Sam Neua, we felt trapped. Firstly, because we were stuck here involuntarily, and secondly, because we were trying to stay indoors as much as possible. The smog outside was really bad. Our eyes were itching, and our throats were scratchy. We were confined to the hotel room and feeling very down.
And then, bam.
It's raining. The air is so fresh. It's cold (~20°C). So cold that Janine takes out her fleece sweater. And then we go to our cafe and meet two monks. One of them can speak a few English words. He has been to Europe three times, each time for a month. Then he simply says two German words! "Hello and thank you."
The monk showed us how he wraps his cloth into a robe. We wanted to visit him at his temple, but when we got there, it was all empty.
The next day, we went for a walk. Finally, the temperature was cool enough to walk around a bit and see more of the city. There isn't much touristy stuff to see. At some point, we got hungry. We stopped at a Laotian restaurant. None of the people there spoke English. The menu was in Lao. And Google Translate only works semi. So we just closed our eyes and pointed to one of the 16 dishes. That's really a new level.
During the walk, we also met a woman who was working on her loom.
After endless days of waiting, we finally got the visa for Vietnam and are traveling on as quickly as possible.
When we arrived in Sam Neua, we took a picture of the air pollution at the bus station. Now, after a few days of rain, the air is better, and before we leave Xam Neua, we take another picture from the same perspective for comparison.
📷 you can find more great pictures in the photo album.
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