Laos

We arrived in Luang Prabang, Laos this past Sunday - the top tourist destination in Laos and a much more interesting spot for tourists than the capital, Vientiane.  We stayed at a hotel that has an interesting history:  during the Vietnam War and the “Secret War” in Laos it was the headquarters for USAID (now dismantled by Cheeto Benito) and a cover for CIA headquarters. 

The “Secret War” in Laos was a covert CIA-led operation during the Vietnam War during which the US aimed to disrupt North Vietnamese supply lines along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.  

While US troops did not invade Laos, as they did Cambodia, from 1964 to 1973 US bombing missions in Laos occurred almost every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, making Laos the most heavily bombed country per capita in history!  Unexploded cluster bombs in the soil continue to claim the lives of Laotians, especially children, and while efforts at clean up are ongoing, it is estimated it could take another 100 years or more to fully clear the country of unexploded ordinance.  In the meantime, Laotians make the best of their circumstances

I’ll spare you more pictures of Buddhist temples in Laos, although if you are a practicing Buddhist (including a JewBu (Jewish turned Buddhist) or a MoBu (ex-Mormon turned Buddhist) - and I know there’s at least one of each of you following this travelogue), I’d be happy to send along some of the thousands and thousands of pics of Buddhist temples that have not made their way into one of these travelogue posts!

Instead, I’ll focus a bit on the people of Laos and the culinary delights available in the markets of Luang Prabang, such as 

Mekong River Weed (freshwater green algae harvested from the Mekong River, pressed into thin, sun-dried sheets and flash fried for a crispy snack; usually served with a spicy chili paste that includes dried buffalo skin) - we actually tried and like this!

Hand-pulled noodles

And some of the items for sale that we did not have the courage to taste:

Frog skewers (they eat the whole frogs, not just the legs)

Snakes

And various types of Lao Whiskey (and you thought that little worm at the bottom of a bottle of Mezcal was strange…..)

As is often the case for us, our favorite day in Laos was the day we left the city to spend hiking in the countryside (not least because it allowed us to escape from the “cicadas” -  the local people’s nickname for the noisy swarms of Chinese tourists who descend upon Luang Prabang; they’re very unpopular as they tend to stay only at Chinese-owned hotels, shop only at Chinese-owned stores, and eat only at Chinese-owned restaurants).  

You don’t see much wildlife in the countryside, despite the fact that Laos was once known as the “Land of a Million Elephants.”  Sadly, today there fewer than 800 elephants remaining in the country.  And while there once were large numbers of big crocodiles and snakes, most of them have been eaten by the locals who are desperately poor.  The poverty of the hill tribes of Laos, who are predominantly animist rather than Buddhist, has been deepened by forced government relocations from the mountains to the lowlands.  Whereas before they relied on hunting and opium farming, they now struggle to find ways to earn a living (and usually the only one who still gets to spoke opium is the shaman!), and rely largely on the rice, and sometimes a few fruits or vegetables, they grow for sustenance.

Despite their hardships (the villages we visited have no electricity, and the school teachers only show up at the schools occasionally), people are very welcoming (though they did have a good laugh over our very white skin - guess we’ll need to keep working on our tans)

The final stop for us in Luang Prabang was a drop in center where tourists can spend a couple of hours sitting with Laotian students who want to practice their English.  I have a new appreciation for how difficult English can be (even if it’s not as tough as some of these Asian languages).  Try explaining the difference between “accept” and “except”, or why “daughter” is pronounced the way it is to a young person just learning English.  I’m glad I learned English when I was a kid, because I’m pretty sure I couldn’t learn it now!

Now it’s off to the Philippines for our 6th and last country in Southeast Asia….