Sabaidee! As we approached the airport in Luang Prabang, we realised that this country would give us a very different experience. The airplane was the smallest I have flown and the flight attendants were dressed in traditional Lao attire, colorful and gracious, with the hair curled up in a bun. When our guide picked us up and drove us to the hotel, we saw a quiet, lush provincial town with little traffic, few shops and no high-rise buildings.
The next day, we learned that Laos has a rich and unique history, quite independent from the five countries surrounding it. The first king consolidated power in the 14th century with its capital in Luang Prabang. Two centuries later, the crown moved to Vientiane which in those days was a wealthy city, because of fruitful farmland and a strategic position along the mighty Mekong river which was used for trade. In recent centuries, the French were here and that clearly left its mark, but only in a superficial way. What few people know though, is that Laos was heavily affected by (and in a way, involved in) the “Vietnam war”, also called second Indochina war by some. We read that more U.S. bombs were dropped on the Ho Chi Minh trail in the north of Laos than on second World WarGermany. That tells you something about the destruction and suffering in this region.
It is easy to feel at home here. The town has a sleepy feel to it, and the merchants deliver their services, but not in a pushy way. People are friendly, respectful with good manners and appreciative of beauty. Last night, we got to see a performance of traditional music, dance and storytelling. With traditional instruments, colorful clothing, funny masks and subtle hand movements, this was a pleasure for the ear and eye to behold.
Buddhism is the dominant philosophy and temples can be found in every neighborhood of the town. We learned that Luang Prabang has a provincial government, but otherwise still exists of neighborhoods / villages that each have their own leader. Most local temples have monasteries in which older and younger monks live and study together. Our guide spent five or so years in a monastery, because his local village had no school. He learned to read and write as well as some mathematics and of course holy scriptures and prayers. In the end, he decided that being a monk was not for him and he moved out and started a family. He is now working as a guide, but he is thinking about starting a goat farm. There is a shortage of meat, so that would be a lucrative business, considering that his parents already own a plot of land that he could use. A kilo of beef here costs 10 USD, which is crazy expensive, considering that most things cost 5-10% of what we would pay in the west. Most people in the villages therefore only eat eggs, soybeans and small animals that they can find in the forest - birds, insects, rats. There is little wildlife left with all the hunting and scavenging. Life here is hard for many people still.
One of the outings we enjoyed most was a trip up in the mountains to the Khouang Si waterfalls. Even with many tourists around, we felt like we had come to paradise. The beauty of the place was stunning, with an endless stream of small waterfalls, leading up to the big waterfall that came down over many different limestone formations, with lush forest growing in and around it. And then, we got to jump in the cool river, sit on a rock and let the tiny fish suckly our toes. We feel grateful to have seen a little bit of this beautiful, traditional old kingdom of Laos.
