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    Photos from Laos

    There are [5] photos from Laos

    Hanging off the back of a truck with my camera around my neck gave me the best vantage point for this particular drive. Clinging to the support bars with the wind rushing across my face, I was amazed with what I was seeing. We were travelling from the small, one-road town of Bah Nahin to our destination of the Konglor Caves. The pick up truck was full of my travel companions plus the occasional local jumping on board for the ride with their sacks of produce and baskets of live ducks in tow – it seemed we had hitched a ride with the local taxi. As we drove between the dramatic limestone mountains encircling the valleys, we passed countless shacks and huts that made up the rural communities of Laos. This for me was the most authentic Asian experience I could have asked for. Farmers were plowing the fields with their cattle; wood was being gathered while the women were hanging out washing. As we passed the school, hordes of smiling children swarmed out to greet us. “Sa-bai-dee!!” they all shouted, running after the truck as we drove by. Further along our bumpy ride, we happened upon couple of elderly men sitting amongst some wood for what looked like fencing posts. As with everything that day I photographed it. Looking at this photo always reminds me of all of the necessary tasks that are usually just out of sight of my first world perspective. Views[301] After our boat ride along the Mekong River, we happen to cross a small village not far from the banks of the water. The majority of the occupants were fishing while the kids played in the shallows of the river amongst the pyrite sand. Sitting outside their huts were several locals performing odd tasks like tending to the animals, weaving tapestries to sell in the Luang Prabang markets, or carrying wood from their forages. As we turned a corner, we were greeted by a group of infants selling bracelets and trinkets. They all called harmoniously “Sa-bai-dee!” “Hello!” “Sa-bai-dee!” We all glanced at each other, silently sharing the desperation of the scene together. No one bought a thing and I still wonder if I should have. Views[671] During a boat ride just south of Luang Prabang, we stopped in at a small village along the banks of the Mekong River. The people here made their living brewing potent whisky and selling odd trinkets to passing tourists. We had arrived during a special time – the village had all come together in the tradition of building funeral constructs for the elderly. I felt particularly out of place and a little intrusive strolling through the village while they peeled, nailed, bent and tied the vessel that would house their relatives into death. While the men where fashioning the coffin material out of plants and wood, the women were in the houses clipping wet money onto clotheslines and preparing lunch. During the commotion, something struck me as peculiar. It rang in my mind like a distasteful joke. While the soon-to-be dead were being attentively looked after, in the quiet corners of the town sat the very young. Alone. Views[324] 6am was our pick up for the morning flight. When we arrived to the take off location, we were greeted by a flurry of workers, laying out and preparing the hot air balloon for flight. It was a strange sight to see the vessel that was going to take you 1km into the air being inflated. Once we were up, the sun began to rise. The morning fog that filled the limestone valleys glimmered like pale water. All the while, the pilot was in contact with the ground team, informing them of wind strength, and the possibility of a landing location. We saw the town begin to wake up. Monks in orange garb created streaks of colour that were highlighted against the dull grey of the pavement. The image of the second balloon floating amongst the mountains surrounded by mist bathing in the morning light is one I will never forget. Views[244] We came into Vientiane just as the sun was setting. The sky was illuminated in soft hues of blue and gold as motorists buzzed all around us. As daylight melted into the Mekong, this city was just waking up. This was a change of pace for me, as my experience in Laos up to that point had been confined to the rural village of Bah Nahin – a one road town that set with the sun. The ebb and flow of work and play was apparent here in the capital, particularly in the barks of bus drivers echoing down the street, as the maze of laneway bars opened their doors to the mix of night-time dwellers. Views[323]
     

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