Phonesavan - Plain of Jars

We arrived into a very wet Phonsevan in Laos, very excited to see the mysterious & largely unknown, Plain of Jars.  We quickly placed our bags in a dirty, cob-webbed $25 room & set out to explore.  Our driver took us to the Plain of Jars site 1, about 15kms from town.  There are over 60 sites in this region including the 3 main sites, 1, 2 & 3, although the general consensus seemed to be to visit Site 1 or Site 3.  We chose Site 1 with a large number of different-sized & varied-shaped jars in 3 different areas of the site, some with lids.  It also has a cave which was a burial area with an altar.

The Plain of Jars are ancient stone jars, amazing to look at & really quite bizarre.  They have only been studied a couple of times in modern history; in 1930 & in the 1990s.  Local theories range from the ordinary to the bizarre to explain the presence & purpose of the jars.  The most discussed reason is ancient burial chambers.  This area was on ancient trading routes & was a wealthy area.  Many of the jars were adorned with jewels, trinkets, glass beads etc.

A large visitor centre & people-movers are in place at the entrance to Site 1, made possible by a contribution from the New Zealand embassy.  The jars at this site are set amidst bomb craters.  This area was one of the most-bombed sites in the Vietnam war as bombs were dropped over this & surrounding Laos sites when planes were moving back & forth from Vietnam. It is known as the 'Secret war.'  Walking through Site 1, you have to keep to the paths marked 'No Live Ordinances' as there is still a lot of Unidentified Ordinance (UXO) that has yet to be cleared.  This clean-up process has been stalled because the US funding has been cut.  Hmmm, Laos wasn't in the war & the US dropped the bombs; there are still deaths every year as farmers & others move about this area, surely the money should be available?

We were pursued throughout the site by several Laos who wanted to have photos with us standing on the burial sites or in front of the jars which was a little surreal.  It was further quite odd that these jars are as mysterious as Stonehenge, older & are not at all protected, except for some signs with rules of behaviour listed on them.  While it will be sad when these jars are more protected, if they are to last, they will need more effective means of conservation.

There is evidence of the secret war everywhere in Phonesavan.  Bars use weapons for decoration, for flower pots, for lights.  There are overt constant reminders of the Vietnam war everywhere, one of the worst kept secrets in history.

Top 5
1. We were delighted to see these jars & enjoyed walking around the plains.
2. Being in the presence of things so old & so mysterious is humbling.
3. It was a very freeing experience being at this site, it is open & one can touch, look & stay as long as one would like
4. We stayed on the paths & were thankful for the directions & happily left the site without any UXO sighted
5. The resourcefulness of the Lao people is evident in repurposing of war ordinance

Vientiane zumba

While R stayed in the hotel & worked on his app, 'Got a Team,' C & I decided to join in the Mekong-facing zumba fun at Vientiane.  This was great fun & really hard work.  There were so many people doing this exercise class & people kept joining until almost the end of the session.  It was a little difficult to keep up with the class because of a few factors:
1) general unfitness
2) unfamiliarity with the moves & timing of particular exercises
3) the fact that all of the teacher's calls were in Lao & we only know a few words
4) the various levels of capability of the people within view.  It took a bit of time to try out various people to watch to follow the moves.  After a few tries, I settled on a woman who had the timing right & who was easy to follow
5) the small amount of space in which to exercise which got smaller as the class progressed

Despite these challenges, it was a great use of time & something that I was happy to repeat in our time in Vientiane.

Vinh

We (or many other tourists) have never been to Vinh in Vietnam.  Vinh is the closest major town when crossing from one of the northern Laos borders which is why we are pitstopping here a couple of days.  We had 3 long days of winding mountain road car travel & short visits to different places in Laos to make it across the border without doubling back over several of the places we had already been in Laos so we need a little break on stable land for a couple of days.  

Arriving into Vietnam from Laos, there are immediately observable differences.  The Lao are loud - they shout everything.  We were unable to discern a reason for this from Loa or foreign people but all acknowledged that yes Lao shout about everything but it is in no way associated with being angry or with heightened emotion, it just is. Vietnamese people are relatively quiet.  Traffic management however, is the exact opposite.  Vietnam is LOUD with traffic, everyone uses their horns for all sorts of reasons, all of the time.  Laos traffic, while no more ordered, doesn't seem to rely on the horn as a standard operating piece of equipment as they do in Vietnam.

Laos has more cars on the road, especially in Vientiane & Luang Prabang which is surprising. Laos has been enjoying a rapid increase in wealth (relative wealth) over the past few years & this seems to have resulted in an increase in car ownership.  The problem with this is that neither city nor country roads are set up for this many cars so it can be chaotic & slow driving all the way.  Vietnam has better roads, more lanes in cities especially but also fewer cars than Laos but more motorbikes, e-bikes, mini-buses, buses & trucks - all using their horns.

The border crossing we chose is not well patronised, except for enormous trucks taking gigantic trees from Laos across Vietnam for sale in China.  China is certainly a spectre in Laos with lots of discussion about what China buys & owns in Laos.  China was spoken about often, never fondly.
South Koreans are the number 1 tourist group in Laos at present so lots of signs & tourist information is in Korean.  They are a tourist group that seem to be well respected in Laos as they seem quite fun & spend a lot of money.  We met a few Koreans on our various journeys & they seemed bright & happy if a little crazy on the quad bikes in Vang Vieng.  Western foreigners are seemingly rare.  We are causing a sensation wherever we go with people stopping vehicles to look at us, people calling out 'hello' whenever they see us & being asked to pose for pictures several times a day, as well as the standard grabbing of my arms & poking my belly which seems to have become the thing to do.   We are also having the chance to dig into the phrase book as there is very little English about which is nice as it makes us do a bit of work.

Vinh as a town doesn't have much to offer except a 4 lane highway, some big hotels, Ho Chi Minh's ancestral home & Cua Lao beach which is 14 kms away.  For us, it is offering a swimming pool in the hotel, a place to rest & do laundry & to catch up on our colouring, games, tv-watching & sleeping. We move on from Vinh tomorrow & will say thank you, we are unlikely to see you again.

Top 5
1. Vinh traffic noise has confirmed for us that we are definitely back in Vietnam.  It is gratifying that we are starting to be able to better understand the different regional ebbs & flows
2. It is nice to be able to call out 'sin chow' & 'hello' to all of the people happily calling out 'hello' to us.  This simple exchange makes both sets of people happy
3. The excitement of communicating & being understood in another language is gratifying.  It is great seeing Miss C becoming more adept at using different words in different places & for her being able to understand that the world speaks so many languages
4. The pleasure of a hot bath, clean sheets, freshly laundered clothes & some TV (for C) cannot be underestimated
5. We are laughing thinking about all of the photos that we are now in for people in this region.  We are certainly objects of curiosity

Food dropping from trees

Everywhere we have been, food has fallen at our feet.  SE Asia is largely verdant & fecund, with some areas of central Myanmar & Vietnam experiencing unseasonal drought.  Fruit & vegetables are literally dripping from the trees.  We have eaten mangoes that have dropped at our feet in all of our destinations.  We observed a multitude of plants & trees bearing fruit especially in Laos & in particular in the jungle hotel & when touring the minority villages.  The fruit & vegetables are obviously seasonal but there seems to be a lot of food growing all the time.

We have seen:
- small green bananas growing on banana trees
- larger yellow bananas growing on palm trees
- coconuts on plam trees
- eggplant trees
- beautifully-shaped & dippled custard apples
- grapes on vines
- rice grown everywhere - in small plots, over massive fields, grown vertically high in the mountains
- corn grown on flat & vertical fields
- papaya
- white & red-fruited dragon fruit grown in trees
- pineapples in trees & in ground-based shrubs
- all kinds of nuts grown in palm trees
- guavas on trees

Top 5
1. We have a new appreciation for food & its origins, we are living much closer to the source of our meals
2. Eating local is de rigeur.  We haven't seen any refrigerated vans on the road but I am sure that there are some but we have seen lots of local & roadside food stalls selling food grown in that particular area
3. Sustainability seems to be part of the overall process when growing in a controlled way, however much of the growth when in the jungle seems to be haphazard with items growing with little intervention so we are unclear as to whether proactive sustainability practices are in place
4. There seems to be food sources available for people to eat, we hope that this helps with managing hunger in this part of the world
5. We feel blessed to be able to enjoy the richness offered by this region

Khe sanh

We saw a real piece of history on our journey from Hue to Pakkse, Laos - Khe Sanh, one of the most remote outposts in the Vietnam war is just a few minutes from the Vietnam/Laos Lao Bao border. 

History is written by the victors & the Khe Sanh museum certainly captures one version of the Vietnam war.  The photos, images & reporting depict a gloriously powerful victor who easily scared off the US foe. Photograph captions are adorned with phrases such as 'Image of the petrified & desperately weak Amercians scurrying from the might of our troops' & 'The Americans had to toilet in their bunkers because they were hemmed in by firing.'  The Allied troops evacuated this battleground in a hurry & left a lot of equipment behind, some of which is displayed in the museum & some of which still stands where it was left. There were of course, the obligatory Vietnam war paraphernalia sales touts at the site.  We chose not to buy anything but are amazed that there is still so much 'memorabilia' left behind from a war 40 years ago & that so many people seem to believe it to be authentic.  While some of it might be, Vietnam & other SE Asian countries have the means & wherewithal to be able to recreate anything so there seems a high likelihood that these items may have been created too!

I had never really identified with the lyrics of the Cold Chisel song but have since googled them & found them depressing & confronting.   

Top 5
1. Bearing witness to history is always humbling
2. The bunkers & equipment in situ provide a unique insight into the size of the conflict
3. Photographic evidence of an historical event is compelling 
4. We are thankful that it is 40 years since this event & it can be remembered (in the streets of Vietnam) but hopefully never repeated
5. We have been provided with the opportunity to reflect on this war & the commercialisation that has been borne out of it.  It bears thinking about. 

Oops we did it again!

We vowed that after last year's exploits & our recent train experience in Vietnam that that would be the end of Vietnamese train travel for us.  However, we found ourselves again, waiting for a train. We were leaving the Hoi An/Danang region to journey to Hue.  This is ostensibly a short journey but unfortunately it is not!

it is 42 degrees, the train is late (we are coming to understand that this is normal) & the waiting room is filling up so much, with more people crushing in that I need to escape outside.  People are armed with all of the typical accoutrements of Vietnamese travel - bird cage (check), many cardboard boxes (check), lots of little plastic bags carried & tied onto other boxes & bags (check).  Amongst the impending passengers are a husband & wife with just-born twins.  The woman is clearly just out of hospital, still wearing a nightie, dressing gown, slippers & an odd, shower-cap-like hat.  Goodness me, what an inauspicious beginning to life, having to wait for a train in this heat & then take it.  I hope that they are at least in a cabin rather than a seat.

Finally, the train arrived.  We clambered aboard, having to scale over 2 sets of train tracks & walk on rock as the train hadn't pulled up near the platform.  The new parents & twins were in the cabin berths with us - whew, a small mercy.  We walked into our cabin to find a mother & 2 small kids on the bottom bunks.  The woman indicated that we could take the top bunks but unfortunately for her, we had paid extra for the 2 bottom bunks & had also paid for a third bunk as you need to pay for a bunk per person, except if kids are very little (as indicated by height rather than age).  The key issue that she hadn't appreciated was that there was little hope of R or I being able to scale the top bunk & we also needed a bunk to store our 6 bags.  The lady moved up to the bunk, we got all of our stuff sorted finally & settled in, waiting for the train to depart.  I went to check & alas, the last carriage wasn't yet adhered & several people were waiting on the platform for this to happen before we could depart.  
The art of patience must first have been cultivated in Vietnam!

After a long time, we left - hurrah! We were treated to picturesque scenery of beach, green vegetation & mountain ranges.  It is known as one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world & having done it a few times, I can agree.  

We spent the journey watching the world go by, sleeping (some of us) & playing with the kids in the top bunk.  It was pleasant enough until the end when it was seemingly the end of days & everyone tried to get out of the one narrow corridor with their bags, boxes, birdcages & babies - at the one time.  Only horizontal queueing works here, with order being survival of the pushiest. 

The Hue station taxis are effectively mafia-controlled so we had little choice but to take the price offered as all of the other taxi drivers we asked provided the same amount.  We were very thankful that the journey was a short one as it was only in getting into the car that we realised that there were no door handles in the back seat & the door & window controls in the front were locked (because I tried them after some signalling from the back seat).  We gladly exited the taxi at our destination & paid the driver to go away.  We had planned to have 2 days & two nights in Hue before having to leave at 6am on the third morning to start our journey into Laos.  However, the seemingly quick & simple train journey meant that we actually just arrived into Hue, sweaty, exhausted, tired & hungry, just in time to go for dinner & bed.  We had decided to take the train because it was so much less than driving ie $20 compared to $80 & ostensibly the same amount of time.  On reflection, there's a reason that we like to take private cars, because even though they cost more, they generally mean you have a little more control of the journey & the time & state of arrival at our destination.  

Top 5
1. We got from Hoi An to Hue
2. We had yet another fun-filled, adventurous transport experience
3. We got to witness strength in the shape of the just-born twins, just-released from hospital mother, & newly-responsible, protective father on the train
4. We had a chance to relax on our luggage & play some UNO due to the wait time 
5. I got to see how quickly I could go through an entire box of tissues mopping my brow/cheeks/chin etc due to the heat & the compression of other humans in the waiting room (very quickly)

Up, up & away & again...

Miss C really wanted a balloon.  She consistently begged us from the moment we arrived in Hong Kong & then all through Myanmar.  So, when we arrived in Siem Reap & were going to be there for 8 days we thought this was the time for that purchase.

We had our first rest day of the holiday, planning to do nothing much except take a wander around the block.  It was a Sunday so there were lots of Vietnamese people out taking a break & enjoying the day.  We had been told that there was a park to play in so we were excited to see this.  We found some gardens & open space rather than any playground equipment but happily played tag & hide & seek for some time.

As we sat down to eat our cobbled-together picnic lunch, we were very delighted to see several chameleons running by us at different places in the park.  I have never seen one of these & certainly never seen it in the process of changing colour so it was doubly good.  The chameleon in the photo below emerged from the bush green & was in the process of changing to brown to continue its journey in the dirt.

C was having a good time but she knew that balloon-buying was on the cards so she was pretty focused on this.  Two boys about 10 years old were selling a variety of different shaped balloons. C chose an enormous orange fish for which we paid USD3. She was very happy & started running, planning for it to stream out behind her - only it didn't! It flew way above her, escaping into the great clouds in the sky. The fish balloon had come off the string of its own accord & C had been the proud owner for less than a minute.  I didn't even get to take a photo of her with her fish as it all happened so quickly.  She was really upset.

So I marched back to the lads & gesticulated into the air that the balloon had gone & that I would like another one for $1, not wanting to rip them off but to also strike a fair agreement.  They understood the situation because they had seen it happen & said No another USD3 was required,  to which I replied Yes, I will give you USD1. They didn't know that I have 4 sisters & we have had ongoing Yes/No discussions for weeks at a time growing up.  I also had a weeping daughter at my side & a desire to enable her to have a balloon for more than a minutes  One boy quickly relented, however, the other was in it for the long haul. I asked C to point out which balloon she would like.  She chose a round balloon with hearts inside it - lovely.  I paid the boy my $1 & then he gave me the balloon.  It was only when we started walking away that I saw that half of the balloon he had given us was deflated.  I took the balloon back & told them this was not right.  The stubborn one said that was the $1 balloon.  I said, no it wasn't & picked another one out of the bunch.  The nice boy then tied a water bottle to the end of the balloon & gave this to C demonstrating that this would be better to manage the balloon.  I thanked him & again we set off.  C had just crossed the street & was going to run in the pack with her new gorgeous, hard-won balloon when it happened again! The balloon took off skyward never to return.  I couldn't believe it.  The balloon had come off the bottle provided by the balloon sellers.  It didn't seem as if a very good longterm business philosophy was being followed. Again, no photo because I was not quick enough.  I only got a photo of a dismayed soul after having lost 2 balloons.  The boys had been watching & looked a little sheepish.  We started to walk towards them to give them the water bottle back, when they got up & walked away.  Great.  We didn't buy another balloon.

In the park we saw a couple of brides getting photos done - just the brides.  This seems to be an individual shoot rather than wedding day photos.  Each of the brides had a professional encourage of 6-8 people which seemed extraordinary.

After all of this running & chasing, we were hungry & hot & needed a sit down.  We decided that the FCC - Foreign Correspondant's Club would be the perfect spot as it was 2 blocks from our hotel.  We had a lovely cocktaily end to a great day.

Top 5

1. The balloons sold in Cambodia are cheap & cute characters

2. It is better to have loved & lost than to never have loved at all (that's what we told C to console her on her dual losses)

3. Point of principle transcends any language barriers. We were happy to let it go the third time, having learnt our lesson but got to see a little of the Cambodian negotiating style.

4. Each new day presents new observations & new opportunities for learning.  We had several of each of these today even though we literally just went around the block.

5. Life is always better with a nice sit down & a relax at the end of the day.   

Fun times in Vientiane

We arrived in Vientiane at 3pm after a few hours in the car journeying from Thakke in Southern Laos. We checked into our hotel which looked like a construction site from the outside but a palace within.  We found out later that there is no construction going on (thankfully) but they just haven't paid much attention to the exterior.  Our room was enormous which was great!

We dumped our 6 bags & set off to explore.  The night market was just at the end of our street, nestled alongside our favourite Mighty Mekong so we headed that way. The market was still being set up so we wandered along the shore on a road which gets blocked off every afternoon & night so that people can walk & jog - nice! This was the first place that we have seen in SE Asia where people have discernible leisure time & leisure pursuits. We saw a lot of people walking & jogging along the pedestrian path & the road or just hanging out with friends having fun. 

We quickly chanced upon a large kids park which Miss C was very happy about.  The kids were curious about her but as this is the capital where there are innumerate NGOs, presumably with Westerners among the staff, they have probably seen more foreigners than most, even little girls.  C was able to join in a little with some kids which was nice & had a great time 'going on everything'. Like all parks we have encountered in this part of the world, there were several broken pieces of play equipment still in operation. As we continued to play, we saw a beautiful sunset which was lovely & bright.  

By now the market was in full swing so we started to have a look.  There were beautiful hand-woven items for sale everywhere as well as lots of clothes & souvenirs. It seems that this is a primary shopping destination for locals too as we saw lots of purchases made, especially of clothes.  We bought C a balloon (so expensive!!) because of her ill-fated Siem Reap balloon disasters where she had 3 balloons for a total of about a minute & because we were going to be here for a few days so she could keep it in the room.  She was very happy & cuddled it each day & night that we were in Vientiane.  We bought it from a pregnant minority lady so didn't begrudge the clearly highly inflated price.

As we were walking through the market we continued to hear aerobic-class kind of instructions which peaked our curiosity.  Finally I could bear it no longer & had to find the source of the noise. We mounted some steps to the riverside & came across a sea of people exercising in front of the Mekong. There were two large groups of people with more people continuously streaming in.  The classes of zumba-kind of movements are held everyday, irrespective of the weather & are 3000kip (40 cents) to attend.  They have been in play for 20 years having been started by a dancer who went to Thailand to learn her moves.  She has had to bring on some other teachers given how popular these sessions have become.  It was a great thing to watch & a really laudable everyday event.  People of all types were exercising against the backdrop of an expansive Mekong & a gloriously setting sun.  It was joyous experience.

Top 5
1. Stumbling into everyday fun & joy - at the park & on the riverside
2. Seeing so many people exercising in the blistering heat
3. Having the chance to spend a lot of time at a very big market
4. Being able to bring pleasure to C through the device of a balloon - who doesn't love a balloon
5. Enabling C to have some real kid time in a large park with lots of activities

Weaving to the jungle

We are currently in the Lao Spirit Jungle hotel.  Although it is only 15kms from Luang Prabang, it is a world away.  We are in a bungalow, in the trees, opposite an elephant camp & surrounded by mountains, jungle floor crawling with a multitude of animals & insects; & a jungle canopy dripping with fruit & vegetables of every kind.  We just arrived after an eventful tuk tuk ride from Luang Prabang over rough, mountainous roads made worse by recent rains.

I started this morning in the presence of a Master weaver who taught me to weave a silk placemat. I undertook this experience at Ock Pop Tot, a social enterprise (which makes a lot of money as advised by the Australian sales manager).  Weaving is the lifeblood of Laos for many women & a large part of what this organisation does is protect traditional crafts but also give the women in the north of Laos some work, purpose & hope.  A lot of Laos was previously growing opium.  The Laos government has put a stop to a lot of this growing in the last decade or so which is a good thing but there are whole communities with nothing to do & no skills except those learned in the drug trade.
OPT, among other social enterprises, has invested in these communities & taught the women to weave or enabled a distribution channel for their weaving & other traditional crafts.  OPT also invests in the communities overall by building schools & infrastructure which mean that these communities can continue to exist.  It is very laudable & after having learnt the basics of weaving, I understand why most of the weavings on offer are soooooooo expensive but even knowing the back story, it is hard to justify the costs asked, although I am attracted to several of the wall hangings on offer.

My weaving course started with a more typical Laos experience.  The 8.30am tuk tuk transfer didn't turn up.  Upon enquiring, I was told it was due between 8.30 & 9.00am, silly.  Hmmm, doesn't the class start at 9? 9/9.30 - same, same! I am coming to understand this cultural phenomena but struggling with the way it plays out.  I don't really care if the class starts at 9 or 9.30 but I care that I had to get up at 7am to pack because we were leaving LP today, have breakfast & be ready at the requested time.  If I had been told there was a variance in time, I would have walked there, ridden a bicycle or stayed in bed longer.  I honestly believe that when people make arrangements here, they believe them to be true at the time.  However, when the anointed time arrives & the plans change, the combination of them being laid back, buddhists (don't like or 'do' confrontation, except to smile) & not having a sense of urgency or customer service orientation mean that they rub up against tourist expectation.  When the tuk tuk arrived at 9.20am, I got in expecting to turn left.  Instead, we turned right & drove 10 minutes in the wrong direction to pick up 2 people who were at one of the other shops to then drive back 15 mins to the weaving centre.  My 9am class started at 10.15am after a slow welcome tamarind tea (delicious).  It is ok for this sort of thing to happen occasionally but it has happened at every tour or experience we have been involved in in Laos, except the drivers we have had from Avis who have always been on time or early.

The weaving started with a discussion about the colours of the dyes, each meaning something different & all equally beautiful so one couldn't really go wrong.  I was asked to choose between 2 traditional patterns, one representing strength & the other good health.  I chose the strength one as it looked easier.  The class was held in an open gallery looking out onto the Mekong (now my favourite river).  It was a beautiful combination of sensory pleasures - river views, the taste of the tamarind tea, the varied smells coming from the dyeing process, the feel of the silk & the clack, clack of the weaving loom.

I then chose my 2 silks from a cupboard full of glorious-coloured silks.  I was taught how to spin this silk so that it was suitable to weave.  This was a fairly easy process once I got the hang of it.  The hard part was sitting on the tiny stool & then getting up again!  With silk now spun, it was time to learn to weave.

I felt sorry for the Master weaver.  Surely she had other things to do! She was a good teacher & I was soon weaving away by myself with the occasional correction thrown in by her.  Initially, it was restful & surprisingly relaxing as I had to weave 22cms of the same pattern so it quickly became relatively easy to do.  Sooner than I expected however we got to the first pattern which necessitated the second colour being introduced.  This got a little trickier & the weaver spent a bit more time at my side.  There were several patterns to learn which required concentration-counting & remembering numbers of rows, which colours used etc.  After a couple of hours I was back to the plain colour and finally I was finished!

While I had been weaving, another class had been learning to dye silks.  This seemed like very hard work with a series of barks, tree roots, leaves, flowers & berries having to be cut, squeezed, boiled & then used.  It was incredibly laborious but produced beautiful results.

The traditional crafts all seem incredibly labour intensive but produce beautiful outcomes.  The difficulty for these women is the same as for craftspeople everywhere, managing the value proposition & trying to get back in $ what you have put in in terms of your time to produce the works.  It's not easy - maybe I will buy a weaving!

Top 5
1. Learning a new skill - love it!
2. Gaining an appreciation for a traditional craft
3. Understanding how all of the gorgeous colours are made, the derivations were really interesting
4. Being able to take the time to appreciate this experience on many levels
5. The sense of accomplishment with learning a new skill & having something to show for it.  I will use my new silk placement with pride

A deal with the sugar devil

Miss C recently made a deal with the sugar devil.  For the whole of our trip, she has been begging for some fairy floss.  Every day market, night market, beach front, city centre in every place we've been in, seems to sell fairy floss.  This confectionery snack is obviously just spoonfuls of sugar so we have obviously resisted the constant pestering.  When we arrived in Vientiane in Laos, we walked down to the Mekong riverfront where there was a kid's park.  We had a lovely time playing there for quite a while.  C quickly clocked the numerous fairy floss sellers so started her constant refrain. We said no, forgot about it & moved on.

The next night we were walking to the night market again for a look & to have dinner.  C asked if she could have fairy floss for dessert when one kid walked by us eating this treat.  We said no but this time I said, if she didn't eat any sugar for 5 days, then she could have one (thinking that this was a way to divert her from the subject as this would not be an achievable feat for her).  However, such was her desire & ultimately, her resolve, that she said 'OK, I agree".  Hmmm, I hadn't been serious.

Well the deal was struck & we then mused for a second about where we might find some fairy floss.  Without batting an eye or pausing for breath, C said "Follow me, I know where there will be some because the lady was selling it last night.  It will be with the kids, silly".  She was right! Her powers of deduction in sugar matters were quite astonishing.

She bought the fairy floss, loved every sugar particle & kept her word about no sugar for 5 days.  She was also very honest in checking in on particular foods to determine if they had sugar in them or not. So although we didn't like how committed she had been to securing herself some fairy floss, we were impressed with the way that she kept her deal & after 5 days, we celebrated with an ice-cream. Ah, back to normal!

Top 5
1. It is an admirable quality to know your desires & to commit to getting these met
2. Agreeing & delivering on a course of action is satisfactory for all parties
3. Fairy floss is delicious when you are young & skinny
4. A keen sense of observation is a good skill to acquire at any age; you never know when your observations will yield positive results
5. We have had no more requests for fairy floss-desire sated! We have had ongoing & continuous requests for sugar

Living Land Laos

Great day today.  The primary thing we learned is that rice should be MUCH more expensive than it is given the extraordinary amount of work that goes into creating it.  We spent the morning with the lovely people at the Living Land Community enterprise, 15 minutes from central Luang Prabang.  Our tuk tuk was late which resulted in an even more than usual hair-raising ride.  We are now resigned to this just being SE Asia.  

We were greeted by a smiling, conical hat rice grower & taken straight to the group presentation, just in time to see the mice & sparrow traps-nice! The multitude of tools for sowing, planting, growing, threshing & transforming rice were explained to us.  There are 13 steps in growing rice & the whole process takes a couple of months.  Rice growing is recognised as hard work with the Hmong people especially having large families to ensure that they have the built-in labour force to be able to sustain their rice-growing enterprises. 

The Living Land experience is set within an actual working farm & requires you to get down & dirty with the rice.  We were mud-free for the introduction & that's about it.

First we learnt to make things out of bamboo.  Bamboo is surprisingly strong & malleable.  We made cute grasshoppers & water buffalo; C was given 2 frogs & I won a bamboo crane. Lots of different kinds of baskets are used in the end-to-end rice process so bamboo has many, many uses.

We then learned how to make the tools for cutting rice - sythes & knives.  This was hot & dirty work. We learned about how to select this year's rice for next year's germination & had to use a bit of scientific knowledge here.  

Then we went out into the field.  It was time to get dirty.  We were asked to step into a rice paddy to see how the rice is spread onto the 'paddies' as one of the first steps in growing rice.  Rice paddies are just mud, deep, squishy, quick-sand-like.  We then met the water buffalo Suzuki & a few people experienced ploughing behind this massive & very hard-working creature.  It looked really difficult. R partook & had a fun time.  Next it was time to plant the rice.  Rice that had been growing for approximately a week in drier paddies is used to plant deep into wet paddies.  Little dams are created between one rice paddy & another to ensure a steady stream of water.  The planted rice was approximately 20 cms tall & had to go right in.  Planting rice is a community affair as it has to be done in one day.  Neighbours come & help neighbours with this task with the understanding that the favour will be returned which seems like a good thing.  

One of the most impressive attributes of the rice growing process is the sustainable approach undertaken.  Weeding the rice paddies is an absolutely critical & ongoing task that must be undertaken everyday & is done only by the family, no community involvement unfortunately.  The weeds are pulled out, knotted & then buried in the rice paddy to decompose & become fertiliser to keep the ground rich and strong. 

I got stuck in the mud, unable to move at all & had to be helped out which probably rules me out as a rice farmer.  We then had a look at some rice that was growing on stalks for a few weeks.  There was a tough exterior & inside was a wet rice kernel.  

Then it was time to cut the rice.  The sycthes were used to 'thresh' the rice stalks.  They are really sharp & seemingly cause some injuries.  The cut stalks are bundled & left to dry in the sun for a week before being taken & beaten to remove rice from the stalks.  With both of these processes, specific knots & manoeuvres are used to manage the rice.  There is definitely beauty in everyday things in the rice growing process.  It takes some muscle to get the rice off the stalks & again, everything is used. The stalks are used for compost, animal feed or animal bedding. Nothing is wasted.  The other part of the entire process that appealed is the 'clean as you go' nature of what happens.  It is all thoroughly sensible. We then saw & carried the three types of baskets used in Lao to transport rice & other goods.  They were heavy, Lao women must be really strong! 

Rice is then ready to pummel using a large machine.  It is then sorted & sifted by women.  A woman needs to be able to perform this delicate task before she gets married.  There were a couple of women who were not married in our group who eagerly undertook this task in front of their boyfriends.  Rice is then ready for refining into flour for noodles & then further refined for rice wine.  Each of these tasks is extremely labour intensive & makes me think that noodles should also be much more expensive that they are!

We then saw some rice cooking with bamboo steamers.  Lao use the rice water in the shower to keep their hair shiny & their skin soft.  We then had to work like buffalo & squeeze sugar cane into a lovely drink & all that was left was to sample the rice products that had been made for us - sweet & sour snacks & rice wine.  We also had to feed the farm cat who took a shine to Miss C.  On the way out I asked about the bamboo tea strainers & two old men made them for me while I waited.  I was most impressed.  This was a wonderful experience, delivered with such good humour.  Thank you Living Land Community.  

Top 5

1. We love seeing behind the scenes.  It is important to be able to think & reflect on how easy our lives are seemingly everyday on the back of others' hard work & expertise.

2. The Living Land guides & workers were all so giving & happy.  It was lovely being around people who are committed to what they are doing

3. New rice snacks were tasted & enjoyed.  We will now have a larger selection for car trip snacks because of today

4. The joy of learning to make a simple toy (even badly) is wonderful

5. Putting yourself in others' shoes & experiencing so many new skills & tasks in such a short time was invigorating.  

5. Crossing Yangon by bridge

We decided that a quiet day was in order.  A short walk from the Chatrium hotel to the kid's park that we had seen a couple of times rushing by in a taxi & perhaps a walk around the lake.

It was typically a very hot day so we grabbed some water, sunscreen & set off.
We made it to the park without incident, dodging the open man holes enabling the unfocused a one-way ticket into the depths of Myanmar drains.

C had a great time & made a couple of quick park friends.  Unfortunately some of the equipment was broken but she still managed to try most things & have a good time.  We were pooped as we had had to help her try these things in the hot, hot sun.  

 

So, off for a quick drink pitstop & to select a restaurant for lunch that was within walking distance. We saw one from our drinks station & it looked pretty close, just half-way around the lake. Our perception of distance this day was a little off as after what seemed like hours on a very old, very rustic, very shaky, very, very, very long bridge, we finally arrived at our target restaurant.  The bridge was undergoing repairs (target areas marked by a white cross).  These repairs were then undergoing rigorous testing which consisted of a man riding along on a bicycle with a high visibility vest on & we assumed that if he was able to ride along & not fall in, then the repairs passed muster.  The bridge was a typically Burmese image with enormous lotus leaves in the lake & if not for the concentration required for each step, would have been an incredibly beautiful experience.  We gratefully piled into a passing taxi & spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool which we have come to love & given the heat, really, really appreciate.

 










Top 5
1. Even setting off for a site seemingly just in the distance, can contribute a wonderful travel memory
2. There is a feeling of endorsement when confronting a very familiar site which one has not experienced such as a burmese wooden bridge.
3. There was a shared trepidation by all of the people crossing the bridge which made us (me) feel a little less whimpy
4. Miss C was most thankful that she has such a strong & kind father who transported her on his shoulders almost the entire bridge crossing.  This was above & beyond a normal parenting requirement.
5. Lunch & cold water never tasted so good

Soon

This trip has comprised several long journeys by plane, car, long boat, ferry, car ferry, row boat, tuk tuk, cyclo, mini-van, sengthaw, bicycle, e-bike.

The consistent question posed by Miss C, in a long tradition of kids everywhere wishing for 'arrival' has been:

"Mummy, when are we going to get there?"
My response is always "Soon"
C's follow up question has also been consistent, "How long is Soon?"
My witty response that makes me smile every time & makes her groan is: "Soon is less time than you think and more time that you hope"

I love it!

Animals on bikes

I love to pack & organise so loaded vehicles of any sort are a source of endless fascination.  I was delighted to be able to capture these animals on bikes because all of my 'on the road' pictures are take at speed through dirty windows.  I am less comfortable with what may lie in wait for these animals on bikes but we (especially C) have definitely gained a greater appreciation for 'farm to road to plate' eating.