Travels

It’s 6:45 in the morning and the roosters have been crowing for almost an hour. Overnight it poured rain, and this morning it’s surprisingly cool for a Lao morning in the middle of April.

We’re in Luang Prabang, the old Royal Capital in northern Lao. We arrived yesterday after a 35-minute flight from Vientiane, the Lao Capital. Nin and her family, Randall, and Cathy and I have all come to Luang Prabang for Pi Mai (Lao New Year), perhaps the most popular holiday in the Lao calendar.

It already seems like we’ve been in Lao forever even though we only left Canada less than a week ago. We had a fairly uneventful trip although there were some problems with our electronic ticketing that caused some head scratching on the part of Thai airlines. Something about “…the Air Canada record not matching some other record.” Who knows? In 2007 you’d think they could get their computers to talk to each other. And I did reconfirm the flights three weeks before we left.

Anyway, we got to Vientiane on time, but our bags didn’t. Mine came the next day, and Cathy’s the day after. Not a big deal, but after several visits we were getting to know the inside of the Wattay airport luggage area, and the people who worked there.

Nin, Sivone, Vanh, Kesone, and Peter all came to the airport to meet us. After spending an age going over the baggage thing, we headed back to their house where we had lunch to kick off what seems to have been non-stop eating since then. Luckily, except for the copious quantities of Beer Lao, the food seems fairly modest in calories, and people don’t eat many sweets. Still, it’s hard to figure out how Nin, Kesone, and their friends can eat so much and still stay slim.

The day after we arrived we went on a Vientiane city tour. While many things in city are timeless—the Wats, That Luang, the Mekong River, and the happy, friendly people—the rest of the city has changed a lot since our last visit in 1995, and everything seems to be under construction. There are new buildings going up everywhere, and holes and excavations are lurking all over to trap unwary drivers. The airport is a new, modern facility, and a far cry from the airport we landed in on our last trip where we seemed to be the only white faces, and where there wasn’t a word of English written or spoken.

On the evening before we left for Luang Prabang, Sivone and Vanh organized a Baci ceremony for Cathy and I, followed by a party with still more eating, and many toasts to friendship, family, and Pi Mai.

The ladies started arriving in mid afternoon, and prepared an enormous meal of sticky rice, lap, BBQ, and other tasty dishes whose names I don’t remember or, more likely, never knew.

At one point, Nin had to go to the market to get more beef because, somehow, 1.5kg of meat had been “lost”. It seems the meat wasn’t really “lost”, however, but rather “enjoyed’ by the family’s two dogs who, uncharacteristically, didn’t bother to mooch for food but rather went and collapsed into sleep with their bloated bellies and guilty expressions.

A Baci ceremony may be performed before people leave for a trip, when they arrive home, as part of a wedding, before a man goes off for military service, etc. The ceremony is to bring the souls of the 32 parts of the body that have a tendency to wander back to the physical body. This helps to ensure a good health and a long life.

The centerpiece of the ceremony is a Phakouan, made of banana-leaf cones and flowers. On the tray there are also a cooked chicken, eggs, candles, incense, kid’s snacks, and white cotton threads that radiate out from the Phakouan.

After the candles and incense are lit, the shaman communicates with the spirits, and then ties a piece of the cotton thread around each participant’s wrist. Then others tie pieces of the string around one another’s wrists and wish them happiness, prosperity, good luck, and long life.

Cathy and I were touched by how many people wanted to greet us, and wish us the best. Our wrists are adorned with many strings. The strings are to be kept on for at least three days—a visual reminder of good wishes and friendships.

After the Baci we ate the lovely meal the ladies had prepared, and spent the rest of the evening visiting, laughing and enjoying ourselves. As few people spoke English, Sivone and Nin were kept busy translating, but smiles went a long ways when words failed.

I’m not sure what time the last diehards packed it in, but it was the wee hours of the morning. And yet, by 6:00 the next morning, the borrowed tables and chairs had disappeared, and the same ladies who had prepared everything the night before returned and made short work of the dishes and cleanup.

Nin’s family, and their extended family and friends, have given us a truly wonderful welcome. They’ve made us feel at home, and we feel like we have a Lao family as well.

The roosters have stopped crowing, and it’s just about time to head off for breakfast and then more Pi Mai festivities.

Today, people are getting prepared for tomorrow’s procession of the Golden Buddha from Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham to Wat Xieng Thong. They’re also soaking each other, and everyone else who walks by, with water. But that story will have to wait for next time.

Gord