LAOS IS THE LAST INDO-CHINESE "DIAMOND" IN MY BACKYARD

I was in Laos in Nov last year. Arriving in Luang Prabang (LP), I saw a wedding photo shoot in Wat Xieng Thong, the most prestigious temple there. The couple was dressed to look like royals. LP was the capital of the Lane Xiang Kingdom and has been recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is located at the confluence of the Lam Khan and Mekong Rivers.

UNESCO requires that all new buildings to be erected have to follow architectural guidelines and design of the hitherto existing buildings to preserve its status. This house has complied with that requirement. The owner should be a person of means.

He was busy photographing the monk and novices and I him.

Bamboo toll bridge across the river leading to a restaurant on the other bank.

Artist hard at work with three admirers.

This modern building housing a restaurant is also compliant to architectural requirements.

Most visitors to LP will end up in the night market which sells many things, from cooked food to clothing.

LP at night. This end of the street has all the shops that cater to needs of visitors. The people from the higher ends will lodge in another segment with expensive hotels and restaurants.

A LP tuk tuk with dazzling colours.

Cruising down the Mekong to visit Pak Ou Caves. Everyone is hale and hearty in anticipation of the sights to behold.

In preparation for more Chinese investment and influence. The bridge is constructed by the Chinese to link Vientiane to China. Update: Construction of the bridge has been completed and it carries a rail link with a bullet train running from Kunming, China, to Vientiane, Laos and vice versa.

On the way, we stopped at Ban Xiang Hai to witness the production of rice wine and to taste it. Our guide, Tou, explains the process and types. See a few bottles with cobras in them? 

From Ban Xiang Hai, a view upriver.

Across from the caves, this hill looks like its composed of limestone.

A steep staircase up to the cave that is open.

Hundreds of statues of Buddha or other deities are placed in the cave by villagers over the years. Some 200 m away is another cave which is connected to this one that is open. I wonder what my friend, David, is shooting from up there.

LAOS - Cont'd

Typical Lao fare - Kangkong (Morning Glory in Laos and other former Indo-Chinese countries), satay of sorts and fried fish.

Tribal outfits at the Minorities Arts Centre for adults.

And for children, skirts. Weaving is a time-tested skill of Laotians. They produce excellent silk pieces. Unfortunately, the clothing market has been penetrated by imitations from China. So, one has to have skilled eyes to select the right McCoy.

LP is nestled among hills and mountains and two rivers.

A pretty model showing her tribal costume at Le Parasol Blanc where we had dinner. 

And a male model adorning his tribal costume. Altogether 15 outfits were shown.

Monks collecting alms before sunrise by which time, they should be back at their temples. Many groups of monks will appear as there are many temples and monasteries in LP. My friend who became a novice in Thailand said that the monks and novices were allowed one main meal per day. However, because job openings are scarce, many young people choose to be monks so as not to have to compete for jobs.

LP Market is makeshift. After business is done, the stalls pack up. There are many stalls selling lots of stuff for daily and other needs. Strolling in the market is interesting for this reason. At times, even meat of rare and endangered animals like Pangolin or bears can be found. WWF may come to inspect and apprehend sellers but the trade survives. 

Small fish (like Anchovies) are skewered, possibly to be barbecued later. Many varieties are also sold. Although they are freshwater, they don't taste like the fish in China which have may, at times, have a "mud" smell and taste.

Fresh vegetables and roots.

Freshwater crabs nicely wrapped.

Fresh mushrooms.

Barbecued meat - beef or water buffalo?

Feet of water buffaloes with skin attached.

Hmong village shaman.

LAOS - Cont'd

This girl doesn't seem happy that I took her photo.

Khouangsi Waterfalls - about 25 km from LP.

 

Some people may swim in this "pool" as it's big and fairly deep.

Cascading pools.

Top of the falls.

Wat Xieng Thong is the most prestigious temple in LP. This is the sim of the wat.

The funeral chapel of the wat.

A rather rare reclining Buddha stored in a separate hall. It was displayed in France for some years before being returned here.

Mosaic of the Buddhist way of life for followers adorns one of the walls of a side hall.

A mosaic of the Tree of Life.

Statue of King Sisavang Vong who reigned as the king Of LP from 1904 - '46 and as king of Laos from 1946 - '59. This is found in the National Memorial at the former Royal Palace.

These naga-adorned carriages are used for carrying the Buddha statue from Wat Xieng Thong during an annual festival in LP. On display are a few vintage cars used by Royalty in the past. Photos are prohibited.

Happy children of tribal ethnicity at a village we passed by

Infant on grandma's back

We visited this home of a Hmong tribesman. Notice that he has a fridge. All things that need to be done domestically are done within the four walls. Tou is showing us how a meal is being prepared. The owner is the chief of this tribe. He plants food needed within his compounds and is the owner of several guns for hunting animals for meat.

Happy Hmong children playing outside the house we visited.

The town of Sala Phoukhoun on the way from LP to Phonsavanh, where we stopped for lunch. The journey is quite arduous as the roads are windy and go over mountainous terrain. The distance is about 300 km but the journey takes 7-8 hours.

LAOS - Cont'd

Tou giving us a run down of the Plain of Jars in Phonsavanh Province. Altogether there are some 92 sites where the jars can be found, of which only 3 are open to the public. We are at Site 2. Site 3 is reachable by walking for about 30 minutes over fair terrain. Many theories exist as to the origin of the jars - for water storage, burial, etc. The explanation passed down through the generations by word of mouth is that a king placed them there for water storage, as this area does not see lots of rain.

The area is inundated with bomb craters like this, probably from a bomb dropped by an American B-52 bomber. The ground appears scorched too because of Agent Orange dropped to destroy trees so that Vietcong soldiers and civilians and trucks along the Ho Chin Minh Trail may be flushed out and bombed. And Laos was not even involved in the Vietnam War. Agent Orange causes defects to foetal development resulting in many children born with deformities, many of whom are alive today.    

Me and my traveling companions at Site 2. The Plain of Jars is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A sample of jars in Site 2. Bombing by American Air Force bombers has destroyed many jars or broken them. Most jar covers were also destroyed.

The effects of Agent Orange are more visible in this pic for even after the war ended in 1973, trees cannot be seen.

On the way to Site One, I captured this image. Planting vegetables is a back-breaking job?

Site One is a relatively small site found on a hilltop.

Wat Piawak in Mouang Khoun with a burnt Buddha statue dating back to 1564. The town was a thriving one in its heydays. Due to wars, the only significant thing left is the Buddha statue for even the wat itself was almost burnt to the ground.

The renowned That Foun Stupa which is about 450 years old. It was once "buried" in jungle until it was re-discovered.

We went to the MAG (Mine Advisory Group) Information Centre in Phonsavanh to see some exhibits and watch a one-hour movie on the effects of American bombing of Laos. Some 2.2m tons of munitions were dropped on the Ho Chin Minh Trail straddling both Vietnam and Laos over 9 years (1964 - '73), every 8 minutes, 24/7. This makes Laos the most densely bombed country per capital in the World! MAG is an NGO from Australia who taught the Laotians how to spot and remove or destroy bombs and mines which have been not been detonated. It is estimated though that to date, only a small percentage (0.3%) of such has been destroyed. People continue to get maimed and killed by bombs and mines left in the ground.

Silkworms at a mulberry farm run as a social enterprise of sorts by a famous Laotian lady who was recognised for her efforts with a Magsaysay Award given by the Philippines. Mulberry leaves are fed to the silkworms and can be made into mulberry tea too.

Silkworm cocoons being boiled to extract the threads to be woven into silk.

This section deals with the process of dying silk. The dyes are organic as they are made from mulberry leaves.

I don't really know what these star wars-looking creatures at the Phonsavanh Market are but they may be some kind of local delicacy. (Afternote: a viewer recently informed me that they are bees in the formative stage)

Pig''s ears and trotters. Will appeal to those who love Saukraut or braced pig's trotters.

A fresh chicken seller in the market. Funnily, most of the stall owners are female. I like the neat arrangements, maybe because the boss is female?