Hill Tribe kids (the one in the green was a classic!)Laos is an incredible country. It's beautiful, the landscape is spectacular, the people are so friendly and the food is great. It is also a country which is still struggling with significant adversities. The average life expectancy here is 53 years. Forty per cent of the population is under 15. In some areas, one in four children die before aged 6. It is the most bombed country, per capita, ever in the history of warfare - and about a third of those bombs did not explode, meaning there is unexploded ordinance everywhere, just waiting for a bamino to come and play with it. So difficulties are everywhere, but this does not stop the Lao from smiling and being friendly and accomodatiing. With the stats above, you can probably tell that there are a lot of babies around - and they're the cutest things. Have had to stop myself adopting them all, several times!! It's awesome to see them Nop you (the prayer like geture similar to the Thai Wai) and say sabadii (hello).
Fot this part of the trip I am with a tour, all of whom are lovely. It's a small world as two of them went to college with one of my closest school friends, Soph. I've also just run into a girl I went to school with which is pretty funny - of all the bakeries in all the world... Our tour leader, Tui, is a Lao man and is hilarious.
We crossed into Laos at the border town of Houay Xai and from there, caught a slow boat over two days down the Mighty Mekong river, stopping in Pakbeng for a night before arriving in Luang Prabeng yesterday. Meandering down the mekong was so relaxing - lots of reading and playing cards and sunbaking. We stopped in on a couple of Hill Tribes who only see Westerners every three or four months. The kids took great delight in watching us take photos of them and then show them on our digital cameras. We also stopped in at Pak Ou caves and the Whiskey village.
Fot this part of the trip I am with a tour, all of whom are lovely. It's a small world as two of them went to college with one of my closest school friends, Soph. I've also just run into a girl I went to school with which is pretty funny - of all the bakeries in all the world... Our tour leader, Tui, is a Lao man and is hilarious.
We crossed into Laos at the border town of Houay Xai and from there, caught a slow boat over two days down the Mighty Mekong river, stopping in Pakbeng for a night before arriving in Luang Prabeng yesterday. Meandering down the mekong was so relaxing - lots of reading and playing cards and sunbaking. We stopped in on a couple of Hill Tribes who only see Westerners every three or four months. The kids took great delight in watching us take photos of them and then show them on our digital cameras. We also stopped in at Pak Ou caves and the Whiskey village.
Getting to Luang Prabang was nice as it meant a flushing toilet and a hot shower - who'd have thought those things would be so nice. We had Indian for dinner last night and indulged in some night market shopping. Although everything is uber cheap (7,000 Kip to the Aussie Dollar) I am spending a lot!!! Everything here is beautiful and high quality.
The food is incredible - Lao coffee has got to be the best in the world, made with condensed milk so it is sweet and smooth. The french colonial influence has brought fresh bread and croissants which are among the best I've ever had - in fact better than Jackman & McRoss'!! I'm drinking so much beer Lao it's not funny - $1.20 for a long neck of some of the best beer in the world.
This is a place where you realise how lucky you are, every minute that you are here. On one level, I am a lucky girl because I have electricity and hot water and more than 3 years of education (the average here). On another level, I have got to be one of the luckiest people alive to have seen the sunsets I've seen, the rollicking hills surrounding the Mekong, meeting the Hill tribes, and being able to have the fantastic meals I've had. I'm also incredibly lucky to have you guys back home and I miss and love you all very much. I am also missing Australian domestic politics (tragic), haloumi cheese, cooking at home, and my jewellery (pathetic)!!!
Take care all and looking forward to hearing more from home, much love, Sophie.
The food is incredible - Lao coffee has got to be the best in the world, made with condensed milk so it is sweet and smooth. The french colonial influence has brought fresh bread and croissants which are among the best I've ever had - in fact better than Jackman & McRoss'!! I'm drinking so much beer Lao it's not funny - $1.20 for a long neck of some of the best beer in the world.
This is a place where you realise how lucky you are, every minute that you are here. On one level, I am a lucky girl because I have electricity and hot water and more than 3 years of education (the average here). On another level, I have got to be one of the luckiest people alive to have seen the sunsets I've seen, the rollicking hills surrounding the Mekong, meeting the Hill tribes, and being able to have the fantastic meals I've had. I'm also incredibly lucky to have you guys back home and I miss and love you all very much. I am also missing Australian domestic politics (tragic), haloumi cheese, cooking at home, and my jewellery (pathetic)!!!
Take care all and looking forward to hearing more from home, much love, Sophie.
1 comment:
dear sophie, its never tragic to miss austalian politics, having just spent a few days in our fair capital i understand completely! Kevin rudd gold "That (extremist muslim cleric) is a few sandwiches short of a picnic..." pissed self when i heard that. tassie is good but misses you. but nice to know there are people out there like you, enjoying the travel but being aware at the same time. love it. love you.
stay safe love mel
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