Laos - From New Years to Elephant Treks!

We were awoken early our first day in Laos to music pulsing from temples and gatherings in the streets as Laotians welcomed their New Year.  Everyone flocked to the temples with buckets of flowered water to wash the Buddha statues and give thanks and prayers to their ancestors and to make their wishes for the coming year.  It was joyous and very moving to participate alongside the Laotians in their beautiful tradition of giving thanks.

After visiting the temples, we moved with everyone to celebrate in the streets and partake in their playful tradition of pouring water on people to wish them a prosperous year ahead.  Strangers ran up to us and gave us a thorough dousing of water – squirt guns, buckets, hoses – anything was fair game.  The boys loved running around attacking people with their large squirt guns. In addition to soaking us on the outside, people also just handed us beers to soak our insides!  We all agreed that this was one of the best New Year’s we have ever celebrated.  The Lao people know how to have fun!  Plus there was the added benefits of being consistently soaked during a 100 degree day and being able to actually ring in the New Year with our boys.

We had a sobering experience the following day visiting the COPE museum and learning what happened when Laos was caught in the Vietnam War that was raging on its Eastern border.  The North Vietnamese used the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos to shuttle its troops and supplies to fight the war in South Vietnam.  The US wanted to stop the supply lines and thus Laos became the most heavily bombed country ever – despite the fact that they were never officially even in the war.  On average, there was a bombing mission every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day for 9 years, dropping thousands of bombs each time.  About 30% of the cluster bombs never exploded upon impact and, 40 years later, they still exist in the ground, causing casualties and hindering farmers and other people going about their daily lives.  Luke decided to write a letter to President Obama and the American Ambassador in Laos asking why we weren’t doing more to clean up our mess (see attached). 

After a few days in the capital of Vientiane, we headed north to Luang Prabang, a picturesque, quiet, travelers’ town along the Mekong River.   Here we tried to stay cool in the 95 degree heat by taking boat trips up the river to Buddhist Caves, jumping off rope swings into refreshing waterfalls, and bathing friendly elephants in the river. 

We all loved the 24 hours we spent at the Elephant Camp, learning how to ride and take care of elephants.  Previously, we had ridden on the back of an elephant, but riding on its neck without anything to hold onto (except its ears!), was more unstable than we thought it would be.  The elephants were gentle and kind and took care of us during their daily routine.  Our favorite experience was picking them up from the jungle in the morning and taking them into the river for a needed bath.  Swimming next to them when their trunk suddenly appears and shoots water up from below the muddy water is quite the memorable experience.   

Laos is a communist country of only 7 million people who make on average $1,100/year.  Although income is not high, people seem to be healthy and happy, and there is a vibrant feel to the country that fills you with life.  Based on the attitude of the people and the unbridled capitalism, Laos is clearly not an old Soviet-style communist country.  The economy is sustained by small businesses, many supporting the tourist trade.  We even visited a hip-hop bar one night that was as Western as it gets.

We will always remember Laos for the exuberant New Years festival and for the visions and sounds of the villagers along the river at sunset.  As naked children giggled and splashed in the slow moving river, men fished with make-shift nets and families repaired their boats for work the following day.  We only had one week to spend in Laos, but it feels like we experienced one month’s worth of adventures. 

Luke's letter to President Obama is here.