Monday, June 21, 2004
Gotta Love It
In my father's words, on Father's day (though posted late)!
Okay, I've delayed writing about Laos long enough! I was there two months ago! Unacceptable! Sorry, but this posting is going to be a lot of listing, taken from the notes that I jotted during my trip.
I think Laos was my favorite place. The people were friendly (my taxi driver insisted on opening my door for me each time I got in). The salespeople in the market weren't pushy (refreshing after the shrill "mister, you buy this" in Cambodia). They often sleep in their stalls in the afternoon heat--there's only just enough room with their merchandise piled high all around them (also in Cambodia). Flowers bloom everywhere and the cute cobblestone streets are without much traffic. There's just a pleasing slower pace of life. Butterflies at the airport. Hellos, but not harassment. Kids playing in the street and riding their bicycles (and a group who tried to talk to me could speak French, but not English).
And I loved seeing all the bright-orange robed monks. Every morning old women (and a few men) line up on the sidewalk in front of their local Buddhist pagoda at 5:30 am, when the sky is only just beginning to pale. They sit on small stools or kneel on colored straw mats they've brought with them. Each one has a folded sash over their shoulder, like a beauty queen almost. The monks collect a clump of rice from each person, putting it in a silver urn slung over a shoulder. They walk barefoot, single file from youngest to oldest, in groups of about 20. Many young men become a monk for a few years and don't seem to be shy to admit it's largely to get free education. Afterwards, they become teachers, farmers, taxi drivers. I couldn't help but think about it as their version of army service.
Middle-aged women whisper "smoke" to the tourists in the market (and they're not talking about cigarettes). I had hearWesternersots of Westerns go to Laos (Golden Triangle) to do drugs, but didn't see it as visibly as I would have imagined. No opium dens that I saw, but a few tourists I took a boat ride to the waterfall with had smoked some pot the night before. And I saw one guy walking down the street that was obviously not in a sober state of mind, clinging a Pringles can in his hand (must have brought those from outside the country).
A group of soldiers play checkers on a board that is part of the big, stone table, using bottle caps as pieces. Another group of middle-aged men, money exchanging hands. About 50 people taking part in an aerobics class in a park by the Mekong River in Vientiane. Like Malaysia and Indonesia, Laos has lots of rock-star types (i.e. men with long hair).
I saw a lot of double-cab Toyota trucks, Lexus SUVs, Landcrusiers. Aren't those expensive cars for such a poor country?! And I found out that government employees, including teachers, only make $15 US/month.
Actually, I didn't see much overt poverty, perhaps another reason for this to be an easy place to visit. There were a few cots with mosquito netting set up on the street, but hardly any compared to Cambodia.
Pumpkin soup--yum.
What's missing in the US? Street cafes, where you can hang out, read, or people watch for hours, buying only a cheap cup of tea. Life in SE Asia is lived on the streets. We're so separate and private!
There was no air conditioning on the flight I took from the capital Vientiane to Luang Prabang. An American woman drove me crazy because she was behaving like a spoiled brat: she was feeling sick and complained in a very mean, rude way about the lack of A/C. She said, "this is a pretty small bag" about the vomit bag in a condescending, sarcastic way. She said that next time she'd take the bus. Since the bus is 12 hours, always crowded, and most likely without A/C, that would hardly be a better choice. It was one of those situation where I felt ashamed of her behavior, even though she was a stranger, because I thought it reflected poorly on all of us.
I had a massage in Luang Prabang (and another in Chiang Mai, Thailand). It cost about $4 for an hour. There were several mattresses on the floor, separated by hanging sheets. It amuses me how they use their whole body (feet, elbows) and one even did a superman flying kind of thing! They provide you with loose fitting clothes, like scrubs almost. But of course not as good as Mom's massages!
Good luck at the Guesthouse
I met Vilay, a Laotian woman, in the airport who owned a guesthouse and decided to follow her to it. It was on a cobblestone street and in an old house that is protected by UNESCO as a heritage site. Only problem is, UNESCO restrictions prevent her from doing some upgrading/repairs.
Her cousin is a teacher and there was a party for his students at the house that night. So I got to be part of the festivities (that was the main reason I decided to go with her!). I'm pretty sure that it was a vocational training school and the students were about 18-20. Some of the teachers I spoke with were only 22 or 23 themselves. The kids prepared and served the food. There were maybe 50 students and I was a bit surprised to see them drinking beer and pink colored wine with their teachers. But I guess it wasn't high school, so maybe not that weird.
Old neighbors came to the house to perform a traditional ceremony. They tie white strings to your wrists, mutter blessings, and rub the place where they tie it on. I got to participate, too! The prayers are for good luck, success, money, etc. and you're supposed to leave the strings on for 3 days. The, the people joined together and touched, so they formed a unit, all connected. The ones in the middle touched the centerpiece, a tower of flowers, rice cakes and sweets. Then they chanted some prayers and ate the sweets.
Vilay is 33 and she has a French boyfriend she met when he came to Laos. I'm always suspect of Western men with their Asian girlfriends, but in the airport I saw a white man with his Laotian wife and he was changing their baby's diaper. Vilay also mentioned other people judging her, but said that she liked Western men because she doesn't like women having to do all the housework, as it is expected in Laos.
Encounters
I met a British woman who was working at a refugee camp just over the Afghan-Pakistan border, doing a lot of psychology work and counseling. The year before she had been in Sri Lanka. She got her MA at the School of Oriental and African Studies, a place I'm considering. It was great to meet someone with similar interests and some work experience. We met up with four other travelers to take a boat down the Mekong to a waterfall, watched a sunset from a hilltop temple (where I bumped into an Iowan guy), wandered the market, and had several meals together. I asked her questions about working in the field, prospect of relationships with this kind of work, and feelings of guilt she might have. She told stories about talking with Afghan men about sex (counseling) and that it was alright because, as a Western woman, she was for some reason viewed as asexual.
We also went to Wat Xeong Thong (that's what my messy handwriting appears to say), where a young monk (who had killed a mosquito while we were talking to him--isn't that against some rule/bad karma?) told us there would be a celebration. There was a very carnival feel to the temple grounds. You could throw darts at balloons, or rings over bottles and win a prize. Bingo and merry-go-rounds. People pouring water over Buddha statues, burning incense and candles and leaving flowers in front of the Buddhas. They'd actually rigged this thing so that you pour water into a container and it runs through some pipes, onto the Buddhas below. Going into one of the temples, monks were selling strings that you tie onto your wrist, also for good luck.
Shelia told me about an informal charity system in Sri Lanka, where people donate money to local businesses (big jars, usually leftover change from a purchase, but also donations), who then give it out to poor people each week. The local shop owners know who is poor, so it eliminates the possibility of non-legit beggars getting money. I thought that it was a bit like local imans of mosques who are used to identify poor people to receive zakat (Islamic wealth tax, the crux of what I'm studying here in Malaysia).
I met an Italian girl who was studying in Penang and was leaving (and forfeiting any credit) after only one semester because she hated it so much. She said that on at least three occassions she saw men masturbating while they looked at her (one from a nearby phone booth, another in his car, not sure about the third).
Back to Thailand
I was in the northern city of Chiang Mai just for a day or so. They have a nice night market, where I bought some stuff. But other than that, it was just a bunch of dark bars with white men and young Thai women hanging on them. I was dying to find a lit cafe where I could just drink tea and read.
I traveled to the western part of Thailand, Mae Sot, which is right on the Burma/Thai border. A friend who had worked at the Refugee Legal Aid Project in Cairo with me was there doing research for the Jesuit Refugee Services about the security and livelihood of the Burmese there. She was living in a house with several Burmese and two other Western researchers. It was very simple living accomodations and it made me realize that I would have to trade in my luxurious condo here for something like that when I go to Africa. I was momentairly worried I wouldn't be able to handle it!
The Burmese women paint their faces with a white powder, sometimes in swirls or other patterns as a form of makeup. The first time I saw it, it was on a little girl at the house and I thought she'd just been playing. But I saw it all over town on a lot of the women.
I collected some documents and a DVD put out by an assocation of former political prisoners to give to Amnesty International's KL office. Lynn, my friend working there, hasn't had a lot of guidance/supervision, but she's hoping to stay for a few more months. It's amazing how the people from the Legal Aid Project are spread throughout the world (one in Ecuador, Nigeria, Costa Rica, etc).
I was only there for one night, two days (sleeping on the floor without a mosquito netting hurried my departure a bit!). I was in BAngkok for a bit (I forget now how long it was!). I met up with Kirill, a Russian who has some connection to the Legal Aid Project, too, though I don't think he ever worked there. I'd met him once when he was visiting Egypt briefly. I hung out with him, a Polish girl, and a Ukrainian guy. I don't know that much about the politics of the region to get some of their jokes/understand the countries' histories/relationships...
And I went back to the beauty salon where I hung out the last time with the 40 year old beauticians, drinking and throwing water during the water festival. I got a massage from one of them.
Whew! Finally finished this post! Yippee! Free to write about current stuff now!
In my father's words, on Father's day (though posted late)!
Okay, I've delayed writing about Laos long enough! I was there two months ago! Unacceptable! Sorry, but this posting is going to be a lot of listing, taken from the notes that I jotted during my trip.
I think Laos was my favorite place. The people were friendly (my taxi driver insisted on opening my door for me each time I got in). The salespeople in the market weren't pushy (refreshing after the shrill "mister, you buy this" in Cambodia). They often sleep in their stalls in the afternoon heat--there's only just enough room with their merchandise piled high all around them (also in Cambodia). Flowers bloom everywhere and the cute cobblestone streets are without much traffic. There's just a pleasing slower pace of life. Butterflies at the airport. Hellos, but not harassment. Kids playing in the street and riding their bicycles (and a group who tried to talk to me could speak French, but not English).
And I loved seeing all the bright-orange robed monks. Every morning old women (and a few men) line up on the sidewalk in front of their local Buddhist pagoda at 5:30 am, when the sky is only just beginning to pale. They sit on small stools or kneel on colored straw mats they've brought with them. Each one has a folded sash over their shoulder, like a beauty queen almost. The monks collect a clump of rice from each person, putting it in a silver urn slung over a shoulder. They walk barefoot, single file from youngest to oldest, in groups of about 20. Many young men become a monk for a few years and don't seem to be shy to admit it's largely to get free education. Afterwards, they become teachers, farmers, taxi drivers. I couldn't help but think about it as their version of army service.
Middle-aged women whisper "smoke" to the tourists in the market (and they're not talking about cigarettes). I had hearWesternersots of Westerns go to Laos (Golden Triangle) to do drugs, but didn't see it as visibly as I would have imagined. No opium dens that I saw, but a few tourists I took a boat ride to the waterfall with had smoked some pot the night before. And I saw one guy walking down the street that was obviously not in a sober state of mind, clinging a Pringles can in his hand (must have brought those from outside the country).
A group of soldiers play checkers on a board that is part of the big, stone table, using bottle caps as pieces. Another group of middle-aged men, money exchanging hands. About 50 people taking part in an aerobics class in a park by the Mekong River in Vientiane. Like Malaysia and Indonesia, Laos has lots of rock-star types (i.e. men with long hair).
I saw a lot of double-cab Toyota trucks, Lexus SUVs, Landcrusiers. Aren't those expensive cars for such a poor country?! And I found out that government employees, including teachers, only make $15 US/month.
Actually, I didn't see much overt poverty, perhaps another reason for this to be an easy place to visit. There were a few cots with mosquito netting set up on the street, but hardly any compared to Cambodia.
Pumpkin soup--yum.
What's missing in the US? Street cafes, where you can hang out, read, or people watch for hours, buying only a cheap cup of tea. Life in SE Asia is lived on the streets. We're so separate and private!
There was no air conditioning on the flight I took from the capital Vientiane to Luang Prabang. An American woman drove me crazy because she was behaving like a spoiled brat: she was feeling sick and complained in a very mean, rude way about the lack of A/C. She said, "this is a pretty small bag" about the vomit bag in a condescending, sarcastic way. She said that next time she'd take the bus. Since the bus is 12 hours, always crowded, and most likely without A/C, that would hardly be a better choice. It was one of those situation where I felt ashamed of her behavior, even though she was a stranger, because I thought it reflected poorly on all of us.
I had a massage in Luang Prabang (and another in Chiang Mai, Thailand). It cost about $4 for an hour. There were several mattresses on the floor, separated by hanging sheets. It amuses me how they use their whole body (feet, elbows) and one even did a superman flying kind of thing! They provide you with loose fitting clothes, like scrubs almost. But of course not as good as Mom's massages!
Good luck at the Guesthouse
I met Vilay, a Laotian woman, in the airport who owned a guesthouse and decided to follow her to it. It was on a cobblestone street and in an old house that is protected by UNESCO as a heritage site. Only problem is, UNESCO restrictions prevent her from doing some upgrading/repairs.
Her cousin is a teacher and there was a party for his students at the house that night. So I got to be part of the festivities (that was the main reason I decided to go with her!). I'm pretty sure that it was a vocational training school and the students were about 18-20. Some of the teachers I spoke with were only 22 or 23 themselves. The kids prepared and served the food. There were maybe 50 students and I was a bit surprised to see them drinking beer and pink colored wine with their teachers. But I guess it wasn't high school, so maybe not that weird.
Old neighbors came to the house to perform a traditional ceremony. They tie white strings to your wrists, mutter blessings, and rub the place where they tie it on. I got to participate, too! The prayers are for good luck, success, money, etc. and you're supposed to leave the strings on for 3 days. The, the people joined together and touched, so they formed a unit, all connected. The ones in the middle touched the centerpiece, a tower of flowers, rice cakes and sweets. Then they chanted some prayers and ate the sweets.
Vilay is 33 and she has a French boyfriend she met when he came to Laos. I'm always suspect of Western men with their Asian girlfriends, but in the airport I saw a white man with his Laotian wife and he was changing their baby's diaper. Vilay also mentioned other people judging her, but said that she liked Western men because she doesn't like women having to do all the housework, as it is expected in Laos.
Encounters
I met a British woman who was working at a refugee camp just over the Afghan-Pakistan border, doing a lot of psychology work and counseling. The year before she had been in Sri Lanka. She got her MA at the School of Oriental and African Studies, a place I'm considering. It was great to meet someone with similar interests and some work experience. We met up with four other travelers to take a boat down the Mekong to a waterfall, watched a sunset from a hilltop temple (where I bumped into an Iowan guy), wandered the market, and had several meals together. I asked her questions about working in the field, prospect of relationships with this kind of work, and feelings of guilt she might have. She told stories about talking with Afghan men about sex (counseling) and that it was alright because, as a Western woman, she was for some reason viewed as asexual.
We also went to Wat Xeong Thong (that's what my messy handwriting appears to say), where a young monk (who had killed a mosquito while we were talking to him--isn't that against some rule/bad karma?) told us there would be a celebration. There was a very carnival feel to the temple grounds. You could throw darts at balloons, or rings over bottles and win a prize. Bingo and merry-go-rounds. People pouring water over Buddha statues, burning incense and candles and leaving flowers in front of the Buddhas. They'd actually rigged this thing so that you pour water into a container and it runs through some pipes, onto the Buddhas below. Going into one of the temples, monks were selling strings that you tie onto your wrist, also for good luck.
Shelia told me about an informal charity system in Sri Lanka, where people donate money to local businesses (big jars, usually leftover change from a purchase, but also donations), who then give it out to poor people each week. The local shop owners know who is poor, so it eliminates the possibility of non-legit beggars getting money. I thought that it was a bit like local imans of mosques who are used to identify poor people to receive zakat (Islamic wealth tax, the crux of what I'm studying here in Malaysia).
I met an Italian girl who was studying in Penang and was leaving (and forfeiting any credit) after only one semester because she hated it so much. She said that on at least three occassions she saw men masturbating while they looked at her (one from a nearby phone booth, another in his car, not sure about the third).
Back to Thailand
I was in the northern city of Chiang Mai just for a day or so. They have a nice night market, where I bought some stuff. But other than that, it was just a bunch of dark bars with white men and young Thai women hanging on them. I was dying to find a lit cafe where I could just drink tea and read.
I traveled to the western part of Thailand, Mae Sot, which is right on the Burma/Thai border. A friend who had worked at the Refugee Legal Aid Project in Cairo with me was there doing research for the Jesuit Refugee Services about the security and livelihood of the Burmese there. She was living in a house with several Burmese and two other Western researchers. It was very simple living accomodations and it made me realize that I would have to trade in my luxurious condo here for something like that when I go to Africa. I was momentairly worried I wouldn't be able to handle it!
The Burmese women paint their faces with a white powder, sometimes in swirls or other patterns as a form of makeup. The first time I saw it, it was on a little girl at the house and I thought she'd just been playing. But I saw it all over town on a lot of the women.
I collected some documents and a DVD put out by an assocation of former political prisoners to give to Amnesty International's KL office. Lynn, my friend working there, hasn't had a lot of guidance/supervision, but she's hoping to stay for a few more months. It's amazing how the people from the Legal Aid Project are spread throughout the world (one in Ecuador, Nigeria, Costa Rica, etc).
I was only there for one night, two days (sleeping on the floor without a mosquito netting hurried my departure a bit!). I was in BAngkok for a bit (I forget now how long it was!). I met up with Kirill, a Russian who has some connection to the Legal Aid Project, too, though I don't think he ever worked there. I'd met him once when he was visiting Egypt briefly. I hung out with him, a Polish girl, and a Ukrainian guy. I don't know that much about the politics of the region to get some of their jokes/understand the countries' histories/relationships...
And I went back to the beauty salon where I hung out the last time with the 40 year old beauticians, drinking and throwing water during the water festival. I got a massage from one of them.
Whew! Finally finished this post! Yippee! Free to write about current stuff now!
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yes, that Russian really enjoyed hanging out with you too at the Anna's Cafe near Silom. Shall we sing again and get the guys bring you the cake? :o)
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