Laos is a former French colony, one can observe a low heritage french culture still present at several levels.
First of all, c is the first Asian country that we are going through or people drive on the right. Furthermore, the Laotian regularly eat the stick (some have even said that c was a specialty Lao ...), cheese (Laughing Cow) and paste (made locally, very good!).
We also found that in all cities Laotian people were playing petanque! Another fun fact, most elderly people living in cities are fluent in french and a very good accent! People were even proud to talk to us in french! Funnier still, in all places administrative everything is written in Lao and french even in buildings Recent: post office, police, hospitals ...
So we very quickly felt very comfortable in al this country, especially as the Lao people are particularly hospitable and warm.
We loved our stay in Laos. Admittedly, it's a very developed country, so there is still little infrastructure: few roads, no electricity everywhere, no running water everywhere so, the paths are very long and sometimes difficult because they are very old bus, very worn, and people traveling with everything and no matter what s can therefore often sit next to chickens or a motorcycle, but c is also probably the country where we had the chance to have more contacts and to live the most unforgettable moments with the local population.
proceed in order, first of all, we arrived in Pakse town of some extent, but about as animated as Maurepas Sunday ... We learned quickly that he was acting in the s third largest city of Laos and the premises found that C was a noisy city, with too much traffic (not a plug, never too ...), buildings (a maximum of two floors). We were able to discover later that actually compared with the rest of Laos (almost only of villages) was part of the Pakse city's most troubled countries, it gives you an idea of the pace of life las bottom: quiet, the suddenly people are also very calm, relaxed, smiling hyper ... We visited some temples where we could talk with monks (those are about the only was to have access to an education of high level, so the only ones who speak or at least jabber in English, they try to practice a maximum of that they are foreigners, even if they are not English) and discover a little Buddhism and the practice of religion in this country of South Asia. We also visited the town market, where we could enjoy our first stick after seven months of forced abstinence, and a school. The children were excited because c was soon the holidays for the Lao New Year, and teachers rather tired, nobody really spoke English n we have not managed to actually c communicate but was still a pleasant moment, children knew that a single word of English "thank you" then they all came to tell us that without it there is no reason to thank us, just out of desire to communicate, c was very funny!
We then went to Champasak, the former capital of Laos (30 years ago barely), a village. One long street da few miles, difficult to imagine that this could be the capital there is so little time ... That gives an idea of any recent development in Laos. Champassak located the other side of the Mekong, we had to take a mini ferry to get there, two canoes which are attached to which we have had a wooden board and a motor home, very folk like ride! The lower we spent our time visiting the city (well I give you the c was not long ...), watch the Mekong (the people fishing, kids playing and swimming in the water ...) to visit other temples (including a very old dating back to the era of Angkor) as well as another school. This time, we managed to find a french speaking old man who was willing to play the translator, so no problem of communication! We spent the day over there and we even returned the next day to show our books about France and the school in France which were all the rage! The children were very surprised to discover that in France to al school, you do not wear uniforms, that may be capped as we want, and they were struggling to imagine what could look like in our real tall buildings! During the few days we spent over there, we had the chance to get nose to nose has less than one meter of a cobra, a real one, not at all pleased to see us, which is s stands etc. but Luckily we have kept our composure, we have this one back quietly and eventually left without bothering us more than that! After
Champassak, we went to spend a few days on a big Don Khong Island in southern Laos on the Mekong, the lower we toured the island by bicycle and we spent a lot of time playing with children (balls, game tap, basically a sort of petanque but with tap ..).
We then went to Paksong, the capital of the cafe where we could see plantations of coffee out of sight, we have also visited the market as well as another school with this time an English speaking translator then we have been Calls by the department of agriculture, livestock and forest to celebrate the Lao New Year which begins. So we pass the after noon to eat and talk (in all languages: french, English, Russian, English ... everyone wanting to practice the language that he knew .. we did our best but obviously was in french c and English that we were most comfortable s. ..).
We then spent almost a week Attapeu, we got "stuck" low because of the new year, as you said in our article on leisure, the new year here lasts one week, one week during which many religious ceremonies but s play untiringly during which people are also the party with friends or with their families and spend their days will throw the water. After having surveyed the city (walking, temples ...) so we pass the bulk of our time to do the battles of water with people in the street and be invited to celebrate right to left and again the famous New year! (That we will have Sacrament celebrate this year since we celebrated the New Year Newar in Nepal, our new year in India, the Chinese New Year in Singapore and Malaysia and now the Lao New Year ..) we thus had the opportunity to spend some time in families and discover the ingenuity of Laotian children who have nothing n making toys with all that they are: leaf, wood etc. ...
We then proceed to Sekong, another small village with not much to do if n is visiting the temple and walking and strolling in the streets, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and talk with people.
After spending some time in small villages in the south we thought that it was time to discover the country's capital, so we head north towards Vientiane. Obviously though much more animated and all other cities, Vientiane has nothing to do with a capital city such that it is the imagined, very few buildings, no traffic in the whole, still an almost tranquil pace of life. So we rented bikes and it s is around town, from temple to temple (or things we have been able to attend a ceremony for the new year), in search of colonial buildings each more beautiful than each other. We were able to saliva of beautiful shops closed because of the new year, including fine meats n having nothing to envy to ours.
We then went to Vienh Veng, a very touristy town in the north, surrounded by splendid mountains. The bottom we also rented bikes and we walk in the countryside, through villages and rice fields, visiting the many beautiful and deep caves in the region. Noemie also fell sick (nothing serious, flu ...) but in a country as undeveloped as laos: no doctors in sight, but few pharmacies with very few drugs and all written in Lao, in short it is still a little al hotel, rest, waiting for it to pass since he had nya nothing else to do!
Once restored, we went to Phonsavanh, the journey was quite long and quite painful, like usual the bus was armored, it was 3 instead of 2 on each bench in the middle aisle of the bus there were two scooters, and in almost all of our seats, chickens, sacks of rice, fruits and vegetables ... But in addition we have n not leave the mountains, a path while cornering on a road so tiny, as you can not say that s is not feeling very well, for otherwise the driver was handing out vomit bags at each stop and many people, including Laos , have used! Phonsavanh a city is quite dynamic, which made many think. it is actually notorious for being one of the most bombed during the Vietnam War. And yes, at that time No. Laos was not officially at war, but Vietnamese and American pervades all of the same country in order to surprise each other in Vietnam and has a place to which we do not expect them. In addition, the U.S. air fleet, mainly based in Thailand had al epoque ordered to return the empty holds, so they unloaded their holds full of bombs on Laos while returning from mission in Vietnam. It currently lists more al a ton and a half metal (to understand various bombs) per capita in the region. Despite the tremendous work of associations to demine the country, there are still many areas not treated so dangerous and there are still accidents every year. Generally these accidents affect either farmers deterrent bomb unwittingly digging in the earth, or hunters who are trying to recover the powder bombs or unfortunately children who play with (many are small and round, children are so s of that ball before they explode n).. There has so much debris of bombs in the corner that people are s such as a fence or pillar for a table etc, it's a little murky to see all these old bombs everywhere, but this will keep it all in memory.
We then went to Luang Prabang, a beautiful city, formerly colonial buildings with beautiful, well maintained or restored (city protected by UNESCO). The lower we visited temples, markets, museums, old buildings, surrounding villages, and bilingual school ...! In this school there were actually two classes bilingual french / Lao. We returned several times in this school, C was actually very interresting for us, the first time since the beginning the trip that we could talk s with teachers and children in french! The teachers were delighted with our presence, although obviously we were asked to talk to children to let them practice their french, instead of good elsewhere! And our side was great c able to communicate in our mother tongue! Our books that have the most well served elsewhere, for much more than we had brought versions in English and french people, so slivrets have also served as an exercise in comprehension and translation.
We also use our presence in the region to make a trek of several days in the mountains a little further north. We made a day of biking, trek in the mountains for several days (including once in torrential rain, to walk into streams of mud by being eaten by leeches, tempers up to bones, sacred experience!). Each time we slept in tiny villages without electricity, running water (so we had to wash ourselves or in the river or the village well), isolated in the mountains or no road goes, where no one spoke a word of English. Most children had never even seen n whites of their lives and therefore we looked across at least at first, suspicious. We have filmed a little while showing them the movie, they were dying of laughter, needless to clarify that neither of them do s was already seen on film (or even n had never seen a camera ..), a great time! We also managed to teach them the language of gestures grace some games like hawk or 1,2,3 sun. At the beginning we had no kids with us a few but quickly c is all the village children who started to play and almost all adults to watch! Unforgettable! The lives of these children is staggering, most will not because the few al ecole school are much too far, they learn very early to help their parents (feeding animals, s take care of their little brothers and sisters, etc.). they do not possess much not to say anything and are super curious. They had no idea what life is like outside their village even within their country, their notions such as the internet are of course totally unknown!
If someone gets sick in a village, the village chief some medicines in stock as he tries to deliver the best (n having no medical training) but if this does anything, then people start to pray for c then pretty much everything what remains to be done. In such villages, most people think their houses and objects are inhabited by spirits that it is important not to offend if they bring misfortune, so there are a whole bunch of rules to follow so as not to fiddle with these minds, and if ever they were all the same annoying, sometimes even some of the sacrifices of buffaloes to appease them. A life far away from ours! To end our stay
in Laos we spent a few days in Huay Xai, border town, where we stayed with a friend who lives down the c was nice not to be in a tiny bedroom guest house for once and be able to eat at home and not in the street or in a restaurant! It has made us a little nostalgic for France to be honest, or rather the fact of having a home, a newspaper every day ... Not obvious place to change constantly, having to acquire new benchmarks all the time , to make and unmake her bag every two days or almost! Anyway we have no regrets in spite of everything!
In summary: an excellent month in Laos, travel in space but also very rewarding in time!
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