April 3 through 7, 2023
I flew to Laos on April 3rd. I had been very nervous about the whole travel visa requirement because I needed a visa for 3 of these countries. Unfortunately since Art and I were continuously traveling, I couldn't give up my passport to get the visa inserted (it takes weeks for the US to do that and they wouldn't have been able to send it back to me anywhere) so I had to do "visa on arrival" which the tour company highly discouraged (long airport lines, possible errors in paperwork, etc.). As it happened, the tour guide was ready for this and I sailed through Immigration and Customs.
Flying into Laos was an experience unto itself. The country probably qualifies as "third-world" (am I allowed to say that??), the airport at Luang Prabang is tiny, and there were hardly any other planes. Immigration consisted of paying my $35 (plus $1 service fee 😉) and getting a sticker in my passport which took all of 5 minutes. The big surprise in Laos (which actually rhymes with "Ow") was the really bad air quality due to burning of rice plantation after the harvest. The entire time we were there it was terrible and rivaled LA's smog in the 1960's, from what I've heard. Other than that (and the heat and humidity!), Luang Prabang is a lovely little Buddhist village. We got to explore many parts of this UNESCO-designated city, usually by "jumbo" which are similar to "tuk-tuks" in India. We were close to the Mekong River which runs through the country and we enjoyed a very authentic dinner (which unfortunately resulted in most of our group getting sick for the next few days). I got lucky and although my intestines were unhappy I only suffered one day of distress and one afternoon of dizziness in which I nearly passed out 😨.
Highlights in Laos: In Luang Prabang we visited a local English literacy organization called "Big Brother Mouse" and we even got to help them practice their speaking skills; we participated in the daily alms-giving ceremony where the villagers give rice to the monks at their walk through at daybreak (fascinating tradition); we visited a cave on the river with hundreds of Buddha statues; we toured a typical Laotian village and met the locals; we went to see a primary school that OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel) has helped fund with traveler donations (definitely a highlight of the trip) and we read/sang/danced with the kids. In Vientiane (the capital) we visited another silk-making workshop started by an ex-pat woman (Carol Cassidy); we got to meet and talk with a Buddhist monk; we learned about unexploded bombs (sadly Lao is the most bombed country in the world 😟); we visited a prosthetics center helping victims of these bombs; and we had a traditional Laotian dinner at various host family homes (another trip highlight) which was well-organized and really lovely. As long as I avoided the smellier fish foods, I was able to find what to eat in all these places (though it was definitely a bit awkward that I routinely passed on having coffee/tea/alcohol).
During this part of the trip, Passover started and I had to decide what I would do about that. There were 2 or 3 other Jewish people on the trip but that didn't seem like much of an issue for them. I made the decision to avoid obvious bread products (there is no matzah in Laos, I'm convinced) and I did my best to celebrate in my own way. It worked out alright. In the process, I became very close with 2 Jewish travelers from Orange County, CA and we bonded 😍.
My overall sense of Laos is that although it is a socialist republic (partly because of its proximity and history with its neighbor Vietnam), it wants to be more like Thailand (its western neighbor). It seems too poor to figure out how to do that just yet, but being mostly of Buddhist and folk religions, the people seem fairly content with their situation. I won't presume to understand all of its politics but its history of being overly bombed because of its location during the Vietnamese and Cambodian wars has meant it has a ways to go in becoming more developed. That said, the people were all very hospitable and friendly and happy to welcome tourists (who unfortunately rarely go there).
Deena
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