The land of million smiles (Lao PDR)
I was in a wat in Luang Prabhang, the old capital of Lao. It was a cool December afternoon. I sat there writing some thing in my note book. I fell asleep. I woke hearing some voices. I opened my eyes; I saw a bunch of kids around me. As I sat up, they moved back a bit and stood there looking at me. It was like the Gulliver's Travel...
Lao PDR: The land of a million smiles
All those little people. I turned to the last page in my notebook and from
my Laotian phrase book, I copied "hello". I passed to the kid right
in front of me. She took it, and read it aloud. There was a round of giggles.
She borrowed my pen and wrote something in Laotian. I took back the notebook
and I guessed it was her name. Next, I passed my book to the "littlest" kid.
Everyone started laughing as she was too young to write. Someone else took
the book and wrote the littlest kid's name. Thus we conversed; they would draw
something, say it aloud in Laotian and ask me to repeat it. I learnt some new
words. Lately I seem to be forgetting some of the words. I think I should go
back.
Lao is one of the most bombed countries in the history of warfare. During
the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese supply routes used to run through Laos
. US warplanes used to drop their bombs all across eastern Lao. Thirty years
on, the Lao people have found an interesting use for the bomb casings. They
cut them open, fill them up with soil and grow flowers in them. In Lao people
always seem to be smiling. They use to call Lao the land of million elephants;
I named it "the land of million smiles."
Buddha Park in Vientiane
Buddha Park in Vientiane
Mekong river in Luang Prabhang
A wat in Luang Prabhang
Nice wooden furniture in Luang Prabhang
Mekong river in Vientiane
Mekong river in Vientiane
Million Smiles
I met this girl and her friends. They were having a new year party and invited me to join in.
Pak Ou caves near Lunagprabhang
The victory gate. This gate is also know as the vertical runway. The Americans
gave Laotians cement to build runways, the Laotian used the cement to build
this gate.
A rather humble sign for the monument
Missile casings being used as flower pots.
The tail fin as a garbage can.
Little friend.
A little ultraman.
As a kid I read the adventures of Henri Mouhout and got interested in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Here is my copy of his book resting on his tomb. Mouhout died here on the outskirts of Luang Prabhang.