Lao New Year Memories

The time passes quicker than I expected, which means studying comes back to my life again. During the one week of the Lao New Year or “Pee Mai Lao,” I had a special event to celebrate with my friends and my family. The first day of New Year, my family had a small ceremony, which is called “Basi” in Lao. This ceremony is celebrated to bring the good luck come to my house, and let the bad luck go out with old year.

It was on April 13, my family joined together including my parents, my sisters, their children, and some relatives who hadn’t seen each other for a long time. That day, we made some fragrant water with natural flowers, mixed with perfume. We used it to “wash” my parents in order to make them forgive us for the bad things we have done to them in the old year. After we finished splashing my parents, we continued to splash each other, and eventually we had lunch. Later, we danced in the Lao traditional style.

Traditionally, on the second day and on the last day of Lao New Year, we prepare the fragrant water, and go to the temple and wash the Buddha images. However, this year I just went to one temple, which is located in front of Wattay International Airport.

About 2:30 p.m, I noticed that there were many people crowded on the street, even at the Donchun beach, which is the biggest beach on the Mekong River. People looked so extremely happy, splashing water on each other. Some stood on cars, some drove motorcycles, and some walked along the street. Those pictures appeared in front of me while I was standing with my friends on the other side of Koonboulom Street, near the Novotel Hotel. Anyway, my friends joined together, we had some food and drinks, listened to music and danced in different styles until 9 p.m. Then we said goodbye and went back home.

Everything that I have done during the Lao New Year will become my good memory, but eventually the present I got from the New Year was dark skin and felling tired! However, I think that I must be ready for everything that comes to my life in order to walk confidently to the future.

09:43 PM ICT Permalink |

Happy Lao New Year 2008

The Lao New Year or “Pee Mai Lao,” is the biggest annual festival or celebration in Laos. It is not only celebrated in Laos, but also in other parts of the world where Lao people have moved, such as: America, Canada, Australia, France, and many more countries.

The Lao New Year was celebrated for many centuries, from generation to generation based on the lunar calendar. Nowadays, this special holiday is celebrated at the same time every year, similar to Thailand and Cambodia. However, the dates which each country will celebrate depends on the day and tradition.

In Laos, this festival is celebrated for three days, from April 13 to 15. During this period, the weather is so hot and hotter. So, the best way to stop the heat is for people to take water and throw it to each other. Traditionally, Lao people will splash water on friends, parents, grandparents, and visitors in order to wash the bad luck away, gone with the old year, and wish good luck to come with the water that is splashed.

There are other things that Lao people do during the New Year; at every temple the monks will take the Buddha images out of the “sim,” where the Buddha images are kept, to the small hut in order to let Lao people cleanse the Buddha images by throwing or splashing water on them.

Before we go to the temple, we have to prepare the water, which is mixed from fragrant flowers, perfume, Kimin, and other natural things that give a fragrant smell to the water. After that we will take the water to the temple to splash on the Buddha images. In Laos, we call this “Song Phra.” We have done it for many years in order to ask for wishes from sacred spirits. This is the first day of Lao New Year.

On the second day, April 14, in Luang Prabang Province, in northern Laos (which is a world heritage site), people will celebrate old traditions and customs with a big parade around the city. For example, they will have a group of Nang Sang Khan; there are seven woman, and the youngest woman will hold her father’s head with four faces that we call “Pha Phom,” (one of the sacred Hindu gods). The youngest sits on the animal, which represents the new year. What is more, there are groups of old grandparents, called “Pou ger ya ger.” The other is a group of angels, monkeys, and giants.

During the Parade, some people are dancing, some people are fighting (a kind of acting) like the way we did in the past. The two sides of the street are crowded by local people and foreigners to join the celebration until the parade arrives at the Xieng Thong Temple. Finally, the seven women who are the Pa Phom’s daughters will take the head and give it to the monk and splash it with fragrant water in order to bring good luck.

On the last day, April 15, Lao people will go to the beach or temples with sand. they will take the sand to create large mounds that look like mountains, what we call “Kailart,”, where the Kabinlaphom head was kept. Next, they will make a wish in their heart about how many children they want. Eventually, they will create many small stupas around the big one. Finally, the celebration ends.

During the Lao New year, Lao people also dance, sing songs, play traditional instruments, and do other activities which are very enjoyable. Everyone is happy to do these things after the end of work.

What is more, I would like to invite all of you to visit Laos during this period of the water festival. Here, you will see the real nature and hospitality of the people, which is like you are going back in history. It is fascinating, eye-wondering, and full of the special memory that you will never forget.

This is Laos, a land of smiles.

11:05 AM ICT Permalink |

Learning about Leonardo Da Vinci

This term at school I registered for a class in the subject of Fine Arts. Everyday, and every weekend, when it was time to study about Art, it seemed so boring for me. Other people in Western countries might thought that Art can make give us a calm and peaceful emotions. However, I think the same, too.

Let’s go back to my school and what I study. Yesterday was my Fine Arts class, which was taught by an American teacher named Rob. I can’t give you details about his appearance because in this case it is not suitable. He was teaching us specifics on a variety of music such as African, Indian, and Chinese. However, the studying was boring because he didn’t show any new inspiration to me.

Yesterday, we had a new lesson; he taught us about the great artists in Greece and Italy that include Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael. But, the most interesting artist to me is Leonardo da Vinci.

The reasons are that he was the great artist who began the Renaissance and had great inventions and paintings, such as the portrait of Mona Lisa, and the Last Supper. One point that makes me wonder; why is the Mona Lisa painting so popular and one of the most expensive in the world, and how is it different from others? I think that one reason is this portrait has a mysterious and secretive appearance, which everyone never knew before.

01:41 PM ICT Permalink |

Savannakhet Trip: Part 2

I stayed in Savannakhet province for two days; Saturday and Sunday. Then, on Monday we went back to Vientiane. Savannakhet is smaller than Vientiane, where it can take three or four hours to ride a bicycle ride around the city. Besides, in Savannakhet there are many tourist sites worth seeing such as Sayyaphoum Temple. This is the oldest temple in Savannakhet. It’s located in front of the Mekong River, on the left side; on the right side is Mukdahan, the famous district in Nakon Phanom (Thailand). To get to that temple, I took about 25 minutes from my sister’s house to the downtown of Savannakhet by bicycle.

While I was riding the bicycle alone in the early morning on Saturday, the sun was rising above my head. The one thing that was different from Vientiane was the strong wind, which I had never seen in Vientiane during the summer. What’s more, I noticed that the city was very quiet. This was due to not having many cars and people. This is unlike in Vientiane, which is so crowded by people, cars, motorbikes, and noise pollution.

I kept going on my bicycle for about 20 minutes. After that I asked a man, who was a Savannakhet villager, about the direction to Sayyaphoum temple. He told me to ride straight, and then I will see the main street next to the Mekong River. I followed his directions and eventually I found the main street like he said.

The thing that made me impressed was the picture that appeared before my eyes; the beautiful mountains and the city of Mukdahan, Thailand. Moreover, I also observed that there some small islands in the middle of the Mekong River. Believe me or not, that picture made me feel calm and relaxed at the same time. Therefore, I took some photos in order to keep in my memory. Besides, I also saw the car with a group of people in traditional dress. The men played Lao instruments called “Khaen Flute” and “Phin.” Some women were dancing in Lao traditional style and singing Lao songs with a happy feeling, which means they are having a village festival. That is not easy to see if you are not lucky person.

I turned back to the temple and saw that it was a Sayyaphoum temple. In Lao architecture, a Sayyaphoum temple is the oldest temple with six buildings. The roof is made from clay brick and the walls are decorated with paintings about Buddha’s life. Some buildings were very wide and look like the French style, which means they might have been built during the French colonial period. Moreover, there was fresh air to breathe because of the temple is surrounded by many big trees. I saw the monks had sculpted the Buddha images. Lastly, I worshipped the Buddha image and finally rode back to my sister house with a good memory.

During the holiday in Savannakhet, I had a chance to visit many interesting places. For example, on Sunday, I went to Wat Thart, or Thart Inhang Temple, a sacred place in the Buddhist religion. I went there with my family. Thart Inhang temple is deep in the forest, about 30 km to the north from Savannakhet. When you take a bus from Vientiane, you will see the big sign on the left that says “The way to Thart Inhang Temple,” before you reach Savannakhet. After you turn left, you keep going about 20 minutes and you will see Thart Inhang village and the temple at the same time. That temple was built during the Buddha’s life, 2500 years ago. It was the place for the Buddha and his students to relax during visits to Laos or Siskhaotabong Kingdom. Later, it was built as the big black stupa to be the memory of Buddha, where the Lao people can worship.

After we finished worshipping the Inhang stupa, we continued back to Vientiane. On the way went back to Vientiane, you can look at the landscape between the two sides of the street, and see the countryside people and their way of living. Lastly, you can see the beautiful view of the Mekong River on the left side, where can make your eye wonder and impress your emotions.

This is a new option for travelers who want to discover the new place for your special vacation.

11:21 AM ICT Permalink |

Trip to Savannakhet province

Last week, I had a good opportunity to visit Savannakhet, a province which is located in southern Laos. There are so many historical sites waiting for everyone to see. Savannakhet is about 856 km from Vientiane. To go there you can pass Borlikhansay and Khammuan provinces along the 13 South Highway. If you want to travel there, you can take bus at the south bus terminal at Daongkok village, in front of the traffic light and three junctions.

It was on Saturday morning when I heard the telephone ring while I was watching the television in the living room. I picked up the phone immediately and I heard my mother tell me to bring my nephew’s milk to Savannakhet as soon as possible because they forgot it. After I finished talking on the phone, I ran in to my bedroom and packed some clothes in my bag and dressed in a T-shirt. I called my sister who lives on the other side of the pond and asked her to take me to the bus station. She drove hurriedly and asked me, “Why did they forget the milk? Frankly, a lot of people went with them.” I didn’t say anything, I just kept quiet. Eventually I reached the bus to Savannakhet.

The reason my family went to Savannakhet was because of my niece’s wedding. Besides, my sister who was visiting us from America wanted to visit my oldest sister who has lived in Savannakhet for many years. I had to take the milk because the type of milk my nephew drinks cannot be bought in anywhere in Laos. So that is why I had to go there.

As soon as I entered the bus there were so many people, and most of the seats were full. There only one seat available for me. That was lucky, I thought to myself; if there were not any seats free for you, you might stand until you reached your destination. Inside the bus there was a bad smell and the temperature was hot. “Oh god, I might die soon,” I thought, while I took a seat close to a woman dressed in yellow who carried some bread in her right hand.

It was such a crowded situation, one that I had never faced before. On the way I noticed there were some foreign passengers, and in the center of the bus there were a group of Vietnamese and Chinese people who were talking loudly. Anyway I didn’t care; I just keep quiet and took a nap. While the bus was running, I glanced outside the window and saw trees surrounding the mountains. They are cut by countryside people, and they use it to sell and build houses. This produces greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. So, this is why the climate change is getting worse in Laos now. Suddenly, I fell asleep and I didn’t awake until eight hours later. The bus driver called to me and said that we had arrived in Savannakhet. The bus stopped and I took my bag and got off the bus. And then I walked toward my oldest sister’s house.

…to be continued (about historical sites) soon!

10:06 AM ICT Permalink |

Sad weekend

This week was very boring for me. I had to study harder and harder because of my midterm exams at school. This cycle comes to me again and again since I was a little boy and I first entered primary school. During this exam period every student must prepare for the test and study harder more they used to, including me too.

Yesterday, my sister and her family just left to return to America (where they are living). We had a good time together for the two weeks they visited me and my family in Vientiane. If anyone who has this situation like me, you will understand how sad it was to see them leave, after we had a special time to meet each other. One day we might leave from each other. This is very sad. I talked to my sister for about fifteen minutes. Mostly, I told her to be brave with everything that comes to her life because she is the last hope for me, someone who has sacrificed for the whole family in order to rid us from our poor situation.

After we finished talking, I said goodbye to her and her husband, and I went to school. At the school, I had many projects to do such as an environments project, a fine arts assignment, and some book reading. Sometimes I feel so tired, but it’s okay because it is the duty I like to do. I believe that one day, those things will help me to get the goal and get rid of poverty.

After I finished studying at 8 p.m., most of the time I spent listening to music. I took a shower and prepared studying for the next day. It is boring for me, but it is better than I if I didn’t have anything to do.

03:32 PM ICT Permalink | Comments [2]

Full of Happiness

Last Saturday, March 8, was an important day, a time full of happiness for my family. We had been waiting for so long for this good news; my parents said that my sister, who lives in America, will come to visit us in Vientiane.

My sister is not beautiful at all, but she looks sexy because of her honey skin, which makes everyone praise her all the time. She has long brown hair, is tall, and her face looks different from my other sisters. Anyway, if you can not imagine how she looks, I can think of someone that she looks like: Beyonce Knowles, the famous black American singer.

On Saturday morning, everyone in my house hurried to take a shower and dressed as soon as possible. After that, we had a big meal together while the sun rose above the trees. It was a little hot because of summer. I did not do anything because I could not pick up my sister with my family at Wattay Airport. The reason I couldn’t is because I had a language class at school. So, I didn’t go. However, I felt so excited about her arrival even though, I didn’t pick her up.

Two hours later, I went back home from school and saw a group of people at my house: my sister with her two sons and her husband. I parked my motorbike and quickly ran inside my house. I kissed and hugged my sister because I missed her. Everyone talked to each other and eventually my sister gave me a new DVD player. It was so great because I dreamed about getting one all the time. However, the most important thing on this day was all of my family members could be with each other. This had not happened since my sister left Laos several years ago.

04:08 PM ICT Permalink | Comments [1]

Nongphong Trip, Part 2

It’s about 1 km from Nongphong primary school to The Lao-American College’s garden. The bus stopped in front of the door. That time, we had to take everything with us as we walked out of the buses and followed our teacher. The LAC’s garden was so big and wide. Anyway, on the way to Nongphong Village we passed three ponds, which were full with a variety of fish, and mango trees surrounded the ponds. However, not any people felt excited about seeing it because the temperature was too hot. The man who is administrator of The Lao – American college told us the history of LAC’s garden. Otherwise, there were few people interested in his speech.

Later, we saw the head of Nongphong village with some villagers who were waiting for us. There were three men and one woman in traditional dresses. Most of them are about 30 year old. Next, my teacher introduced us to the head of village and some villagers. We said “Sa bai dee” in Lao and eventually the speech started. Everyone took some pencils, pens, notebooks and cameras in order to ask a head of Nongphong Village questions and take notes. The speech took about two hours. Then, after the speech, some of the Nongphong villagers and the head of village said thank you tous for visiting their village and helping. We replied the same as the way they did. Finally, we took some photos together and went back to Vientiane.

To conclude, from the trip that I have a good experience. It makes me know more about Nongphong Village, which is still undeveloped. The details I want you to know are these: Nongphong Village has 1,453 houses, the average is 5 -7 people per one family. Their lives are based on agriculture, farming and fishing. They earn their living by selling vegetables and fish to the market in Vientiane. Their lives are simple and peaceful; no noise or any pollution like in the city. Lastly, everyone is kind and polite.

Finally, I want you to know that the children at Nongphong lack books and a school to educate them. Which is why, if you have chance to visit Laos, please come visit us at Lao-American College. Then, we will take you to see Nongphong Village if you want.

12:49 PM ICT Permalink |

Nongphong Village

The environment is one subject that is very important to me. All around the world today the environment is everything that surrounds us. So, I decided to take a class about the environment in order to know more about climate change and global warming.

I had to study the environment in class for three weeks. Then, my teacher, who is the director of The Lao-American College, took us to observe the impact of climate change at Nongphong, which is about 36 km far from Vientiane.

We went there on a Saturday morning. I got up early and ran to a nearby shop and bought two packages of soy milk and roasted chicken for my lunch at Nongphong. I hurried to take a shower and drove to school as soon as possible because the bus will leave at 8:30.

When I reached the school, the sun was above my head and the weather was very hot. Anyway, I saw about 100 classmates there because most of them were also taking the global and environment class. I’m sure thus will be a fun and exciting trip, I thought. Before the bus left, I saw many people take some milk, food, and posters to help poor children at the Nongphong primary school. Everyone looked excited and joyful, which make that situation like a trip to New York City. Then, our teachers told us that there will be 10 guests from Japan joining us. There were 8 guys and 2 women with white skin; and they looked so cute.

Eventually, the buses left from the Lao - American College to go to Phomvihan Road. We had a special time inside the bus. I sang a song, and some of my classmates took some photos. Others were dancing, eating and talking about the trip. That was a special time for us to take the rest after studying hard for a long time. The buses passed the forest, villages and Namgreum River about 45 minutes later. Then, we saw the sign on the right that said “Welcome to Nongphong Village” on the dusty road. Some of my classmates screamed because they saw the rice fields. Then, the buses stopped immediately when some of the student on the back called the bus drivers that they want go to number 1. After they finished, the buses kept going and eventually arrived our destination in front the Nongphong’s primary school.

As soon we saw the school, I noticed that there were many students waiting for us. Most of them were children, average 7 – 14 years-old, in school uniforms. They smiled at us in a friendly manner while we walking and carrying the things we had brought for them. Then, the head of village and some of teachers welcomed us to the yard of the school; we gave the children some of milk, posters and food. Furthermore, we took some photos and had lunch with them. While we were having a special time with students and the Nongphong villagers, I noticed that everyone was happy with this trip and appreciated the countryside environment. After lunch, our teacher told us to go back to the buses because we had to go to the school’s garden, which was about 6 km away. There, we met with the head of Nongphong village who gave us the history of village and the impact on climate change to their village.

… to be continued

04:42 PM ICT Permalink |

Vientiane Valentine’s Day

Yesterday was a special day for everyone who is in love because it was Valentine’s Day. For me, it was not different because I don’t have a girlfriend yet. Mainly I focus studying.

Yesterday there was just only cloud on the sky, and I could not see the sun. The weather was cold and windy, and everyone wore heavy jackets, including me. Early in the morning, while I was driving my motorbike to school along the road from my house, I noticed that the two sides of street were full of people selling roses and other flowers.

Anyway, there were many people buying roses for their girlfriend or boyfriend. It made me feel in love too, so I bought some roses for my classmates. I smiled and kept going. When I reached school, near the gate, there was a board for students to post their feelings about love or pass out valentine cards. So, it made the school atmosphere like it was in the pink of love.

My friends and I sat at a shop near school and looked at the other students. Some of them bought chocolate for their friends, and some bought roses or lilies. One of my friends, whose name is Lent, walked over to me and invited me to his birthday that night. “What a surprise!” I thought, “He was born on Valentine’s Day. Therefore, I didn’t refuse his invitation.

That evening I wore red to celebrate the Valentine’s Day. I drove to my friend’s house as fast as I could. On the way there, I saw that all of the restaurants in Vientiane were full of people … and roses. For example, some came to dinner with their family, some with their girlfriends and boy friends, and some with friends. It seemed like many Lao people were aware of this day very much.

I reached my friend’s house at Kouvieng, near the Morning Market. There, I met a lot of my friends from school. I gave my friend a birthday present. Then, we had dinner together and talked about Valentine’s Day and listened to music. We spent about three hours together and eventually said goodbye at 11:30 pm.

Even though Valentine’s Day is not part of the Lao culture, it can help us to love each other more than hate each other. Anyway, we can give love to our friends and our parents because the word of love is unlimited. So, tell the one who you love before it’s too late; everyday not just only Valentine’s Day.

05:49 PM ICT Permalink |

Good Luck and Bad Luck

“Time is not waiting for anybody” was my thought while I was sitting in the library at my school one day last week. This was the day that I finished my final test for the term and I will have holiday for two weeks to do whatever I wanted.

The bell rang; I took my bag and drove to my house. As soon as I reached the house, I felt that I was over the moon; nothing was in my head now. I opened the door and started listening to music in order to take rest. I slept about ten minutes. Then, I had to wake up from a sweet dream because of the sound of my mobile phone.

“That was terrible,” I thought in my mind. I picked up the phone call quickly. After I finished talking on the phone, I jumped up and down because I was extremely happy. The woman who called me was Afesip‘s secretary. She said that I had a job interview there tomorrow. Afesip is an organization that is responsible for helping victims of sex slavery and children. In that organization, I applied for the job of marketing officer last week. So, I had prepared for an interview all day. For example, I went to the Internet café to search their website; I read about their organization background in order to make me more confident during an interview.

The day of interview came, I woke up quickly and took a shower and eventually went to the temple. The reason that I went to the temple was to gain confidence. Then I drove to their office as soon as possible because I had an interview at 1:00 PM. After I reached their office, I glanced in the room and saw that many people were busy. Most of them were Lao and foreigners. Anyway, I was not scared anymore. Why? Because I well-trained. I walked toward the door with self confidence; I opened the door and said “Sabaidee” to them, and they smiled to me in a friendly manner.

The secretary was a woman who invited me in the room and brought me a glass of water. Then, they called my name to go to another room. I opened the door and said hello to the four people inside. They were the ones who will interview me; one man and three women. I looked at their eyes to analyze them and knew that they looked intelligent. So, I am sure that I must win this position.

Next, they asked me many questions, such as: why they should hire me; tell about their organization background; why I was a match for that position. I finished the interview eventually and shook hands with them and said goodbye.

The day later, they called me to say that I was hired! I knew the salary was $250 per month, which is quite high for someone like me in Laos. Anyway before they called, I had gone to register for the new term at school. The teacher told me that I must complete six subjects because this year was the last year of my study. If I do not follow the rules, I might not finish university. Finally, I had to refuse that job with Afesip because of my studying. So, for me this became good and bad at the same time.

Anyway, even though I lost an excellent job, I am not sorry because I had gained experience from that interview and it might help me to know how to be good at problem solving in dealing with the next interview in the future after I finish university.

12:55 PM ICT Permalink |

Vang Vieng Trip, Part 2

After we walked down to the ground, the weather changed immediately, from cold to hot with sunshine everywhere. So, because of the hot temperature, all of us swam in the pond, which was at the entrance to the cave. The water was so clear; even we were able to glance at the fishes and the rocks under it. We jumped in the water and swam for about 30 minutes. Then, we continued to the next plan. The next plan was jumping.

We rented boats to go there. We paid about 1000 baht for seven boats. There were two people per boat, and we took it along the Song River. It took about 15 minutes to reach our destination. Along the way, we saw many tourists that were paddling between two sides of the river banks. For example, some people danced and drank beer Lao, some were eating, and some swam on the Song River. Those were things that I saw. Anyway, I didn’t focus on those things; I only focused on the beautiful cliffs, natural flowers, and birds. However, one thing I remember was some of my friends kicked our boat. Then, we fell into the water eventually and we got wet. “That was so cool,” I yelled at my friend. They laughed and then we keep going.

Finally, we reached the jumping place. When I saw it the first time, it looked like a high building, and had one line. That means you have to take the line from the top and jump to the river. It was so dangerous. However, I saw many tourists doing it, and they were self confident. Why was I scared? I must do this, to find the freedom for me and get rid of my weak points, I thought. Then, there was a man who was so kind. He took us up there. All of my friends who have never done it before screamed, even me, because it was so high.

Anyway, I must fight with the weak point that occurred in my heart. I walked with my friends, mainly men. For the women in our group, they refused to do it. Therefore, there just only me and two other men. We walked up to the top and jumped. The first time I reached the top of the building, I felt my heart stop beating. “Jump now,” one of my friends said to me. I know how you would feel if you were me at the situation. Finally, I decided to jump and closed my eyes. “Boom!” My body fell down from the line into the river. I heard everybody scream. Someone said I’m great! Suddenly I reached the riverbank, and I knew I was still alive. We played about two hours more, and then we decided to go back Vientiane.

This is my special memory and it will stay with my forever. Vang Vieng is a very interesting place where you can see a lot of sightseeing places, such as caves, historical sites, and beautiful scenery. If you have a chance, please come to visit Laos.

07:18 PM ICT Permalink |

Beautiful Sightseeing in Vang Vieng

January 13 was a special day for me and my friends who study at The Lao- American College; it was the start of our holiday after studying hard for four months. We wanted to spend a holiday together, so our plan was go to Vang Vieng, a beautiful city with mountains, not far from Vientiane, on the road north towards Luang Prabang.

I woke up that Sunday at 4 AM while the alarm clock rang next to my bed. The weather was so cold outside and a little windy, therefore, I ran to the bath room as soon as possible to take a shower, packed my clothes, and eventually drove my motorbike to my friend’s house at That Luang village. As soon as I got my friend’s house, about seven people were waiting to me at the front door.

“Hurry up, Lar,” said one of my friends, a cute girl with long dark hair. Then, I took my bag to the car and everybody got inside. The car ran faster out of the Vientiane to Vang Vieng. It took about three hours. The road has too many sharp curves, and it was on the mountain. I glanced out of the window and saw forests with natural flowers. Cows walked cross the road in some places. There were some houses and people among the two sides of the streets. It was so beautiful and my eyes were wondering if what I saw was a picture. Eventually we reached Vang Vieng.

I felt so tired because the car was crowded with people. But after we got out of the car I was so happy because I liked this adventure. In Vang Vieng I saw a lot of foreigners and tourists. Mostly they were from Korea, Thailand, Laos, and also some Westerners there. Some were walking and some sat at restaurants. Vang Vieng is small city, surrounded by mountains and incredible cliffs. There were some traditional houses and temples. Later, we went to the Gold Crab Cave, about 7 Km away. When we arrived there, I saw the high cave with the green pond in front of the cave door. There were colorful fishes and many rocks.

We bought the ticket to go inside. We paid 20,000 thousand kip to the old man who takes care of the cave. We walked up to the cave door, but we had to climb up to the cave door because there was no ladder. So, it was so hard and difficult for us. I was tired, but suddenly we reached the cave door, and looked inside the cave. We saw the most beautiful natural architecture; it seemed like a palace. It looked like maybe some people built it, but no; it was natural. As we walked inside, I saw the beautiful Buddha images, water, and incredible rocks in the cave. It was quite a big and wide cave. We took some photos and finally we walked down from the cave to our next destination.

… to be continued

09:37 AM ICT Permalink |

The New Year and the beginning of new thing

On December 31, New Year’s Eve, I think it was important for everyone around the world to celebrate the New Year with friends, parents, or family. For me, this event was about beginning new things, and to leave the bad things that happened to us back with the old year.

On New Year’s Eve, I had a small party with my friends at The Lao- American College. Everyone said that we have to celebrate with each other because this would be our last year of studying together. So, I agreed with them. There were about eight people at our party, everyone wore red and white. That was our concept to come to the party.

When it was time for the party to begin, I went to the college. I saw that everyone was in red, and smiled in a friendly manner to me. While I was walking to the yard of the school, I was impressed by Christmas trees decorated with Santa Claus toys, bells, and New Year’s cards. Between the gates I saw candles with colorful lights. “Is it a dream or it is real?” I thought, again because I never had seen anything like this before in my whole life.

Suddenly, one of my friends, who is so cute, tall, and a little sexy, took me to the School hall. At that time, I felt so cold and my lip was dry because of the wind. Anyway, I opened the door and my eyes were wandering around the room, along with my friend. I saw some people were dancing, singing, and eating. The atmosphere was so special. I had delicious foods, such as grilled chicken, pizza, egg rolls. After we had dinner, we danced and had a little something to drink. Most songs that we danced to were Hip-hop, Pop, Rock, and R&B.

After about three hours had gone by, the most exciting time began; it will be 12:00 midnight soon. Suddenly, everyone stopped do everything, they stood still, and we counted from ten to one together. Boom! One of my friends was shooting fireworks into the sky, and everything became noisy again.

The last words that we said together were: “Happy New Year 2008.” To start the New Year we danced a little bit and eventually said good bye to everyone and went to sleep.

03:07 PM ICT Permalink |

Unlucky Christmas

It was December 25, and I think people around the world who were Christian or not Christian, were waiting for the special celebration called Christmas Eve. Even me, I’m Buddhist, but I have my own views; I love all of special Celebrations.

On Christmas day I woke up early in the morning to prepare what I was going to wear to a party that night. I had a plan to celebrate with friends who studied with me at the college. In the morning, the sun rose quickly with a little wind. Frankly, the weather in Laos has changed. I felt so hot during most of the winter. The weather is not cold like it used to be.

Anyway, I went to the bathroom and took a shower. Eventually I had breakfast with my family. When my father and my mother saw me in red, they said I looked great. I told them I will go my friend’s house. After we finished talking, I said goodbye to my parents and drove toward the city. On either side of street in Vientiane there weren’t any decorations or anything about Christmas because it was not a Lao custom or festival. We can see the beautiful Christmas trees only in pubs, hotels, and restaurants.

At my friend’s house, there were eight people wearing red. Most of them were my friends from school. We spent time talking about how we will celebrate Christmas. Then, we shared some money to buy some food and drinks at the market close to my friend’s house; we cooked and decorated the Christmas tree together. Moreover, some listened to music, some sang songs, and danced. It was so fun to spend time with my friends because my brain will have time to relax after studying so hard in school.

We had dinner together and drink some Pepsi until 11 pm, then we said goodbye to each other. After the party finished, I drove to my house. On the street, something that I didn’t expect happened; my motorbike broke. Oh my goodness, it was too unlucky. Then, I tried to ask for a help from some people and the police who stood at the office in front of me. But no one helped me! It was too bad. Fortunately, I called my father to bring a car come to save me.

Twenty minutes later, he came with my brother-in-law. I put my motorbike on the car and then went back home. When I reached my house, I felt more relieved and went to bed because it was 1 am. “Goodbye my unlucky merry Christmas,” I thought to myself and then slept immediately.

07:45 PM ICT Permalink |