After breakfast and before we know it, we are on a long tailed boat on the Mekong river. We travel up river on a gorgeous January day and I feel like I must be dreaming. But I'm just getting started with this luscious dream....
The boat pulls up near a village and we walk up a steep path and along a narrower one at the top and arrive in a neat clean village where we first watch a man at work making woven baskets. We saunder along for some time, stopping to chat with people along the way and watching children ride by on bicycles. It is new years day and people seem to be enjoying a day of no work and there is a lightness in the air and many smiles we encounter.
After about an hour we come to another path near a temple that leads back down to the river where the boats are waiting for us. Sanjay is very popular with the children as they watch him make colorful balloon animals for them. What beautiful smiles on their faces. Such joy to have a simple piece of rubber. Something we would certainly take foregranted.
We board the boat and head back towards Luang Prabang and disembark at the city's main temple. Very ornate and beautiful with many buildings to explore. Some of us decide to sit in the shade and rest with a cold drink. It's been an incredible day already.
We head back to the boat once again and visit another small village where we have lunch with the village chief and his wife. A simple meal of rice, morning glory (similar to spinach), omelet and chicken. They are very kind people and seem so happy to have us share a meal with them. On the way out of the village, many children surround us as we take our leave. They all smile and play games with each other using stones and sticks.
There is one girl who seems very shy and stays back from the crowd. After some coaxing, she comes toward Urmi and they share a hug. She has one eye that is mishapen and it occurs to me that this could by why she is shy. She gets a lot of attention from our group and we are all thinking about her as the boat pulls away...
Back on the boat, we are all lulled by the soft sound of the motor and the silky waves lapping the sides. Eyes grow heavy and bellies are full. The lush green trees and tall mountains surrounding us are pure beauty and peace. I love this time on the Mekong river and feel very grateful that I am experiencing it.
After 30 minutes we pull up to another village entrance. All entrances are an uphill climb and I'm feeling the burn by this time. We climb up and are greeted by the village priest and his family who invite us into their simple home. We are told that they will be performing a Bacci ceremony with us today. A ceremony to give us blessings for a happy journey and to bring in good luck with the new year.
There are five men and four women in the room. They invite us to sit in a circle with them and in the center there are food offerings of fruit, rice crackers, sweets, a boiled chicken, incense burning and sticks holding many white cords. The men are all very happy and boisterous as they begin to chant and sing. This day just got even more dream like....
As they all chant, each person moves around the room tying a white cord on our wrist, looking us in the eye and giving us good blessings and lots of love. By the time we were finished we all had at least 10 thick white cords on each wrist, the ends hanging down in a tribal like bracelet. After the blessings and prayers, the now blessed food is passed around for everyone to share along with a little bit of homemade whiskey. That's the way they roll in Laos. No wonder everyone was so boisterous and happy! It is a beautiful and touching time with this family. I feel love and good will from every person there, even though we don't speak the same language. It doesn't matter. Words are just that. Actions and emotions are how we truly communicate. We all speak the same language of the heart.
We chat with a few more people in the village as we make our way back to the boat, now heated up and happy from the "whiskey Lao" as they call it there.
Down to the boat yet again and back towards town. We jump into our vans and head back to the resort, where we have time to rest for a short while before getting ready for dinner at a restaurant in town, The Blue Lagoon. We have a lovely meal of rice, fish, curries and local specialties along with some nice wine that Chef Richard chooses.
It was about the most action packed, special and heart warming new years day I've had in many years. Not to mention getting lots of good exercise up and down the village paths. I loved it.
When we finally get back to our beautiful room at the Luang Prabong View Resort, it's time to pack and get some shut eye after this 18 hour day of adventure. Tomorrow we travel by van four hours up to the Nong Khiaw River where will spend a few days exploring around this mountain village on the Pak Ou River.
The boat pulls up near a village and we walk up a steep path and along a narrower one at the top and arrive in a neat clean village where we first watch a man at work making woven baskets. We saunder along for some time, stopping to chat with people along the way and watching children ride by on bicycles. It is new years day and people seem to be enjoying a day of no work and there is a lightness in the air and many smiles we encounter.
After about an hour we come to another path near a temple that leads back down to the river where the boats are waiting for us. Sanjay is very popular with the children as they watch him make colorful balloon animals for them. What beautiful smiles on their faces. Such joy to have a simple piece of rubber. Something we would certainly take foregranted.
We board the boat and head back towards Luang Prabang and disembark at the city's main temple. Very ornate and beautiful with many buildings to explore. Some of us decide to sit in the shade and rest with a cold drink. It's been an incredible day already.
We head back to the boat once again and visit another small village where we have lunch with the village chief and his wife. A simple meal of rice, morning glory (similar to spinach), omelet and chicken. They are very kind people and seem so happy to have us share a meal with them. On the way out of the village, many children surround us as we take our leave. They all smile and play games with each other using stones and sticks.
After 30 minutes we pull up to another village entrance. All entrances are an uphill climb and I'm feeling the burn by this time. We climb up and are greeted by the village priest and his family who invite us into their simple home. We are told that they will be performing a Bacci ceremony with us today. A ceremony to give us blessings for a happy journey and to bring in good luck with the new year.
There are five men and four women in the room. They invite us to sit in a circle with them and in the center there are food offerings of fruit, rice crackers, sweets, a boiled chicken, incense burning and sticks holding many white cords. The men are all very happy and boisterous as they begin to chant and sing. This day just got even more dream like....
As they all chant, each person moves around the room tying a white cord on our wrist, looking us in the eye and giving us good blessings and lots of love. By the time we were finished we all had at least 10 thick white cords on each wrist, the ends hanging down in a tribal like bracelet. After the blessings and prayers, the now blessed food is passed around for everyone to share along with a little bit of homemade whiskey. That's the way they roll in Laos. No wonder everyone was so boisterous and happy! It is a beautiful and touching time with this family. I feel love and good will from every person there, even though we don't speak the same language. It doesn't matter. Words are just that. Actions and emotions are how we truly communicate. We all speak the same language of the heart.
We chat with a few more people in the village as we make our way back to the boat, now heated up and happy from the "whiskey Lao" as they call it there.
Down to the boat yet again and back towards town. We jump into our vans and head back to the resort, where we have time to rest for a short while before getting ready for dinner at a restaurant in town, The Blue Lagoon. We have a lovely meal of rice, fish, curries and local specialties along with some nice wine that Chef Richard chooses.
It was about the most action packed, special and heart warming new years day I've had in many years. Not to mention getting lots of good exercise up and down the village paths. I loved it.
When we finally get back to our beautiful room at the Luang Prabong View Resort, it's time to pack and get some shut eye after this 18 hour day of adventure. Tomorrow we travel by van four hours up to the Nong Khiaw River where will spend a few days exploring around this mountain village on the Pak Ou River.
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