shaunism: Laoicious

We are rounding up our first proper holiday since moving to Australia. I am writing this from the Cathay Pacific lounge at BKK, enjoying our last long-haul trip that will be covered by Sushil's BA status, which expires in April. It's been a good run.

We decided to go to Laos as neither of us had been there, and we only had a week+, which we thought would be enough. It turned out to be too long by several days, but we went into this holiday wanting a period of stasis and calm - we've had a lot of motion in the past half year - and we got that in our first stop, Luang Prabang. We got a nicer hotel than we normally do (thank you, Qantas deals), and spent considerable time poolside. LP had a hint of Varanasi to it, with its concentration of temples, displays of piousness, and tumbledown streets leading to a sacred river. In fact, Laos in general felt like a much, much toned-down version of India, minus the readily-available vegetarian food, but heavily compensated by the ready availability of som tom. We managed to peg together enough to do away from the pool, but I suffer pretty quickly from temple fatigue, so we were definitely pushing it, even with our ample dedicated relaxation time.

Our last three nights were in the capital, Vientiane, and, to be honest, we could've skipped it with little loss. The 20th-century history is really fascinating for someone who grew up in the shadow of the Vietnam War (called the American War here), and just the word Mekong conjures up Cold War intrigue and a sense of the verboten. But again, the temples. We elected not to take any tours as they were shockingly expensive for this part of the world, and the itineraries were heavily weighted with temples and shrines. But it was great to see the only calm capital of Southeast Asia while it's still relatively under the radar. (Starbucks and the influencers have arrived, so that ship is rapidly leaving the dock.) And the som tom? Yum!

ໂຊກດີເດີ້,

Shaun

Our first som tom of the trip.

The alms-giving ceremony is meant to be a highlight of a visit to Luang Prabang, but it's the second-worst tourist experience I've had (the first being the dolphin boat in Zanzibar). It's meant to be a solemn and sacred ceremony, but it has been commercialised and commodified to the point that it feels more like one of those "native dance" shows you see at buffet dinners. As we were walking into town, I started to get a sense of dread as we were passed by van after van of group tours en route. Once we made it, there was nary a Laotian Buddhist to be seen, just group after group of (mostly) Chinese tourists, giving 'alms' of cheap tatty rice crackers and the like (rather than sticky rice and fruit) supplied by their tour guides (we saw one of the monks throw their accumulation away), jostling for the perfect Instagram shot, and talking and shouting when there is supposed to be reverent silence. I think there is a cultural aspect to the inappropriate volume, but I wonder if it was amplified by a subconscious disregard for Buddhist sensitivities inculcated by decades of Chinese propaganda after the invasion and subjugation of Tibet. Whatever the reason, it was ugly.

What turned out to be the highlight of Luang Prabang - and all of Laos - was the sunset tour on the Mekong. We were on a small boat, only about 12 people, and it was gorgeous. Recreating a high-school prom photo was not obligatory, but we elected to anyway.

I was initially sceptical of going to the Kuang Si Waterfall, but it turned out to be beautiful, and a great day out. It's actually a collection of several different levels of falls that you pass on a very-manageable 20-minute or so hike. However, as you'd expect in this day and age, behind the lens was a sea of selfie sticks and self-styled influencers.

The most interesting - it's hard to say best in this context - part of Vientiane was the COPE Visitor Centre. This is where the victims of unexploded ordnance accidents receive treatment, rehabilitation and psychological support. I knew that the US covertly bombed Laos during the Vietnam war, but I had absolutely no clue about the scale: the equivalent of a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day, for 9 years, making it the most heavily-bombed country per capita in history. They seemed to have forgotten to mention that in my US history book.

There are signs like this all around Laos, so it's not hard to fathom who's winning the war for influence in this part of the world. Perhaps America could start upping its game by fully funding the COPE Centre.