Despite the fact that Mary, Clare, Jamie and Anne are on a tighter time schedule than I, we made the group decision to journey to Laos via a slow boat ride up the Mekong River that would take us 2 days. We were told that this was an ideal way to arrive in Laos and we were all excited about the experience. The loading for the boat takes place in Chiang Kong which took 7 hours to get to by bus from Chiang Mai. We made the arrangements for our Laos visas upon arrival at our guest house and were notified about our early departure for the next day.Crossing the border from Thailand to Laos via boat was a funny and chaotic event. After being literally squeezed unto an unstable wood boat across the Mekong with our enormous backpacks in tow then herded to a disorganized “immigration” desk, we suddenly found ourselves in Laos. The trip from Thailand to Laos took all of 10 minutes. It felt strange to suddenly be in a new country because nothing seemed different besides the change in currency.
The first day’s boat ride wasn’t easy; the ferry was overfilled beyond capacity so some passengers, including Mary and Clare, had the misfortune of being placed on the dirty wood floor which wasn’t much better than the hard wood benches that the rest of us were sitting on. I did my best to distract myself by reading, writing and making small talk with the other passengers. Mostly I spent my time taking in the peaceful views along the river which is riddled with smiling fisherman, gorgeous untouched rainforests and tiny miscellaneous villages. I began to contemplate life back home and thought about how hectic living in cities tends to be and how much I long to live somewhere with wide open space.
When we arrived in the miniscule town of Pak Beng for our overnight stay we scurried our way up a vertical sand dune followed by an even steeper hike up to our guest house. Even after having been warned about the possibility of being offered drugs in the area, I was still shocked when I was solicited by the owner of the guest house upon walking into my room and even more shocked when we were again approached at the restaurant that we ate dinner in. The corruption and illegal activity that takes place in this part of the world never ceases to amaze me.
The next day’s boat ride was much more comfortable. I spent the majority of the trip at the front of the boat with two very sweet girls from the Netherlands and an interesting couple from France who had been traveling for the same amount of time as I. We all shared stories about our individual adventures traveling throughout the world. I was reminded yet again at how fortunate I am to be on this random journey and for my current freedom.
Upon approaching the town of Luang Prabang, the sun began to set and I guided my new friends through a chant of the Gayatri Mantra. As we pulled into the harbor, we looked at each other with internal knowing that we had arrived in a very special place and smiled. I decided then that it was time for me to get back to some volunteer work which, despite the wonderful time I had had in Thailand, my soul was craving.
When we arrived in town, the first thing I did was ask locals if they knew of an orphanage in the area. An owner of a restaurant informed me of an Australian ex patriot named Ruth who had been living in Laos for 10 years. She owns a used book store and restaurant and contributes 20% of her earnings to an orphanage just outside of town.
The next afternoon, after visiting some of Laos’ extraordinary temples, I set out on my own to find Ruth. When I arrived at her bookstore, I was a bit taken aback to meet a slightly grouchy older woman who didn’t seem the least bit enthusiastic about my wanting to come and volunteer my time. She informed me that there are 580 children living at the orphanage and unless I was able to purchase enough food, clothing or supplies for all of the children that my time would be useless. I offered to teach the children yoga, which she found ridiculous, or to teach them English to which she informed me that the people who run the facility would be frustrated with unless I could speak Laos to translate. Although I felt exasperated, I wasn’t about to give up. My intention was to do some good while I was in there and I wasn’t going to quit that easily. Seeing that I wasn’t going anywhere, she gave me the name of an organization called My Library, told me how to get there and off I went.
Walking through the back alleys of this beautiful little town is sure to inspire even the coldest of hearts; run down French colonial buildings and homes, gorgeous tropical trees and flowers, awesome temples with Buddha statues that literally take your breath away, beautiful children running and playing in the streets, monks dressed in orange robes mindfully carrying umbrellas and peacefully walking, all overlooking the Mekong River with wooden boats carrying fisherman over her body. Luang Prabang is dazzling.
When I arrived at the My Library building I immediately knew that I was in the right place. After an enthusiastic welcome from some of the students on the first level, I was introduced to an American woman named Carol who founded the organization about 6 years ago when she became aware of the lack of access to books and computers that Laos children had in the area due to financial restrictions. Now, children and young adults are given the opportunity to learn how to read and write in English, how to use the internet and those who are interested can learn about photography. A gallery of photographs taken by some of the kids graces the walls of the small library. Seeing the world through the eyes of a child is such a gift so for them to be able to transmit that through the lens of a camera is simply astounding.
I sat down with a couple of boys initially and the questions began to unfurl on both ends. They began by asking me the obvious about where I am from, what I do, do I like Laos followed by basic grammar questions. I learned about their lives growing up in Laos. They ride their bikes anywhere from a 1/ 2 hour to 3 hours per day to come to town to work and to the Library to learn. They are eager, curious and incredibly gratefully for the opportunity. As our conversation continued, more children joined in and I began to fall in love with the Laos people, their culture, their beliefs and their hearts. Most of them follow the Mhong belief system; which basically means that they believe that multiple spirits inhabit each of our bodies. When someone gets sick, a local shaman is called to clear the negative spirits out. I learned that these “children” were our waiters, the ones who run all of the local guest houses and hotels and shopkeepers. Not a single one of them had ever left Luang Prabang but they are all eager to get out into the world.
While conversing with, laughing and learning with them, I realized once again why volunteer work is so important for me. Beyond the fact that it feels wonderful to be able to share my time with people who are so grateful for what little time I have to give, it reminds me of just how fortunate I am. I have learned so much from the incredible people I have spent time with over the past 8 months. I will be thankful to all of them for inviting me into their lives forever.
A few hours later, as I left with a big smile on my face, one of the boys caught up with me on his bicycle to thank me again for taking the time to teach them. I was really impressed with his English and his eagerness to learn. I took him to a local used book shop and bought him a copy of “Lord of the Flies”. At 16, he has never owned or read an English book from beginning to end. It makes me happy knowing that his first book will not only have a tremendous impact on him but will probably be shared with some of his friends as well.
The next morning I woke up at 6 am to join the only yoga class available in the area. On my way back to the guest house, I nearly tripped over a tiny black and white kitten that had found itself in the middle of a bustling street. I scooped it up into my arms and noticed that there was something wrong with its eyes so I bought some milk and a bowl and put the little cat down in a safer location. As I walked away, the kitten followed. Seeing that no one seemed to show it any interest, I decided to bring it back to our guest house to try to find it a home. When I arrived, I showed the owner and asked if she knew if anyone would want a kitten. She suggested that I bring him to the monastery up the street to see if the monks would take him in.
When I arrived there, all I had to do was look into one of the monks’ eyes and he said “would you like for us to care for this kitten?” And that was it. He gently embraced the cat in his arms, as another monk placed the bowl of milk on the ground. The love that these men in orange had in their eyes for this sad little animal made me love and appreciate them and their belief system all the more. If only we all had such unconditional love for all of God’s creatures.
I spent the rest of my week volunteering with the kids at My Library and ended being invited to come teach English in the local college; took a cooking class and learned how to make some delicious Laos cuisine and finished up the week bathing in a gorgeous waterfall and teaching some friends yoga at its base in the pouring rain.
Laos is by far one of my favorite countries that I have visited so far. I cannot recommend traveling there enough. I would have liked to stay longer but was eager to join my friends in Cambodia for the next chapter of this magical adventure that I am on but I will be back and I hope it is sooner rather than later.
Sending love and light from Thailand.
xoxox
