5. Nov 2. Vientiane
I ended up with the best sleep so far on the trip. Not so with Judith who has been awake for a very long time. She’s up early and heads down for caffeine. I’m not too far behind and when I arrive at the table, there’s a lovely looking latte ready for sipping on my place setting. I can feel it’s going to be a good day.
Judith has already ordered from the menu and apparently confused the waitress by trying to order toast. Part of the confusion is likely due to language; the other part is that there’s an entire buffet of continental breakfast items including toast a few steps from her.
I decide to order Shakshuka, a dish of eggs poached in a base of tomatoes, onion and peppers. My son Cameron had been making a delicious version of this dish for me to use up the mountains of tomatoes given to us by my gardening mom. While the restaurant version tasted really good, it wasn’t Shakshuka. I had some fresh fruit from the buffet and the waiter offered to bring me another latte which I quickly accepted. Although it’s early on in this trip, I think this hotel will be offering the best breakfasts.
We met our guide Lai in the lobby for our day’s tour. The driver always remains in the vehicle (parked nearby) and Lai calls him to let him know we’re ready and to drive over and pick us up. I only need to make a few steps to climb into a pre-cooled air conditioned environment.
The first stop is the Lao Textile Museum. The location takes us out of the downtown core and we arrive at a beautiful complex with gardens, a private home, a two level information centre, gift shop and a few outbuildings for other displays for related to textile manufacturing. On site were several workers setting up for a wedding on the weekend. Lao silk fabric is known for their intricate patterns. The tour starts with displays of silk worm lifespan and the process of getting silk thread from the cocoons. There are three large looms set up and one of them is set up with a cotton threads which novices such as me can try out. The shuttle holding the weft thread (going across the grain) is very smooth and glides easily across the long warp threads wrapped vertically along the loom and gives the structure to the fabric. Once the thread is passed through, it’s pressed into place with a comb like device that squishes it tight against the finished end of the fabric.
Floor loom. The warp string are white and the weft string is blue and located in the shuttle is sitting on top of the fabric.
Each individual warp string is attached to one of the two horizontal bamboo poles to create the weave pattern. These bamboo poles are alternatively raised by two foot operated levers located under the bench seat just above the carpet. Some of the warp strings are pulled higher and others lower so that the shuttle containing the weft can be passed in between.
After the shuttle of blue thread is passed between the higher and lower warp strings the comb in front of the bamboo string mechanism is pulled down locking the weft thread in place. Then foot lever is pressed, reversing which warp strings are up or down and the shuttle is passed through, this time from the opposite side.
If you didn’t get the explanation, don’t worry. I wasn’t that great on the weaving and Judith didn’t even attempt.
My weaving results. The last few rows are from me and start where’s there is a gap in the weft threads. I didn’t pull the comb contraption (the wooden bar with threads between each vertical warp thread) down hard enough to lock in the blue weft thread.
Fortunately the guide at the weaving museum knew how to fix that.
There was a very experienced weaver working another loom. Her pattern required weaving several threads manually through the warp threads to create a pattern.
Video of the shuttle being passed through between the warp strings. (I’m assuming the video works. Can you please let me know via email or WhatsApp if you have any success here?)
The upstairs of the museum contained historical textiles and artifacts from different regions.
Samples of various regional outfits.
Outside the museum building we saw were shown the natural materials used to make the fabric dyes. Indigo leaves, mangosteen skin and jackfruit bark were some of the natural ingredients I remember from the display. Generally the items are boiled to extract the colour. With indigo, the leaves are placed in large vats because the leaves need to go through a fermenting process to obtain the blue colour. We noticed that the fermentation process releases an unpleasant odour.
As with most tourist places, you cannot leave without visiting the gift centre. In our case we were treated to some butterfly pea tea made from flowers from the garden. The blue colour of the tea turned violet when fresh lime juice was squeezed in.
Tea cup with a butterfly pea flower and lime slice ready to be squeezed into the cup.
On our way back to the city we were shown a huge Casino built with funds from the Chinese government. Named “St Vegas”, the casino has recently reopened from being closed since March 2020. The casino was built to attract Chinese tourists which used to comprise the majority of Lao tourism. They are not yet permitted to travel due to China’s zero Covid restriction. We ask to drive into the parking lot to snap a picture of St. Vegas.
The St. Vegas casino building stands out from the surrounding generally single storey industrial and farmland area. We didn’t feel the need to go in. Our van is in the front along with our guide and driver.
Our next tour stop was the Lao Disabled Women Development Center. Originally started in 1990 as a sewing only group in the home of one of the directors, it was formally renamed in 2002. This was a school run by disabled women for disabled women to learn skills to help support themselves. Many of the women are from rural areas and lack access to higher education and vocational training. The facility is a not for profit, raising funds to make the training in life skills and vocational training accessible to eligible students. There is a dorm facility so that the women have a place to stay while they are training.
The computer training room.
Our next stop was the quirky Xiengkhoun Buddha Park. It’s an open air display of many concrete Buddha and Hindu deities located on the banks of the Mekong River. The story goes that the creative genius was Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat who apparently fell into a cave, met a hermit living in that said cave and got his spiritual awakening from said hermit. His parents, who owned the subject property gave their son complete carte blanche to build whatever he wanted to on said property. By 1958 he and his group of artisans (I would assume untrained) had built over 200 concrete sculptures on the property. Sulilat fled the communist revolution in 1975 and landed in Thailand where he built a similar park literally across the Mekong river from his previous location.
The sculptures show many signs of neglect but are impressive in their size and oddness. There is a 40 meter long reclining Buddha. Near the entrance is a large pumpkin shaped building that rises to about 3 stories. You can enter and climb to the top but we didn’t.
Circle of sculptures. The reclining Buddha is in the background.
Another huge concrete sculpture. It’s holding a female form.
By this time it’s early afternoon and we head back into town to grab a small bite. We’re going out for dinner so I feel, that I’ll wait until later to fill up. We end up at JOMA Bakery. It’s one of the growing number of fine bakeries in Vientiane serving up western style baked good and coffee. I decided that having a croissant or a carrot cake wasn’t very adventurous so I just ordered a mango smoothie to tie me over. Pumpkin pie seems to be a popular treat here and Judith wanted to compare that to her mother’s and ordered that. Unfortunately, it didn’t end up on our bill and the error wasn’t caught until much later. Lai offered sections of his mango crumble which I had wanted to order but thought it was too big for me. So Judith and I got two bite sections of the mango crumble to try out. I thought it could use more mango, but Judith thought it was great..
Part of the cabinet display at JOMA bakery. It could easily pass for my neighbourhood coffee shop.
The next tour event was a trip to COPE—Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise. COPE provides rehabilitation and equipment to victims of the unexploded ordinances. From 1964 to 1973 the US dropped more than 270 Million bombs on Laos, more than all the bombs dropped during all of WWII. They were targeting the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the main supply route to Vietnam from communist backed regimes of Russia and China. A huge number of these bombs were cluster bombs. These bombs spin rapidly and the outer shell casing breaks apart upon reaching a certain altitude. Each bomb contained hundreds of orange sized mini bombs (bombies) which were released to maximize the area of damage. It is estimated that up to 30% of these cluster bombs did not detonate, leaving over 80 Million bombies on or in the ground. COPE estimates that only 1% of these bombs have been cleared. Despite education in rural communities of the dangers, the UXOs kills or injures Laotians at an unacceptable rate.
Scrap metal dealers will buy collected ordinance shells as there is a demand from people wanting to purchase these spent casings. The amount the dealers pay is worth it to some people to collect UXOs despite the danger especially due to the poverty in the rural areas. People will buy inexpensive (= not accurate) metal detectors to search fields for UXOs. Approximately 24% of the UXO injuries are due to scrap metal collectors. Farmers are often victims when they inadvertently strike an ordinance during their daily activities of preparing their land for farming. Young children will unknowingly pick up a bombie believing it to be a interesting toy. Whatever the reason for accidentally tripping these bombies, the fact that they’re even there in the first place is a crime. The US was a signer to an agreement made by several countries not to invade or establish military bases in Laos but broke that agreement in order to disrupt the communist governments throughout the area. A bombing campaign was developed as it was seen to be safer than a ground invasion resulting Laos being the most bombed area in the world on a per capita basis. It was known as the Secret War because they wouldn’t admit to the bombing.
The museum goes on to describe the support that victims receive in terms of education, prosthetics and rehabilitation. While the visit to the museum was a sobering experience, it is heartwarming to see people coming together to help others.
The information sign describing their clinic locations.
Wall made up of decommissioned leg prosthesis.
After COPE we went to visit Pha That Luang, the Great Buddhist Stupa of Vientiane. This is the iconic golden national symbol of Laos. The Stupa was built around the 3rd century and was renovated many times as a result of damage from invasions. We walk around the stupa and take pictures. When I look at the pictures I know our guide purposely timed our visit to the Stupa to get the evening sun.
Orange robed Buddhist monks in training.
By this time, we’ve had a full day. But we have more on our schedule. Up next is the Ban Anou Night Market and dinner. We make it back to the hotel about 30 minutes late and our Tuktuk driver is already waiting to take us on the evening’s adventure. These are small wagons that operate like taxis. They can carry a maximum of 6 people and fares are charged. We freshen up and get ready to go out to the Ban Anou Night Market a night market that specializes This market specializes in food. We came across a booth that specialized in cooked insects. I try a cricket (actually I tried another one for a total of two). Judith ate some sort of stubby worm. We both survive. We buy a couple packages of fresh fruit and test out some insects but mostly look at all the vendors preparing amazing street food.
I ended up forgetting my phone (=camera) at the hotel when we went out this evening. I ended up using my little camera and shooting a selfie. Clearly I’m out of practice so all you get is a grainy picture as we travel in the back of the Tuktuk.
(So a couple of days later I had my memory card with the rest of our Tuktuk adventure, night market and dinner excursion pictures with me as we were touring because I thought I could transfer the rest of my pictures when we had some down time. Instead, it must have accidentally dropped out of my bag when I was at one of the Plain of Jars sites near Phonsavan. Dang. There were some interesting pictures from the rest of the evening. The Tuktuk picture is the only one I managed to download before I lost the memory card.)
We get back into the Tuktuk and head off for another wild ride to get to our restaurant. The Tuktuk is a 3 wheel vehicle, is more nimble than a car and can squeeze through openings you never thought possible. We arrive at the hot pot restaurant and are seated at a table with a large round hole in the middle that will eventually house a hot charcoal burner. Lai orders what I already know to be too much food, beef, pork and fish to be grilled and baskets of vegetables that will be braised in the soup base. This hot pot is slightly different to the Chinese style hot pot that I’ve had at many of our family gatherings. While my family hot pots cooks the food entirely at the table in a flavourful broth, the Lao hot pot is a combination of grilling on a cone shaped center with other items cooked in a broth surrounding the base of the cone. It was fun to actively cook the items together and to learn more about our guide and his family.
Judith fed her uncooked fish portions to a small cat wandering the tables. The cat was feral so accepted the meat and moved on. Lai ordered a beer. I have a feeling that this is one of the perks of guiding where you can order a drink and your employer pays for it. Right at the end of our meal Lai call the TukTuk driver to come pick us up. They had previous arranged that the driver would go home and be called back when we were ready. We enjoyed another wild ride and arrived back to our room to reminisce about a great day.
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