Knowing that a visit to Laos must include a “catch up” date-however brief-with our dear friend, Kiyoko Nanni, we left Bangkok, Thailand heading for Vientiane the capital of Laos.  We had met Kiyoko while serving at the Baha’i World Center in Haifa, Israel.  At the completion of her service, about 8 years ago, she had pioneered to Laos, living in a village on the outskirts of Vientiane.  Gracious Kiyoko spent a full day with us, telling us about Laos and it’s lovely people including the Baha’i community.  Together we visited the “Cope” center, quite a sobering experience.  She invited us to the home of a dear Baha’i for a meal and elevated conversation and wrapped us with warmth that one can only get from a true friend.  We will forever remember Kiyoko’s kindness and wish her continued good health and dedicated service

Our homestay in Vientiane was quite quaint.  It was next to one of the MANY Buddhist temples in Vientiane.  Each morning, a bit before sunrise, we would hear the sound of the bongs, coming from the temples, next door and others close by, signaling the most sacred and highly revered Lao tradition, the Buddhist Alms Giving Ceremony.  Richard is an early riser but unless there is something extra special, or a must do, I usually wake up a couple of hours later.  Well, seeing the Alm Giving was a must in Vientiane.  As we walked the quiet walkways and the streets at 5:30am we saw groups of monks (as young as10) quietly, humbly and reverently accepting their daily meals from the locals.

Vientiane, pronounced Vienchen, is a busy little town. Knowing it is the capital of Laos makes it even more interesting. It’s compact and easy to get around.

We visited several temples and a museum in Vientiane and in one temple we were introduced to the ritual of shaking a container containing 10-20 chopsticks with numbers on it.  As you shake the container one chopstick sticks out further than others, you pull out the stick, look at the number and receive your matching fortune, in Lao, on a piece of paper.  We are yet to have our fortunes translated but we are certain it will be a good one.

Vientiane is in the most southern end of Laos, bordering Thailand. We had taken the 10hour train from Bangkok to Vientiane, crossing the border at Friendship Bridge.  Throughout all our travels we have encountered individuals that have been placed in our path when we have really needed them.  We have come to refer to them as our “angels”.  One such an angel was a young traveler named Eric, from UK.  He had graduated from high school and was taking some time off to see the world before starting his MD program.  We met him at the visa counter at the border and decided to hire a taxi together.  The taxi driver did not speak a word of English and being in Laos we did not have access to our T-mobile internet or cell service.   Thanks to our angel Eric and his offline map and his kindness to want to get us to our place first we were able to find our cozy but hidden, Home Stay.   THANK YOU Eric, wherever  you are.

Our next destination in Laos was Vang Vieng, a small village up in the mountains, 4 hours by mini bus, north of Vientiane.  VV (as the locals call it) is known for the magnificent Mekong River (used for rafting and kayaking) and green, picturesque mountains that our guide book describes “as something out of the avatar movie”.  VV is very pretty but wanting to see more of Laos we decided to skip the water sports, packed our bags and took the mini bus to Lubang Prabang, a World Heritage site.  The roadside, all the way from Vientiane to LP is extremely beautiful.  It was hard for us to keep our eyes away from the window as the scenery changes at every bend.

We really liked Luang Prabang.   It is one of those cities where you immediately feel safe walking around.  It’s very peaceful and has a relaxed and spiritual feeling. 40 plus some extremely beautiful and unique temples are within walking distance.  With the exception of a couple of times, when it was way too hot (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit) when we took a Tuk Tuk, we walked everywhere.  The most famous temple in LP is Mount Phousi, placed on the top of lush green mountain 320 steps up.  The view of the city with Mekong and Nam Khan rivers merging is spectacular.  Here is a sweet memory from our visit to Mount Phousi: Richard and I -and two little birds in a small bamboo cage that we had purchased from a vender at the base of the mountain – climbed the 320 steps.  Releasing the birds on the top of the mountain is to bring peace and good fortune. Richard had asked if I am going to name the birds. As I walked up listening to the birds’ sweet chirping and feeling their struggle in a tight space, the following Baha’i prayer popped into my head and I thought of all of the beautiful souls in heavens and how free they must be now.  I decided to call the birds Rooha and Jean (my two Moms).  Video (9 seconds- attached to the second email) is of the elated moment of birds release from their cage.

“O SON OF SPIRIT! Burst thy cage asunder, and even as the phoenix of love soar into the firmament of holiness. Renounce thyself and, filled with the spirit of mercy, abide in the realm of celestial sanctity.”

At one point, while waiting for the view of the sunset at Mount Phousi, I see Richard surrounded by a dozen young Hmong boys enrolled in an English club.  We love interacting with the locals, especially the youngsters wherever we go and are grateful when they approach us. We have been told that some of it is a scam and a way to get some money but we have not witnessed anything but genuine love of wanting to meet us and practice their English.

Walking on the bamboo bridge, requiring a small fee, on Mekong River was a special event.  Our visit to TAEC was well worth it.  Here is where we learned that there are four main ethnolinguistic families in Laos: Austroasiatic, Hmong-Yao, Tai-Kadai and Sino-Tibetan. Some are doing their best to maintain their language and trades for the generations to come.

Here, in LP, again, the Alm Giving is something one must experience.  We were glad to have seen the Alm Giving in Vientiane which was a quieter and less touristy experience but appreciated seeing it, on a more spectacular level, again.

We had been told that once in LP a MUST DO is to take a boat trip down Mekong River to the Buddha cave and the Kuang Si water falls.  We are not keen on tours but decided to take the day trip and again, we are very glad we did.  Our seven tour mates where from Japan, Malaysia, UK, Philippines and a young precious woman, traveling solo, who happens to be Baha’i, from Melbourne.  Being on Mekong River and reflecting on the past history was very sobering.  I did as I have and will continue to do, offer the prayer for unity and peace.

The Buddha caves were nice but the water falls were something out of a movie. We took several dozen photos but could not capture the true beauty of this amazing display of nature at its best. Richard took a dip in one of the water  pools and quite enjoyed the nipping of fish at  his body.

Booking this tour was Richard’s only confrontation so far on our three months trip.  We booked our tour at the hotel specifically asking if the price they quoted was the same as we could get in town and he was told it was. Well, you guessed it, over lunch we learned that we had paid a lot, $10 more than any of our tour mates. Returning to the hotel after the tour Richard confronted the hotel manager about this misrepresentation. He was full of excuses but later came to the room with a refund. A good ending!!

We were told that when in Luang Prabang we should eat at Tamarind restaurant.  To our surprise it was just a few feet from our hotel room and yes, the food, unique to Laos, was beautifully presented, nicely served and delicious.

Overall Laos is another country that we think is a must visit for those that love to get the taste of the sweet flavors of the different cultures and people in this beautiful and amazing world of ours.