Window on Southeast Asia:
Listening to the Rice Grow: A Journey Up the
Nam Ou River in Laos
continued
Children in Nong Kiaw
Along the way down the road to the river I saw a child of about 6 or 7 trying to reach a flower in a tall bush. I was about to pick it for her when she simply picked a lower one that was already wilting and gave it to me. I found that so charming. As I reached the river I found some women bathing in a secluded inlet and figured it was time to turn back. The electricity kicks in just after 6 pm, and everything changes in an instant. The children running around and playing in the streets disappear, and the soft glow of candle and firelight flickering from the doorways and windows is replaced by the glare of electric light bulbs. Most houses had radios; some had TVs. As I passed the houses with TVs and radios I kept hearing, "George Bush," "Afghaneestan," "Amereeka," and "Dawnold Roomsfeld." At one point I passed a dark lane where I saw something red moving towards me. As it got closer I saw that it was the embers from a glowing stick that an old lady was carrying as she walked very slowly. There were two other women with her. They seemed for a moment to all be talking to themselves. I stood there, confused, until they walked past and I realized they were chanting in Pali, the Buddha's language. I would bet that such a sight would have been more common in the days before electricity.
I found a German couple at a guesthouse who were interested in trekking around Muang Kwaa, my next destination. The owner of the guesthouse, possibly the only English speaker in the village, told us that there was a chemistry teacher in Muang Kwaa who leads treks to nearby villages for the occasional tourist. So we decided to give it a try. The next day we boarded a slow boat and left Nong Kiaw for wonderland. Well, so it seemed. The scenery we were hit with on that stretch made the previous day seem ho-hum. Huge vertical cliffs soared up from the river banks. Between them, and sometimes even on them, were huge tracks of primary jungle. It was raining part of the time, but let up enough for us to take in the amazing views. The dying storm gave it an otherworldly feel as clouds of mist floated ghost-like among the ancient jungle. We all agreed that Laos was the most stunning country we have ever seen. If there is any place more utterly breathtaking, I would like to know about it! About halfway through the journey, the mountains became smaller and rounder, and the primary jungle disappeared. Taking its place were small villages, most having gardens and bamboo fences on the shore. Two villagers that boarded the boat were absolutely fascinated by watching me change the film in my camera.
Cliffs along the Nam Ou between Nong Kiaw and Muang Kwaa.
Eventually, Muang Kwaa appeared. Muang Kwaa is another small village that climbs up a steep hill. The buildings in the village are much closer together, and to be honest, it didn't feel as friendly as Nong Kiaw. Of course, there were plenty of people who were friendly, especially the owners of the Nam Ou guesthouse that we stayed at. During a walk around the village the speakers came on and, after some patriotic music, the speaker began reading the news which included something about Afghanistan. We found the chemistry teacher near the school. He lived in a typical bamboo thatched house, where he invited us in for tea. The house had a dirt floor that his wife was sweeping just as we got there. There was one main room with a platform for sitting, another room with a wood fire and some pots, and what I assume to be a bedroom that was partitioned off. It was then, two days after it had started, that I learned that the US was at war with the Taliban in Afghanistan. After discussing it for awhile we agreed on a two-day trek to a remote village. He warned us that the people there were not used to falangs and had not seen many, so they would be very shy. Ah, but that was exactly what I was hoping for.
Robert Wilson is an English teacher in northern Thailand. Pictures of his travels can be seen at photos.yahoo.com/robert_92122.
Other stories in this series:
First in our series, Window on Southeast Asia: F rom Monkey to Monk
Window on Southeast Asia: Along Cambodia's Backroads
Don't miss future articles from Robert in our continuing series, Window on Southeast Asia.
