We Love Laos

We are finally back in Pakse, after spending few days in a little village called Tadlo. Jimmy and I ended up at a guest- house called Mama Pap's. The first impressions were alright, we were quite excited (especially Jimmy) to sleep in a very basic bamboo hut, containing a bed, mosquito net and a tiny fan only! Eventually though, Jimmy had second thoughts and wanted to check in a nicer hotel. We checked out at 6Am the next day.

We started trekking at 8.30 AM. Pet (and his dog Mukk), who was our guide that spoke a little English, guided the way through the forest. If you love nature, Laos is the perfect place to explore. We saw butterflies and dragonflies in different colors, Pet also showed us cucumber, chili, pumpkins and tobacco plants. He even showed us a certain plant that is used as a drug... Pet collected some leafs, rolled them in a banana leaf and smoked it, hehe...

Beautiful Laos!!

We got to visit four villages as well. They do not have much money, but they still seem happy and content. As I am used to live in a capitalist society, it was fairly strange to see these people live a life that is not focused on consumption. They basically work in the fields and help their families. It is a very family orientated society. Interestingly, the woman does most of the hard work. Similarly, in the cities the men usually perform 'nicer' jobs, such as being a tuk tuk driver, rather than working in the rice fields or cleaning the streets (which also occurs in Vietnam). Moreover, women are also expected to take care of the home and raising the children. It is also strange to see that the men help Jimmy carry our backpacks into the local buses, whilst they just show me whereabouts I should place my bags hehe.. Here, men help other men, women have to help themselves. I don't mind though, it's fascinating to experience a new culture where the gender roles are different than in Western societies.

One of our highlights so far, is the elephant trekking. Elephants are magnificent creatures, the one we saw was quite big and old. Its skin was so thick and had a lot of wrinkles but still cute!!! The elephant's name was Mon. According to Solideth (a guy that owns a restaurant and guest house in Tadlo), elephants are emotional animals. He was a mahood (a guy that rides elephants), he said that elephants are incredibly jealous. He could not flirt with his girlfriend, or else the elephant would refuse to eat and simply run away. It's quite fascinating to talk to the locals, I am glad we met Solideth as many Lao people do not speak English.

Elephant trekking was fun! It lasted about two hours and we even went through a river!

Solideth's contribution to the Tadlo community is very inspiring. He founded a computer school for kids (teaching them basic computer skills in English, Thai and Lao). He showed us the school and we were impressed. He teaches up to 80 students, sharing 15 computers. Hopefully, Jimmy and I will raise enough money (2000 Pounds) to build a library, next to the computer school.

There are also several monks who study at the computer school. They are friendly, but apparently women are not allowed to touch them or their robes...

Tomorrow morning, we are going to Four Thousand Islands, which is located nearby the Cambodian boarder. I don't know what to expect, but I am looking forward to it!

written by  activetravellaos on July 13, 2008 from Vientiane, Laos
from the travel blog: Active Travel Laos
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