Nong Kiau was our next stop in Laos. We’d decided to take a local bus, shunning the luxury of the VIP minivan in search of a more authentic experience of how people normally get around in this country and save a few kip in the process. This usually means forgoing a bit of personal space and comfort but we’re somewhat used to it. That said our definition “no room left” always falls short. In this particular case we hadn’t figured on a stack of plastic stools appearing to create makeshift seats in the aisles. Another novelty for this particular journey was the plastic bags that were handed out to everyone before we set off. We had a good idea what these were for given the nature of the roads in this part of the world and a young guy who was already had to endure being on an aisle seat was soon filling up his bag. It was slow going along the winding roads though we were glad of the regular stops to stretch our legs. Vincent, our new acquaintance who we’d met in Luang Nam Tha, nearly ended up stopping a little too long at lunch and if Maren hadn’t repeatedly asked the bus to wait he’d have surely been left behind. Nong Kiau didn’t prove to be a particularly notable stop. I’d picked up a cold, the first I’d had since being away (no doubt down to the fact my immune system had taken a bit of kicking a few days earlier) and Maren had found little to do whilst I rested up. Nong Kiau is a very small town which offered similar trekking and outdoor activities to that in Luang Nam Tha. With Pii Mai (Laos New Year) just a couple of days away most of the people we met seemed to be leaving for Luang Prabang. However the boat we hoped to take us there would only be running if there was enough people to make it worthwhile. It was looking doubtful, so we joined Vincent in the minibus he’d booked.
Pii Mai is a three day festival, marking the beginning of the new Lunar Year. Traditionally, people take time to wash images of the Buddha in special purified water, especially around the Wats (temples). Monks and other people taking part in Pii Mai processions are also splashed with purified water from people lining the streets. However these traditions are now also used as an excuse for a country wide water fight, as well as street parties happening on every corner over the three days.
Luang Prabang was clearly the place to be for New Year. We’d struggled to find a room in town, before following Vincent to the hostel he was going to be staying at with his friends. Whilst we ended up moving from the dorm the following day to find a double room on the other side of the river the hostel was our base for the Pii Mai celebrations run by a Laos family and headed by “Mr. Shampoo” who planned an itinerary each day for guests to join in the fun. Having already made several new friends at the hostel, especially Vincent’s friends Marc and Emily everything was in place to have a great time.Getting a good soaking was to become a routine event over the next few days. Even as we arrived kids on the street had thrown water at us as our Sawngthaew had taken us across town. We were keen to get in on the action and an arms race began, as battles on the street escalated. We’d all bought small water pistols the day we arrived and it wasn’t long before we were upgrading to heavier weaponry the next day. All over town people were having parties on the street which consisted of three main elements; A make shift sound system comprised of a couple of huge speakers; A never ending supply of water with which to refill guns, bowls and bottles used to soak passersby; and crates and crates of Beer Lao. By the time the festival officially began it was virtually impossible to walk around town without getting seriously wet. So as the saying goes, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”, which we gladly did.
The most craziness however was to be found on the river. On the first official day of Pii Mai, Mr. Shampoo led us across the streets to river bank to board boats that would take us to an island where thousands of people had gathered for one big party which followed much the format as those on the street, except everything had been taken up a notch. Bags of flour had been introduced to the water warfare, which we were duly covered in as we got off the boat, just as everyone else had. There were several makeshift stages hosting different parties where people were dancing away to various kinds of music, mostly Asian pop music, a noisy blend of high pitched vocals and R’n’B beats. To keep the party going, food vendors were rustling up snacks from grilled fish and to chicken feet , as well making sure there was plenty of (warm) Beer Lao. The atmosphere, as with all the celebrations, was one of pure fun and I found myself comparing the Laos New Year favourably to a typically New Year back in London.
On the second official day of celebrations, Maren and I decided to take a break from the street parties in Luang Prabang and head to one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area, Tat Kuang Si, which features a wide multi-tiered waterfall. Unsurprisingly we were regularly soaked on the Sawngthaew we’d chartered to take us there, however it was welcome relief from the heat, not to mention a good opportunity to commit drive-by shooting on unsuspecting victims. Tat Kuang Si itself is also another popular destination at this time of year and the waterfall were heaving with families who had come here for the day to have a picnic. The waterfall themselves were, as we’d been told, well worth seeing, with pool after pool of turquoise water until finally culminating in huge water fall several storeys high.
On the last day of celebrations we opted for a more reserved and traditional start to the day by walking up the slopes of the Phu Si, an natural hill where paths take up you up to the That Chomsi stupa, the starting point for Pii Mai processions. As we walked around we saw evidence of all the fresh offerings that had been left to mark the start of the New Year. We spent the rest of the morning making our way round the other remaining town sights we had yet to visit. Finally we stopped for a coffee and pastry at one of the many French restaurants in Luang Prabang whilst waiting for today’s procession to begin. Here we saw the orange robe monks being rather more gently splashed with water as they filed past.Once again the streets of Luang Prabang were alive to the sound of music and people playing in the hot afternoon sun. Trucks were also roaming streets conducting unofficially processions of their own. These were loaded with people along with dustbins full of water to battle those on the pavement. Many of the combatants had also upped the ante, with coloured water and hands covered in paint or worse still black shoe polish which we’d been a victims of previously. Again we were forced to run the gauntlet back home and once we’d made it back even I was beginning to suffer battle fatigue after over 4 days of fighting. It was a higher power that was to have the final word however as it began to rain heavily late in the afternoon bringing the last day to a somewhat early close as people were forced to retreat indoors.
Our stay in Luang Prabang was almost over and we were booked to take a minibus out of town the following morning along with some of our new friends, who were also heading in the same direction. It was in the end the people we’d shared the New Year with that had made it so great. The hostel (The Luang Prabang Backpacker’s Hostel if you should ever be there) run by Mr. Shampoo had been brilliant in organising everything allowing us to full experience the celebrations and making us feel like part of the family. Then there were our fellow backpackers who we’d made friends with, largely thanks to our luck in meeting Vincent, who along with Emily and Marc were such great company. After all, it is family and friends that make such times special, something I have missed more than anything else during my time away from home. With Maren’s birthday just a few days away with several of our new friends coming with us to Vang Vieng, the backpacker party capital of Laos we were hopeful that more good times lay ahead.
Before I go I just like to briefly say thanks for all the messages, emails and comments I’ve had about the blog since I’ve been writing. As you can imagine it does take some time and effort especially since writing isn’t something that comes naturally to me. This the guy that got a D in GSCE English first time round! I’m sure the pedants among you are having a field day with my mistakes and typos. ;-) Also, it doesn’t help that I have the habit of writing at length which will come as no surprise to those that know what I’m like when I get talking. Unfortunately I don’t always have the time to reply personally, so I just like to say a big thanks to everyone for the support, it really helps in keeping me motivated.
All the pictures on the links below ....
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