Sorry, Laos

We just wrapped up our week in Laos. This landlocked nation (the only one in SE Asia) was not my favorite. There were some bright spots, but overall I am happy to leave and move on to Thailand!

We spent our time in Luang Prabang, a city on the Mekong River. Our visit was at the end of dry season, when all the surrounding farms burn massive piles of debris all day. The air quality was similar to Seattle during wildfire week(s). My privilege was on full display as I just wanted to stay inside and run 10 air purifiers. But life doesn’t stop in Laos when the air is thick with smoke, so we went out. My lungs need an enema.

On our first day we hopped in the back of a tuk-tuk pickup and crossed the Mekong River on a ferry/barge. The tuk-tuk had a hammock, which the kids fought over the entire ride. I get it though, it looked like fun.

The tuk-tuk dropped us off for a hike through the trees to visit the forest. These temples are where royal sons are educated before assuming power, yet they are simple buildings focused on the Buddha.

From there we hiked to a deep limestone cave full of ancient Buddha statues. Each level we descended got darker and spookier as we tried to find more statues. The kids freaked out when bats started flying around, so we bailed before the bottom of the cave.

The next day was a doozy! We started at a Hmong Village, visiting with local people and learning about their traditional lives.  The Hmong people are one of fifty minority groups in Laos and live primarily in the highlands. They make thread out of hemp and weave cloth using similar wooden tools to those we saw used by the Quechua people in Peru. The kids took turns grinding corn and smashing rice.

Ryan and Baker shot a crossbow the Hmong people use for hunting birds and wild pigs. (Baker loved it a little too much…funny for a staunch vegetarian.)

Then we visited the Buffalo Dairy Farm, the only dairy farm in Laos. It is owned by an Australian woman who rents pregnant and lactating buffalo from local farms and milks them. She then makes and sells cheese and ice cream and gives part of the profits to the buffalo owners. The buffalo were so chill that they didn’t mind when Baker gave them ridiculous hairdos, like this slick middle part.

Then we got to bottle feed the baby buffalo, which is always cute!

Best of all, though, were the 17 cats at the farm. The kids were in heaven. (Okay, okay, I liked the cats too.)

After the farm we hiked to Kuang Si falls. And here I learned that, in general, people from Laos are not fond of the Chinese. The waterfall area was packed with Chinese tourists, and the Lao people’s annoyance was palpable. I heard slurs and ridicule. It was awful. The waterfalls were beautiful though!

On our final big day, we visited the MandaLao Elephant Conservation Center to go trekking with elephants. MandaLao rescues “working elephants” and tries to make them wild again. With Asian elephant populations decreasing, rampant inbreeding has lessened the species’ chance for survival. MandaLao’s goal is to release rehabilitated working elephants into the wild to increase the genetic diversity of Asian elephants. MandaLao’s elephants live on a magnificent property on the Mekong River, surrounded by forests and farms.

The elephants are never worked or ridden. They forage in the forest and learn to find the variety of foods they need to be healthy. They bond with other elephants to create emotional health as well. It is a really special place.

We were introduced to two older female elephants who cannot be released, so they trek with tourists like us! We introduced ourselves with dozens of banana treats before heading off into the woods.

The elephants walk freely through the woods, gathering the leaves that look good to them. We walked behind, watching them meander and eat a massive amount of food.

We fed the elephants fresh bamboo shoots from the farm, and they happily flapped their ears while gobbling them up.

The elephants were always aware of where we were, as if they were thoughtful not to bump into us. They are so gentle and smart and just beautiful. It was a lovely day.

In time I’ll only remember the beautiful parts of Laos. But please remind me to read this post if I ever talk about coming back. Now, on to Thailand!

All my love,

Madeline

ps. We’ll be home in 4 months from today, so get ready to party!