Fishbike53walkabout: Downtown Phonsavan and "The Boys"

Breakfast in the lodge then met the prearranged tuktuk driver promptly at 9:00.

Asked to be taken to the "dry goods" market. Walked all around. It was cold....maybe 45 or 50F. The market had mostly cheap Chinese crap, but did see one showcase with several interesting items, but they wanted too many Kip for what I liked.

Town was smokey, smoggy, dusty. Reminded me of Keng Tung, Myanmar, but the town felt wealthier. Maybe because there was more pavement. Everything was dusty. I don't know how shopkeepers kept clothes on display clean.

Headed off eastward down the main drag. A wide avenue through town with many shops lining the street. Would stop and peruse, walk more, stop, look. Went into stores. Stopped at Guest Houses, hotels and checked prices. Will be able to cut my lodging fees by 80% tomorow night. After about an hour and a half passed a storefront and heard some live music. It was 11:30 AM.

Live music always draws my attention. If not live, then recorded will fit the bill. The music I heard was from a Lao bamboo flute like instrument...somewhat similar the the instrument Peruvians play or the pan flute of the Romanian Zamfir.

I stopped, turned my head and glanced. No sooner had my head turned than I heard loud Lao voices. In my mind they were saying "Hey, look, the big Caucasian likes what you are playing." I was imediately greeted with a "Sabadee", offered a chair and within 5 seconds a glass of beer was poured and offered up. I thought, well, they seem more than friendly enough for me, and I am here to experience all I can of the Lao culture, so...Sabadee to you!! (The Lao welcome).

One short glass of BeerLao led to another. The pan flute music continued, one of my "friends" started drumming on the bottom of a 5 gallon plastic water bottle......another started singing.....and within minutes it was a party.

One young Lao spoke some English, we greeted, smiled and the before noon our party was in full swing. They were also drinking LaoLao, the Lao rice whiskey. It was offered up but was a bit strong for me.....it tasted like about 50 or 60 proof...but I remained cordial, appreciative and open minded and conservatively accepted their repeated offerings. Food was also offered up.

After about 45 minutes of entertainment and frequent offerings and polite rejections of more LaoLao, I had flashbacks of partying and drinking vodka with the Poles in Swidnica....alcohol opens doors in almost any culture. I guess that is why we all drink the stuff.

We all took pics, shared greetings then said I must leave. Another hour and I would have been ready for a nap......on their floor!!

They were unbelievably friendly, happy, inviting, entertaining, and would not accept my repeated offers to put some Kip in the kitty. I tried and tried. Then tried again. I thought "Here I am.....a rich American....they guys that bombed the living shit out of your poor country. I am from the richest, most prosperous nation in the world....and here I sit being heartily welcomed and accepted by these guys in one of the 20 poorest nations in the entire world....and you will not accept a penny from me." I felt so guilty. It hurt and brought tears to my eyes as I shook hands and walked off down the street.

Such are the Lao. Always smiling, happy, offering up things in friendship.....even to a rich American. I have experienced it over and over...from Mr. Psy offering up Kip on the long boat for baggage carriage.....to a takeaway bag of fresh fruit when I left the Guest House in Luang Prabang. What a fabulous people and nation.

Wandered around and stumbled on the fresh food market and it immeditely felt different. Real. Native. Reminded me of Keng Tung, but a bit more prosperous. Meat markets, fresh vegies, children with no shoes in 50 degree F weather.

Wandered about and through the meat market.

Saw many herbs, barks, sticks, weeds, all kinds of new foodstuffs and medicines for sale......even saw live pigs in a basket.

Small, medium and large ones. PETA lovers beware!!

Pigs in a basket....literally. I am sure they were free ranging after the market was over.

Took lots of pictures.

Up to this point...after about 3 or 4 hours of wandering I had not seen another caucasian. And I was looking for them. Not a one. Felt like I was alone in Laos.

Safe, comfortable. On walkabout. I felt like Paul Theroux.

Found the MAG Information Center (Mines Advisory Group) and was greeted by Mr Noh. He spoke excellent English.

www.maginternational.org

Please check the link out....

I was told by Mr. Noh that there have been 5 UXO "events" in Lao in the last 7 days. 2 were little girls that were both killed. Another was a woman working a field for planting. She is still hospitalized. It is so tragic.

Have read that the US droped a load of bombs every 8 minutes for 8 years on Laos, and that the US spent 2.2 million dollars a day in bombs. That is almost 6.5 BILLION dollars just on bombs. That does not include the cost of the airplanes, the fuel, pilots and ground support, wages, etc.

Annually, the US supports MAG with a paltry 1.2 million dollars, and much of MAG's work is in countries other than Lao PDR.

Write your Senators and Congressmen about this tragedy.

Later that night, sitting alone and working on this blog in the little chalet on the hill overlooking the lights of Phonsavan - with a nice fire and music, I had tears in my eyes.

How could we do this to such wonderful people?

Why doesn't the richest, most prosperous country in the world do more to clean up it's garbage? We dole out about 50 billion dollars around the world every year in aid - almost 13 billion last year to Afganistan alone, the world's largest producer of opium and heroin.

Top 25 Recipient Countries of U.S. Foreign Aid FY 2011 Reported in $US millions, Obligations ^[7]
Country	U.S. Total Economic and Military Assistance FY 2011, USD millions	Economic Assistance FY 2011, USD millions	Military Assistance FY2011, USD millions	Aid received per person recipient FY2011, USD
Afghanistan	12,924.40	2,659.00	10,265.40	434.32
Israel	3,026.40	31.30	2,995.10	404.97
Iraq	2,147.60	1,183.90	963.70	70.65
Pakistan	1,700.10	1,026.90	673.20	9.07
Egypt	1,471.20	172.50	1,298.70	17.92
Haiti	1,263.40	1,261.50	1.90	129.98
Kenya	1,032.10	1,029.50	2.60	24.61
Jordan	850.80	531.60	319.20	130.73
South Africa	757.00	755.30	1.70	15.45
Philippines	610.80	584.50	26.30	6.00
Ethiopia	607.00	606.30	0.70	6.85
Tanzania	560.10	559.20	1.00	12.29
Sudan	534.70	534.70	0.00	15.93
Nigeria	530.10	519.20	10.90	3.20
Uganda	469.90	469.00	0.90	14.43
West Bank (Palestinian Authority)	463.60	463.60		109.71
Colombia	436.00	276.00	160.00	9.75
Congo (Kinshasa)	427.70	405.70	22.00	5.96
Mexico	411.20	317.50	93.70	3.62
South Sudan	387.70	345.10	42.60	38.24
Mozambique	350.30	348.60	1.70	15.26
Zambia	323.20	322.80	0.40	24.07
Somalia	278.90	203.60	75.30	28.10
Liberia	256.60	243.40	13.20	67.77
Indonesia	252.30	229.10	23.30	1.03

Notes:

Sources: U.S. Overseas Loans and Grants, U.S. Bureau of Census (BUCEN) International Database.

We have almost 30,000 US troops stationed in South Korea...and have had that many or more ever since the end of the Korean War in 1953. How much does that cost?

And we give the Lao PDR about 13 million a year in total foreign aid after dumping 2 million tons of bombs all over their country? A "neutral" country by our Geneva agreements? I find it disgusting.

Again made a generous donation, this time felt even more guilty so increased the ante. Shared my father's map with the MAG host, Mr. Noh. He had started with MAG by clearing UXOs for a year and has worked in the info center for the last 3 years.

Across the street found the bar Craters,

and next door the spot where UXO videos are shown each evening and also where they show the video, "The Most Secret Place On Earth". If you have read my blogs, you should know where that is. If not, please reread some of the earlier blogs. I will see the videos tomorrow evening when I change lodging to the center of town - just across the street from Craters, the video theater and 1/2 block from the evening videos at MAG.

It was now about 2:45, and I had arranged to meet the tuktuk driver at 4. It was cold, I was chilled to the bone, and I started thinking about a fire and a stiff drink back at the Lodge. As drinks were about $5.00 US each last night at the Lodge, I started thinking...."I wonder if the boys are still playing music and partying down the road.....it has been over 3 hours since I left them."

Stopped in a little store, bought a fifth of Jack Daniels, some 7 Up, and went looking for the boys from the morning party. 8 blocks later I found them.

It is no fun drinking alone...but with a Lao or two.........

Was heartily greeted, welcomed and hand shakes abounded. Was again immediately offered a seat. Most of the original crew was still there. Brought out the JD and 7 Up and they even had ice....an unusual treat so far in Lao.....and the party was on!!!

An accordian appeared, someone was always singing and it was like a concert. The party resumed in an instant.

It was like I never left. Was joyously entertained by all and had the opportunity to offer up some JD in return for the morning's hospitality. What a hoot!!!! Made about 8 videos. I told them..... more.....more....more.....

I sat in awe and thought "This is why I travel." What wonderful people, the Lao.

A Lao about 70 years old spoke enough English so I could get the basics across and I thanked them all, told them how bad I feel about what we did to their country, etc. He would stand and do a Lao hand dance to the music for me and it made a great video.