In a galaxy far far away... or a Hydroelectric Dam and village far away! - Part 2

....The Village.

Yes, we continued our journey North on Road 13 toward WiengChan (also spelled 'Vientiane', the capital city of Laos). We looked for a place to eat and Saleumsai found one after about 30 minutes of looking. Its great. Some things in Laos just take a little getting used to since we just don't have that in the states... animals walking around EVERYWHERE!

Example at our restaurant:


After a while, you don't really notice it... unless a rooster is crowing underneath your table. But often there are cats, dogs, chickens, cows, or other random animals (like a bear at our Vietnamese restaurant next to my house) walking by your restaurant or table or under your table.

And... Saleumsai acting cool as we wait for food:


We had some good grilled beef and sticky rice with hot sauce (padeck... more on that in another post). It took another 40 minutes to drive back some of the road and turn off to get to the village. His village was located maybe 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) off the road, but we also had to cross a river to get there. There are two different villages on opposite sides of the river and we left the motorbike at a house on the shore and got on another boat to cross over.

The shores on both sides are steep, sandy banks dropping about 30 feet down to the river which will flood during the rainy season (which is not now obviously). The river at this point is only 200-300 feet across. When we arrived on the other side, Leum took me to his Uncle's house where I met the fam:

Back (L to R): Saleumsai, His Uncle, His cousin
Front (L to R): His Aunt, His cousin who spoke English, His other two younger cousins.

Here is a quick panoramic clip of the house and surrounding area:




Leum gave me a short tour of the village, including the local temple (that every village has) and their primary and lower secondary schools with a kindergarten school under construction. The kindergarten school was extremely nice compared to everything else in the village. In fact, it was THE most modern looking part of the whole village. Apparently, there is an organization from Australia that is funding a kindergarten school program in rural Lao villages.

...and the kindergarten building modeled by local future kindergartener:

Complete with the latest in squatty-potty technology:


There is a large school yard where most of the school buildings are built within a fenced off area. Water buffalo roam around inside; they were way too scared of the foreigner to stay still for a picture (seriously, I tried taking their picture like 7 times and each time they looked at me and ran!). Here's my best shot before they bolted:

This is the older classroom that Saleumsai used when he was in primary school. It's no longer in use but looks cool:


And the NEW primary school (complete with grazing cattle):


This is the newer secondary school (with flagpole!):


...and the original school built ages awhile ago (its a storage place now...can you tell why):


Saleumsai's other Uncle spoke English fairly well and was fun to talk with. He also provided the kindergarten model for the earlier shots of the kindergarten building. I think this kid will go far as a model as long as pants are involved:



Also, I was met by some fairly extraordinary scenes of natural beauty.

And, some monks in the distance getting their wash done for the day:

Cool clouds:

...and me making a seriously funny pose (I think I am trying to scratch my butt and Saleumsai is not waiting till I am done):


There was so much to see and show at this village. I also saw the local temple and got a few shots of it. Temple and palace decorations in Laos are very ornate. They go all out for decoration when trying to please the spirits or gain favor/merit:

We left as the sun was setting and I finally feel like a cool photographer:


So, it was a fun day... long, full day... when we started back on the motorbike at about 6pm. Things were getting dark and we still had a 2 hour ride ahead of us. I was a little tired, but I wanted to get home faster. At the first gas station, I took over the wheel and we sped off making good time (I think I naturally have a lead hand on the motorbike). Whew! There was a lot to take in today and I feel like I saw the real Laos firsthand. This village would be the most typical look and feel to a Lao person's life here... VERY, very different from mine.

Here is a link to the rest of the pictures from the village:

Visiting Saleumsai's Home Village in Salavann Province