2 day trek and home stay – Ban Phonsim village - our “Bush” experience - 5-01-09 – 16-01-09

The morning of our “eco-trek”. We were up at a bright and early 0700am and rearing to go. The Tuk-Tuk was outside and waiting at our Guest house at 0800, plus Guide and two French tourists. Problem was because there were only two of them there would be no refund to the cost of the trip. So we tuk-tuked our way out of Savanakhet City and into Savanahkhet Province, on the way picking up another guide. This guide, Nean, spoke no English, but was a local of the Ban Phonsim village where we were staying the night. After what was about 40 minutes we arrived at the entrance to Dong Natad Provincial Protected Area. During these 40 minutes our English speaking guide introduced herself, Sinakhorne, and taught us a few rudimentary phrases in Lao.

Saibai di – Hello, good morning, good afternoon, good evening

Khwap Jai (Lai Lai) – Thank you (very much)

Khoi Surr Saasha – My Name is Saasha

Khoi Ma cherr Australia – I am from Australia

Saibai di bor – How are you? – to which we replied

Sabai di – Good – or –

Bor Saibai di – Not good

Bai bai - Let's Go

We were also told that our home stay host spoke fluent French and a little English, so this was going to be a great opportunity for Patrick to practice his French for VCE. (I ended up speaking more French then he did! I was pretty impressed with the amount that I could remember from so long ago.)

So we started our adventure with a trek, this was through lovely evergreen forest, a nice wide sandy path that was quite easy to follow. On the way we stopped to look at thing that the guides would show us, mostly flora exhibits. One of the most memorable was watching how they produce oil from the “Ngiang” tree. The local people cut a hole in the trunk of a tree and then set the inside of the tree on fire for a short time, they would then leave it for a few days and come back to the tree to collect the oil, first burning the oil in the hole (to refine it) and to encourage the tree to produce more oil. These holes could be used for weeks – months at a time. And when finished with they left the w\hole and the trees then re-grew and covered the hole. The oil produced was used for lamps, not for cooking.

We then ate our lunch in the dry Rice paddy, with several very large water buffalo and a few more inquisitive cows. Lunch was traditional Lao fare, knives, forks and any form of eating utensil are seriously NOT provided. It was fingers all the way and fun at that. Sticky rice is big here as are chilies, pork and fish. But Lunch was very nice, if not different and there was alot of it. This was an indicator of how much we were expected to eat over the next two days.

After lunch we had a nap in the dry Rice paddy, with several very large water buffalo and a few more inquisitive cows close by. The nap was necessitated by the amount of food that we ate.

After lunch we completed the 5 or so Ks left of our 18 k trek. We arrived at a village very very rural and basic, but not lacking. We met our lovely home stay hosts. A Family of 3 generations living under the one roof, in a hose consisting of 3 or 4 rooms, with the toilet and “bathroom” across the dirt road. The family had one room for eating sleeping and relaxing in, the kitchen which was a quasi-outdoors shack and the upstairs long house where the guests (us) slept. The family was very warm and inviting, with only the owner, a village elder, who spoke any English (and French). His wife however was just gorgeous and whatever she couldn’t say she made for with gestures. When we first arrived we had a chance to wash the trail grime off and settle in. then she sat in the middle of the large room with a pot of rice. I went to sit down with her then she stared handing me things to do. When the guide returned she told us that we were preparing for the “Baci Ceremony” which we were taking part in later on that evening.

Briefly the Baci is a ceremony to celebrate a special event, whether a marriage, a homecoming, a welcome, a birth, or one of the annual festivals. A mother is given a baci after she has recovered form a birth, the sick are given bacis to facilitate a cure, officials are honored by bacis, and novice monks are wished luck with a baci before entering the temple. The Baci ceremony can take place any day of the week and all year long, preferably before noon or before sunset. The term more commonly used is su kwan, which means “calling of the soul”

After the ceremony, everyone shares a meal as a member of the community.

In Laos, white is the color of peace, good fortune, honesty and warmth. The white cotton thread is a lasting symbol of continuity and brotherhood in the community and permanence. The baci threads should be worn for at least three days subsequently and should be untied rather than cut off. Usually it is preferred that they are kept until they fall off by themselves.

After the meal the men had to go off to a town meeting and the women sat on the floor in to room and chewed beetle nuts, tobacco, lime paste or smoked tobacco. This was a very interesting experience as the women were just as interested in me as I was in them, but there was not a common word between us. I ended up taking photos of them all and showing them, much to their delight and amused cackling. Some of these ladies were just gorgeous.

We then promptly fell into bed up stairs. These beds consisted of a mattress, a square block pillow (hard) and two blankets, one vey soft and one very coarse. Despite many misgivings on others behalves, everyone had a very comfortable night. Oh and the owner’s wife, came up and tucked us all in, just like a mother.

THE NEXT DAY

The chickens, the cows, the cats, the dogs, the baby, the cats (yes twice), the water buffalo, the cow bells, the goats, the snoring, the community school announcement (at 8 minutes to 6 to tell the students to get to school before 0730) had most of us all sufficiently roused before 600 ready for the day, I slept through it all.

So we were up at 0600 to give alms to the monks, so that they could eat for the day. The women wore sarongs and both men and women wore scarves.

After this early morning religious experience we were off to coffee (and hot chocolate) where we met the, democratically elected village chief, following his departure (by pickup truck) it was back to the house for breakfast. More sticky rice. And pork. And fish.

We then trekked around town, to the kindergarten, the primary school, and the high school where we met many eager children. Off we went for our 5k walk to the lake for lunch. It was a lovely location, next to “turtle lake” (minus the turtles), with several very large water buffalo and a few more inquisitive cows close by. We sat in the shade and gorged ourselves on yep, more sticky rice. More fish. More chillies. More pork.

After our meal we stretched out for the obligatory nap with several very large water buffalo and a few more inquisitive cows close by. The nap was necessitated by the amount of food that we ate.

Clambering into the tuk-tuk, was somewhat of a relief after all the walking, we were tuk-tuk to a stupa (a Buddhist temple), that contained 417 statues of Buddha. Women again had to wear a sarong and were not allowed near the actual “Ing Hung Stupa”. Climbed back into tuk-tuk, sans sarongs for our final journey to the bus station, for our “bus trip from hell”, to Tha Kheak.

cheerio

Bai Bai