Sao Lao

On the second day of our stay in Phone Thong District, we decided to visit Lipi and Khone Phapheng. We headed to Paske market to pick up fruits and snack for the long drive. There were some relatives from Pakse that wanted to go on the journey with us. I was very excited to go to Lipi for the first time in my life.

Traffic behind us.

Traffic jam along the way.

We made a stop to pick up more snack along the way. People would sell all sort of Lao dishes along the road near a bus stop.

Ping Kai anyone?

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Alexandra Bounxouei sings beautifully in the theme song of Pleng Ruk Rim Fang Khong or เพลงรักริมฝั่งโขง. The Thai drama was broadcast last Tuesday on Thai TV 7. The next episode will be aired on Monday, 02 April, 2007 at 20:25 hour (Thailand time).

Here is the video clip of Pleng Ruk Rim Fang Khong’s theme song for those of Alexandra’s fans out there that didn’t get a chance to see the first episode of the Thai drama.

We only slept in Pakse for one night. The next morning we loaded the truck after breakfast and headed toward Phone Thong District, in Champasak Province. My parents were having a craving for Lao Coffee, so we made a stop at a coffee place, next to Pakse Airport. We then went to Pakse market for some grocery shopping. By the time we get to Mair Ya’s house, we would have lunch there. I get to watch the truck while the others went shopping.

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Alexandra Bounxouei’s first episode of เพลงรักริมฝั่งโขง (Pleng Ruk Rim Fang Khong) is scheduled to be on Thai TV 7 tonight at 20:25 hour (Thailand time). After some adjustments to the soap have been made, it is ready to hit the air, right before Lao and Thai New Year.

One big major adjustment is the name of the soap. ”เพลงรักสองฝั่งโขง” (Pleng Ruk Song Fang Khong) has been changed to ”เพลงรักริมฝั่งโขง” (Pleng Ruk Rim Fang Khong).

Here is Pleng Ruk Rim Fung Kong teaser.

For those that can’t access videos at Youtube, here is the alternative link.

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The adventure in Pakse continues. After we finished with grocery shopping and came back to the house it was time to meet with the rest of the family members. I saw my father’s mother for the second time in my life. The first time was when I was a little kid in Vientiane. I tried to take as much pictures as possible of the relatives for my parents. While the rest of the relatives were busy getting to know my mother, I went into the kitchen to give a helping hand. My father told me to do my fair share with the household chores while I am there.

We had a nice lunch with more than 20 people (I stop counting at 20). I didn’t eat much since the dishes were all too hot for my taste. This family puts chili peppers in just about everything. After lunch I did the dishes all by myself. My father’s niece has a teenage daughter but was not much of a help. When she saw me do dishes, she ran away to her grandmother’s house (my father’s older sister) to play. The other children were young boys and therefore cannot help in the kitchen. I didn’t mind doing the dishes, except for the fact that the sink was too low (below my butt’s level). It was difficult to help in the kitchen with washing all the vegetables and fruits and do the dishes.

My father’s niece couldn’t help me do the dishes since he gave her laundry to wash. I started to laugh while watching my father gives the order. Who was the dek-noi (little kid) that will do my laundry like he said back in Vientiane? I also found the interaction of the family to be quite amusing. The fact that his niece and her husband call my parents as mom and dad rather than Na Bao and Na Sao was interesting to me.

After I finished with the dishes (for more than 20 people by hands I must stress), I went back to the living-room and found my parents busy passing out gifts to the old and the young. My cousins wanted to take me to see the sunset at the Mekong River but my father said I was not allowed to go anywhere after dark and not to ride the motorcycle. He said I can only go somewhere with my parents and if not would only be able to go somewhere with Aao Ki in his tuk-tuk. That way I can stay safe.

I asked my parents if I can go visit Aao Ki’s family. I was surprised to find out that he lives in the same village as Grand-mama. What a coincidence? The plot of the story becomes even more intense when I saw his house which is on the main road and only a couple of minutes walk to Grand-mama’s house. While I stood outside Aao Ki’s house and ordering sugarcane drink from his daughter, I gave Bay a call and told her of what is going on. I asked her if this is the same man who took Grand-mama to the doctor a week before. Bay confirmed my suspicion. I was shocked to find out how small of a world we live in. I then asked Bay whether or not Aao Ki recognized me from our last meeting. Bay didn’t think so because I had a different haircut back then and it was a brief meeting. I told her not really since I was sitting outside the doctor’s office with him. I told Bay that I felt as though I am living in a lakorn.

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I posted about education for Lao girls more than a year ago. I found this recent news to be somewhat uplifting.

ADB funds basic education

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide a loan and grant aid worth about 207 billion kip (US$21.56 million) to strengthen basic educational development in Laos and pave the way for educational reform.

An agreement signed on Wednesday at the Ministry of Finance specified that a loan of US$8.9 million and US$12.66 million in grant aid would help to raise the standard of education around the country.

The loan will be used to supplement the government’s education budget. The grant will enable the construction of schools and the introduction of new learning and teaching methods under the Basic Education Development plan.

The agreement was signed by the Deputy Minister of Finance, Ms Viengthong Siphandone, representing the Lao government, and ADB Country Director of the Lao Resident Mission, Mr James A. Nugent. The signing was witnessed by the Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Lytou Bouapao, ministry representatives and other officials.

The ADB has been providing loans and grant aid to Laos since 1991 for the development of various areas of education. These include Education Quality Improvement Phases I and II, the National University of Laos development project, and the Basic Education for Girls project.

The Lao government has declared education a priority in its current five-year socio-economic development plan.

The Basic Education Development plan constitutes the seventh priority plan devised by the Ministry of Education in its bid to increase the number of years spent by students in lower secondary schools from three years to four.

This latest assistance from the ADB in developing the education sector will serve to considerably enhance and strengthen cooperation between Laos and the ADB.

By Vientiane Times (Vientianetimes.org.la)
(Published on March 23, 2007

I read a very disturbing news about sex trade in Laos from Radio Free Asia. Of course the culprit of the problem is poverty. While I understand prostitution is the oldest form of profession, the Lao girls and women should have a choice on choosing this type of job. I don’t think the majority of them would freely select this line of work as a career if they have more options available to them.

Survey Shows Grim Reality of Lao Sex Trade
2007.02.08

BANGKOK—Lao women seeking to escape poverty and poor education are increasingly ending up as sex workers in Laos and neighboring Thailand, mainly to support their families and themselves, experts say.

Though many consider it “bad work,” they believe prostitution amounts to the best economic opportunity they have, according to a survey of sex workers conducted last year in the country’s capital, Vientiane.

Many are children when they start, trafficked or tricked into the sex trade.

“Every one of them said they don’t want to do it,” Thatsaphone Sombandith, a Lao researcher who conducted the survey, said in an interview. “They say it’s necessary because of poverty, because they have nothing to live on.”

With an estimated per capita income of U.S.$460 in 2005, Laos is one of the poorest countries in East Asia. Classified by the United Nations as a Least Developed Country in 2004, 71 percent of its population live on less than U.S.$2 a day, and 23 percent on less than U.S.$1 a day.

Lao women, many of whom work in bars called “little shops,” come from different provinces to work in Vientiane, Thatsaphone said. “They come from Luang Namtha, from Luang Prabang, from Sayaboury…from Khammouane.”

Vulnerable to disease

Many become infected with sexually transmitted diseases, Thatsaphone added. “Depending on the place, on the area of the shop, they get infected,” Thatsaphone said. “Almost the entire shop is infected.”

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I got up at 3:30 AM and took a nice cold shower and got ready for the airport. When my father saw me ironing my clothes, he asked me to also iron his clothes, which I did, along with my mother’s clothes. We waited until 5:00 AM for aunt A to come downstairs. When she didn’t my mother called upstairs to make sure aunt A is ready to go. I then asked the maid to lock up the dogs so I can load the truck with the suitcases. It was a nice drive to the Wattay International Airport. Many people were walking and jogging on the streets. Merchants are also pushing carts to the local market. Aunt A said it is a trend for people of Vientiane to get up at 4:30 or 5:00 AM and do their morning exercise by either walking or jogging on the streets before going to work.

When we arrived at the airport there were no one in front of us. It was a smooth process checking in. We were one of the few Lao people at the gate. There were so many farangs that they had to divide the passengers into two flights, with our flight leaving 15 to 20 minutes later. The flight to Pakse was comfortable. I was afraid of getting motion sickness since I forgot to take my motion sickness medicine with me.

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On our third day in Vientiane, we did the same thing, walked back to aunt V’s villa to take a shower and have breakfast. After a shower I told my parents that I wanted to do a white wash later in the afternoon. My father told me not to go next door to do laundry. He said I shouldn’t “lop kuan” my uncle and his wife. I can wait till I get to Pakse and there will be dek noi (kids) to wash my clothes for me. I told him I don’t want to do such thing and do not expect my relatives to do my laundry for me. If it is a problem with using the washing machine next door, then I can compensate with money to pay for the water and electricity. My father then told me to wash my clothes by hands in the bathroom. He said I can also wash his clothes and my mother’s clothes as well. Being a stubborn daughter that I am, I told him no. I have a back pain and there is no stool for me to sit on I told him. I would have to sit on the floor or bend down to wash the clothes.

Of course being the proud man that he is, my father decided to wash his own whites. There was no laundry detergent around and I had to be the one to go next door asking for some. I washed my clothes that needed to be hand wash along with my mother’s delicates. My parents told me to hang the clothes inside the house, which was very difficult to do since there is no rope or anything. They told me to go ask for a rope next door so I can make a clothes line. There is no rope that I can use from my uncle’s house. His wife asked me why we can’t hang the clothes on the clothes drying rack like I did yesterday. I laughed and told her to ask my parents. I found it funny when my parents decided to hang their clothes in the kitchen on the window. I asked my parents what would the guests to the house think when they come in the kitchen, through the back door, and their eyes will meet the undergarments.

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Aunt A took us to a Pho (Fer) shop for lunch. Afterward we went to a market near by our town. I bought a pair of blue flip flop for Pakse since I only have one pair of sandals. We later went by my cousin’s shop to visit her. I was very happy to see her. She is about the same age as my youngest brother. I used to watch her and her brother (Bee), along with my youngest brother on the weekend. It was more like watching each other since we were kids. I bought a couple of outfits for myself and for my youngest sister from my cousin’s shop.

My cousin told me that she thought I was going to be staying at her house and how they made a room for me. I told her that I’ve been in Pakse for a week. Apparently there was a misunderstanding and my mother didn’t tell either of my aunts that I was going to be in Pakse. Why my mother didn’t tell them that I was going to be with aunt K and my Grand-mama? I called my mother before I went to Laos telling her to not tell my two aunts to not pick me up at the airport and that I will only be in Vientiane for just one day. I didn’t think it would be proper for me to show up for just one day and leave and not stay with aunt K and my cousin Bay since we were going to Pakse together. Besides I wanted to meet all my mother’s relatives at once with my parents. Who would have thought going to Laos will create so much family politics?

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