After a rather uneventful week I am back writing again. This is of course mainly my fault, as I have adopted a very bad routine. These past days I have slept until noon, then after lunch visited a café I know has wifi and spend my afternoon in front of the computer. In my defense, the computer time have not been a waste of time as I am preparing for November and NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, a writing project that have been introduced to me by some friends.
Well, today the I managed to break the curse and got out of bed before 9.30 am. Today we drove up to the Elephant Village, an elephant camp where you can go elephant riding and go through Mahout Training, a Mahout in short being the elephant's personal trainer. From there we went up the Nam Kahn River to the Tad Sae Waterfall by boat. We didn't go elephant riding or took a swim in the waterfall, as we (or, well, they) only had a short amount of so the time was mostly spent watching everything. However, now I know what I really need to do before I leave Luang Prabang, I have to take my time and do it.
lördag 8 oktober 2011
måndag 3 oktober 2011
A Book Thief and A Nanny
A have read two novels parallel to each other this last week, one being The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and the other The Nanny by Melissa Nathan. These two are very different from each other, one focusing on a little German girl in Nazigermany, the other on how being a nanny in a posh suburb of London. While the chicklit was an easy read, very inside the comfort zone the Novel by Markus Zusak goes much deeper.
The Book Thief could be described as poetic, with an unusual narrator and a unusual story. This is not on how it was to be Jewish in Hitler's Germany but about the normal people, the ones going either with the flow or against the current. I won't tell you more about the book, but more about the my reaction at the end.
Even if you are told how the story will end, it always comes as a shock. It happens in The Book Thief, but for me it is often the same throughout literature and even movies. Well, I also have to add that I am very sensible when it comes to these artforms. I open up my heart to let characters in and then they are suddenly taken from me by cruel writers (get the hint JK). Also, it doesn't matter if I am already aware what's going to happen or if I read or seen it before. I cry and I cry and I cry. Every time Uncle Ben is killed after he and Peter had a fight. Every time Mufasa is betrayed by Scar and falls to his death. And of course when Snape kills Dumbledore, even though I by now know it was a necessity. It's especially easy when I'm alone and no one's there to judge. That is probably why I managed not to cry waterfalls when we saw the Deathly Hollows but only a few tears. Next time tough. Expect oceans.
To get to the point, yes I cried to the end of "The Book Thief". Most people won't though but it doesn't mean the novel won't leave a mark.
The Book Thief could be described as poetic, with an unusual narrator and a unusual story. This is not on how it was to be Jewish in Hitler's Germany but about the normal people, the ones going either with the flow or against the current. I won't tell you more about the book, but more about the my reaction at the end.
Even if you are told how the story will end, it always comes as a shock. It happens in The Book Thief, but for me it is often the same throughout literature and even movies. Well, I also have to add that I am very sensible when it comes to these artforms. I open up my heart to let characters in and then they are suddenly taken from me by cruel writers (get the hint JK). Also, it doesn't matter if I am already aware what's going to happen or if I read or seen it before. I cry and I cry and I cry. Every time Uncle Ben is killed after he and Peter had a fight. Every time Mufasa is betrayed by Scar and falls to his death. And of course when Snape kills Dumbledore, even though I by now know it was a necessity. It's especially easy when I'm alone and no one's there to judge. That is probably why I managed not to cry waterfalls when we saw the Deathly Hollows but only a few tears. Next time tough. Expect oceans.
To get to the point, yes I cried to the end of "The Book Thief". Most people won't though but it doesn't mean the novel won't leave a mark.
söndag 2 oktober 2011
Birth Party
When a child is born in Laos, the celebration is not held until a couple of months after the birth. In Enhlish it called a Birth Party, but I don’t know what its called in Lao. To one of these celebrations was I invited to today through my step-grandfather. It says on the invitation that it starts at 10 in the morning and then having lunch. We arrive 10.45 and are the first ones to be there. Not until 11.30-12.00 more people start to drop in. I could write a lot about this occasion, but I will focus on the dance. When most people where at the end of their meal, the host couple/parents to the child start off the dance, dancing the traditional Lao Dance but are soon joined by others. Mostly women in their fifties and above. The dance is simple, just swing to the music and moving your hands in a wave-like fashion as you walk around the dance floor. Despite the dance’s simplicity I am somehow fascinated by it. My belief is that what makes it such an enchanting sight is the older women. While they dance they give a sense of elegance and pride. I also think it is because of the seriousness in what they’re doing. In Sweden people would have laughed and might have danced as if they were joking, but these people danced just to enjoy the dance in itself.
Mount Phousi and Midnight Noodles
Having again slept until noon I spend the day finishing what I had started the day before. I return to Dala Market to do my shopping and I had my afternoon reading time at JoMa Café, slurping on passion fruit juice. I then decide to do the climb up Mount Phousi. The way up to the top is actually a little challenging, 350 steps i definitely more than it sounds. The reward however makes the climb absolutely worth it. The view is stunning with Luang Prabang down below, surrounded by green soft mountains with their peaks hidden in the clouds and Mekong River making its way down south. After standing on the peak of the mountain for a while absorbing the view I make my way down on the opposite side of the mountain from which I came. Here the path is steeper and it is less crowded. It is also surrounded by statues of Buddha and I pass some Laotier praying while I secretly vomit on the tourist taking a picture of their sacred moment. When I’m almost at the end of the climb down, I meet a group of tourists going up exhausted by their climb so far, I want to tell them that they still have a long long long way to go.
The rest of the evening took a rather unexpected turn. My relative and host gives me a call earlier in the day and tells me that the boys at the hotel is going out clubbing tonight and that I am welcome to join. Of course I can’t say no and at 10.00 pm that night I find myself at a local bar, Star Pub, where I and another Swedish newcomer are the only westerners and they only play Lao or Thai music, first on the stereo but later live. The alcohol for sale is BeerLao and Carlsberg, which just recently just bought Beerlao. We hang out for a while and then move on to a nightclub which actually plays music I recognize. We go by car with a sober driver, but the rest of Luang Prabang go by vespas or motorbikes and when we exit the nightclub we have a sea of auto-bikes in front of us. I do not need to tell you that most accidents on the road happen on a Friday or Saturday night.
We end the evening by introducing “fyllekäk”, or drunk-food, to our new Laotian friends but since there is no McDonalds in Luang Prabang (Thank God) we end up a the night open noodle place wolfing down Yellow Chicken Noodle Soup. Everything closes early in Luang Prabang and by 1 o'clock in the morning I am back home after a surprisingly fun night.
The rest of the evening took a rather unexpected turn. My relative and host gives me a call earlier in the day and tells me that the boys at the hotel is going out clubbing tonight and that I am welcome to join. Of course I can’t say no and at 10.00 pm that night I find myself at a local bar, Star Pub, where I and another Swedish newcomer are the only westerners and they only play Lao or Thai music, first on the stereo but later live. The alcohol for sale is BeerLao and Carlsberg, which just recently just bought Beerlao. We hang out for a while and then move on to a nightclub which actually plays music I recognize. We go by car with a sober driver, but the rest of Luang Prabang go by vespas or motorbikes and when we exit the nightclub we have a sea of auto-bikes in front of us. I do not need to tell you that most accidents on the road happen on a Friday or Saturday night.
We end the evening by introducing “fyllekäk”, or drunk-food, to our new Laotian friends but since there is no McDonalds in Luang Prabang (Thank God) we end up a the night open noodle place wolfing down Yellow Chicken Noodle Soup. Everything closes early in Luang Prabang and by 1 o'clock in the morning I am back home after a surprisingly fun night.
fredag 30 september 2011
Big Brother Mouse
Today I have two main things to tell. The first thing is about my morning activity, the second on what happened to me this afternoon. Not a big deal, but enough to change my plans for today.
After two sleep ins in a row it was time to try to get up before 9 am in the morning. Especially since I had made plans. One of the two youth centers I visited yesterday organizes every day a meeting where Laotians can meet native or fluent english speakers to practice their English. Of course I had to be there, even though my English isn't perfect I think it is good enough. The meeting is between 9 and 11 in the morning and when I finally managed to drag myself out of bed I walked my ten minutes walk over there. When I got there some people had already started conversing and I found a free chair. The first one I spoke to was still in the very beginning of his learning process and we mostly spend on time looking at pictures and discussing it, and reading some texts connected to the picture. After a while people start talking to each other and I am introduced to a number Laotian boys/men aged around 20, all of them on a different level concerning their skills in the English language, ethnicity and background. The one I talk the most to is Phanh (pronounced Pan). He is from the more northern part of Laos but has come Luang Prabang to work and study. I am told he is of the Khamu or Khmu tribe, one of the hilltribes of Luang Prabang and the largest ethnic group in Laos. He then continues to telling me about the other tribes and ethnic groups that exists in Laos and what differs them from each other. I am also told that he works at a restaurant in town. Before we leave we exchange phone numbers and I just made my first friend in Luang Prabang.
After lunch a take a quick nap and then take my now traditional reading time somewhere in town, trying out what Luang Prabang has to offer. I ended up at the Scandinavian Bakery again, this time having a lemonade which is most delicious drink and I again wonder why we don't drink this in Sweden. My plan was to then swiftly drop by Dala Market to shop for some trekk sandals before going up Mount Phousi, one of the more popular tourist sites in Luang Prabang. I am however trapped in the market by the pouring rain that only exists in Asia, but after ten minutes the rain is OK to walk through.
"Lucky me!" I though "Managed to avoid the rain" The next thing I do is to almost slip on the wet sidewalk in my extremely slippery flipfliops, and after two minutes manage to slip and, as the English says, fell right on my arse. 100 meter later I step into a pool of water which splashes up and manage to soak the before-dry side of my body. After this I decide to skip Mount Phousi and its 350 steps to the amazing view I heard about since I would probably manage to slip and fall down at the bottom again once I reach the top.
Also, when I returned home from dinner today who don't I see if not Phanh standing outside the restaurant where he works. We exchange formalities in the traditional shy Laotian way, well not me of course, and I promise him to eat at his restaurant in a near future.
Also, here is a taste of what Luang prabang looks like.
After two sleep ins in a row it was time to try to get up before 9 am in the morning. Especially since I had made plans. One of the two youth centers I visited yesterday organizes every day a meeting where Laotians can meet native or fluent english speakers to practice their English. Of course I had to be there, even though my English isn't perfect I think it is good enough. The meeting is between 9 and 11 in the morning and when I finally managed to drag myself out of bed I walked my ten minutes walk over there. When I got there some people had already started conversing and I found a free chair. The first one I spoke to was still in the very beginning of his learning process and we mostly spend on time looking at pictures and discussing it, and reading some texts connected to the picture. After a while people start talking to each other and I am introduced to a number Laotian boys/men aged around 20, all of them on a different level concerning their skills in the English language, ethnicity and background. The one I talk the most to is Phanh (pronounced Pan). He is from the more northern part of Laos but has come Luang Prabang to work and study. I am told he is of the Khamu or Khmu tribe, one of the hilltribes of Luang Prabang and the largest ethnic group in Laos. He then continues to telling me about the other tribes and ethnic groups that exists in Laos and what differs them from each other. I am also told that he works at a restaurant in town. Before we leave we exchange phone numbers and I just made my first friend in Luang Prabang.
After lunch a take a quick nap and then take my now traditional reading time somewhere in town, trying out what Luang Prabang has to offer. I ended up at the Scandinavian Bakery again, this time having a lemonade which is most delicious drink and I again wonder why we don't drink this in Sweden. My plan was to then swiftly drop by Dala Market to shop for some trekk sandals before going up Mount Phousi, one of the more popular tourist sites in Luang Prabang. I am however trapped in the market by the pouring rain that only exists in Asia, but after ten minutes the rain is OK to walk through.
"Lucky me!" I though "Managed to avoid the rain" The next thing I do is to almost slip on the wet sidewalk in my extremely slippery flipfliops, and after two minutes manage to slip and, as the English says, fell right on my arse. 100 meter later I step into a pool of water which splashes up and manage to soak the before-dry side of my body. After this I decide to skip Mount Phousi and its 350 steps to the amazing view I heard about since I would probably manage to slip and fall down at the bottom again once I reach the top.
Also, when I returned home from dinner today who don't I see if not Phanh standing outside the restaurant where he works. We exchange formalities in the traditional shy Laotian way, well not me of course, and I promise him to eat at his restaurant in a near future.
Also, here is a taste of what Luang prabang looks like.
torsdag 29 september 2011
Bicycle Race
Today I had the courage to throw myself out into the Luang Prabang traffic. I can't really say the traffic is dangerous, but you have to get used to it. Compared to Bangkok it is probably a piece of cake. The hotel I will work for have bikes for the guests to borrowsince the town is easily discovered by bike. This is because of the flat terrain and lack of cars on the roads. But what the city lack in cars it makes up for in motorbikes and vespas. They are everywhere. And only about 20-30% wears a helmet. And out of those per cent only about half has it fastened correctly on its head. Also, some people bike with an umbrella protecting them from the sun, which I understand because it is hot but they are also in the way (and they don't go very fast either, the umbrella bikers). But as soon as you figured out the system biking in Luang Prabang is easy. And lovely.
I went down the street on the Nam khan side of the town and after a couple of minutes I realize that it is a one way street. And I am not going the same way as the others do. The Swedish blood in me tells me of course to stop and start walking on the sidewalk until I figure out where else to go, until someone passes me on a motorbike in the same wrong direction. I conclude again that the same rules in Sweden do not really apply in Asia. The day is spent riding around town, getting a little lost and finding my way again, drinking Lao Iced Tea at cafés while reading and also visiting two similar but different youth centers not far from the hotel. I have to say that I am not a big fan of the Iced Tea, but maybe its a learning process.
I also got myself a phone sim card and keys to my stepgrandad's house in which I'm staying. I feel a little more at home for every day that passes.
I went down the street on the Nam khan side of the town and after a couple of minutes I realize that it is a one way street. And I am not going the same way as the others do. The Swedish blood in me tells me of course to stop and start walking on the sidewalk until I figure out where else to go, until someone passes me on a motorbike in the same wrong direction. I conclude again that the same rules in Sweden do not really apply in Asia. The day is spent riding around town, getting a little lost and finding my way again, drinking Lao Iced Tea at cafés while reading and also visiting two similar but different youth centers not far from the hotel. I have to say that I am not a big fan of the Iced Tea, but maybe its a learning process.
I also got myself a phone sim card and keys to my stepgrandad's house in which I'm staying. I feel a little more at home for every day that passes.
onsdag 28 september 2011
Day 2
As the café is not open yet, I am free to do whatever I like during the day. But, since I am new in Luang Prabang, I have been given the mission to get to know the town. Since the café is going to be connected to the hotel, a should be able to answer any questions the guests might ask. Things to see, places to go. Therefor I am now educating myself for the future.
After two days on the road (technically more in the air) it seems that I needed a good night sleep. I woke up at 7 am for a mysterious reason, returned to my pillow and didn’t open my eyes again until noon. Which meant I probably slept for more than 13 hours.
The hotel together with my guide book recommend several spots in Luang Prabang and my plan is to visit them all (I call it preparing). After eating lunch at the hotel, I walked down main street and paid a visit to the Scandinavian Bakery and treated myself to the classic Lao fruit shake (basically a smoothie). The money in Laos is called Kip and a fruit shake for 10000 Kip might sound expensive, until I tell you that 10000 Kip is $1.25 or about 7 SEK.
I then visited the local “supermarket”, which is a little bigger hole in the wall store than those you find in China Town. I bought what was needed, and then walked straight across the street to visit another market where is bought flip flops. I was too lazy to haggle but I can tell you I didn’t really need to anyway.
Luang Prabang is half situated on a peninsula and the city is surrounded by two rivers, the Mekong River and the Nam Khan river, the last runs into the Mekong. The hotel, Mekong River View is situated just at the edge of the peninsula, with all the rooms having a view of the Mekong. This means that you can always find the hotel, just follow either ones of the rivers and you get there. Today I walked on the Nam Khan side where many of the towns guesthouses are placed, and many of these have verandas outside to get a good view of the river.
After two days on the road (technically more in the air) it seems that I needed a good night sleep. I woke up at 7 am for a mysterious reason, returned to my pillow and didn’t open my eyes again until noon. Which meant I probably slept for more than 13 hours.
The hotel together with my guide book recommend several spots in Luang Prabang and my plan is to visit them all (I call it preparing). After eating lunch at the hotel, I walked down main street and paid a visit to the Scandinavian Bakery and treated myself to the classic Lao fruit shake (basically a smoothie). The money in Laos is called Kip and a fruit shake for 10000 Kip might sound expensive, until I tell you that 10000 Kip is $1.25 or about 7 SEK.
I then visited the local “supermarket”, which is a little bigger hole in the wall store than those you find in China Town. I bought what was needed, and then walked straight across the street to visit another market where is bought flip flops. I was too lazy to haggle but I can tell you I didn’t really need to anyway.
Luang Prabang is half situated on a peninsula and the city is surrounded by two rivers, the Mekong River and the Nam Khan river, the last runs into the Mekong. The hotel, Mekong River View is situated just at the edge of the peninsula, with all the rooms having a view of the Mekong. This means that you can always find the hotel, just follow either ones of the rivers and you get there. Today I walked on the Nam Khan side where many of the towns guesthouses are placed, and many of these have verandas outside to get a good view of the river.
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