An introduction to Laos

Leaving Chiang Mai was interesting. First we checked in, then our luggage was scanned at the luggage drop. We went to security where chaos reigned. People didn’t lie up in any specific order. We went around a woman who got her hair caught in her purse strap and then got stalled by a family of 5 who didn’t understand that all belongings have to go in the bin. We got through the carryon scanning then headed to immigration where we had to give our finger prints and a retinal scan. We finally ended up at our gate and had Burger King for lunch. They are big on American fast food here – we’ve seen BK, McDonalds, KFC, Dairy Queen, Subway and most popular 7-11. There has been at least one 7-11 on every block in both Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

Laos is a small, landlocked country sharing a border with Thailand, China, Vietnam and Myanmar (formerly Burma). It has a small population of 7.2 million people.

The flight was uneventful and we cleared customs easily. We are staying in Luang Prabang at the Santi Resort. Our room is in the building on the right. There wasn’t much time between checking in and our first event. We were driven to a local restaurant/cooking school for a traditional Baci Ceremony, dinner and traditional dance/music demonstration.

The Baci ceremony conducted for a variety of reasons including welcoming guests, weddings, births and other important events. The ceremony is preformed by a Shaman. The man who did the ceremony tonight is a third generation shaman in his family. White cotton strings were tied around our wrists to support us in calling back our spirits. There is a belief here that everyone has 32 spirits (one for each organ) in their body and sometimes we lose track of some in our daily living. The ceremony is meant to reground people in the moment. As the strings are tied, the blessings are offered for you to have happiness, prosperity, longevity and a good life.

As the Shaman finished chanting prayers, the women passed around special treats including battered/deep fried banana, sticky rice crackers and a sweet dough. This was followed by a shot of sticky rice whiskey (40 proof). All was delicious. The next thing was for the celebrants to bless us as they tied white strings around our wrists The food and strings were initially part of the Pha Khuan (marigold tower) in the picture above. We received the tower as a group and it will be taken to the temple tomorrow as an offering in our name.

White strings we will wear for a minimum of three days

Supper followed the ceremony. We were served a three course meal that would have a small family. The food was delicious. We had been drinking Chang beer in Thailand. Now the beer is Beerlao. Equally good on a hot day.