Hopping in and out of South East Asia, one fine morning, I landed in the tiny landlocked country of Laos PDR. This is an ancient land having ties with India dating back 2000 years. Although not on the regular tourist map of any visitor, my interest in its culture and its simple people made me hop on to a four day trip and I flew quietly into the quaint capital city of Vientiane.
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| Vientiane, capital of Laos PDR |
This was indeed a voyage of discovery for me as I had touched upon a land untouched by development and I wanted to make the most of it – meeting people, learning its cultures and traditions that have been influenced by Buddha and India.
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| The mighty Mekong river that flows from Tibet to Laos |
In contrast to other glitzy south East Asian capitals, Vientiane is a very relaxing place, in fact, a small countryside town interspersed with French colonial villas and Buddhist temples (called as wats). After going round the charming city where people greet you at market place or the city squares with a broad smile, it was time to wander down to the riverside and go for my cruise on the Mekong River.
As I hopped on to one of the cruise boats, I am greeted with the traditional Lao greeting "sabai dee" which is equivalent to our namaskar. Here, a person bows slightly and smiles when meeting another person. Only after a visit to this tiny country, one realizes how the life of the common Laotian entirely revolves around the mighty Mekong River that flows from the ancient Buddhist country of Tibet and traverses to give a livelihood to each and every family.
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| Small river boat floating restaurants on the Mekong |
For Laotians, the great Mekong is the mother river and they hope the river remains pure and pristine and is not disturbed by any damming, says Lena, our young host and an ace fisherwoman. Fishing is a major source of livelihood and I see many women busy doing this and cooking it on the riverside hotels as also on the cruise boats. Just remember, they cook the fish only partly and then use a lot of herbs and shoots to make it edible. Bamboo shoots, fish sauce, ant larva, caterpillars, grasshoppers and crickets are part of the local cuisine.
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| A family dining out on a floating restaurant |
All along this river, life has flourished thousands of years, says our charming host. “My forefathers, my grandmother, my aunts, have all lived on the river and sustained our lives for generation. We don’t know any other life. We catch and cook the fish; the choice is left to the customer and we serve it immediately. We provide fresh fish from the river for every customer and to the tune of Laotian music, we entertain our guests who can dance and enjoy in the serene, pristine surroundings.”
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| A closer look at the boat carrying fishing implements, herbs, shoots, vegetables, etc in floating restaurants |
For a Laotian, their life revolves around it. Innumerable houses, temples, hotels and resorts dot the river while floating restaurants serving the local cuisine is a pretty common sight. One can enjoy the 'simply beautiful' atmosphere conjured by the rich shadows of the past while you relish a slow meal of laap, which is nothing but sticky rice with fish and beer, also known as Lao, on these cruises. But added to this, is the green papaya salad too which is a mix of baby crabs, herbs and lots of chilli.
All along the Mekong, two kilometres upstream, there is a string of hotels and restaurants offering a variety of local cuisine. One can get to taste Lao, Chinese, Thai and Western food but the best food to taste is the authentic grilled fish. The Mekong fish from Pakse is famous throughout the country and relished by one and all, Lena informs.
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| A view of rural house on stilts on the banks of river |
The eateries along the river have now started using Lao style reed mats and rattan tables instead of metal-plastic furniture which is a welcome change and very popular. In many upcountry restaurants, one can enjoy the traditional Lao music and dance performances after 7 pm in the evening while munching your dinner.
If you are planning to visit Lao for a short trip, then don’t miss the evening dinner cruise on the Mekong, on boats moored opposite Wat Chan. This is an enjoyable evening but only if you are a non-vegetarian. In this land, there is no concept of vegetarian cuisine and everything that is derived from nature is considered edible. So for a pure vegetarian, it is a nightmare.
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| A View of river resorts |
For their unique culture, the Laotians are grateful to the mighty river that powers this tiny nation providing food, water and power. Before the French consolidated this country and added that irritating 's' to its name, there were three separate Lao kingdoms that was merged into a single entity which has now, the best of Buddhist culture and colonial architecture, and a land blessed with abundant rivers and lakes. But unfortunately, they have started damming their rivers to provide power to Vietnam and Thailand even as a local Laotian granny with a toothy smile expresses her fear of freshwater fishes disappearing from the Mekong.
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