Blog Post #41 - Leaving Laos for an Adventure in India

The day has come for me to start packing up my life in Laos. Although I will still be at the office for another two days and have one last organic market to go do research at, I am sending my computer home with a friend. I am flying to Kuala Lumpur on Saturday morning, and spending a couple of days on the beaches of Malaysia before flying into Delhi on March 24. Then the next BIG adventure begins! I will be backpacking across India for at least one month, with my flight home to Canada on May 17.

I have given many presentations and workshops over the last six months with LOPA. I have also been working with the team to build tools that they can use to support decision-making and assess performance. While in India I will think of ways to share this material with everyone reading the blog. At the very least, I will be giving presentations to co-workers at Deloitte when I return. There may be ways for others to tune in. 

Thank you to everyone for following along with the sticky rice adventure in Laos! If you enjoyed the blog, please consider making a donation to Cuso International to help me meet my goal of raising $2000 for the organization (click here for the link).

When I return to Canada and am reunited with my computer, I will make sure to share photos and stories from the India backpacking adventure! But until then, I will leave you with some of my last favorite memories from Laos.

Garbage collection with a bicycle
I can no longer complain about my bike commutes

Always being watched

The start of my adventure with Cuso back in September

Saying goodbye to new friends at the office

The motorcycle gang that hangs outside my apartment

The motorcycle gangs that spend their evenings racing and doing tricks.
A couple close calls with my bicycle

Great sign. If only they listened

Or maybe they could just stay parked and have a disco setup like these guys...

Taking home some lessons in style
That guy top left is having too much fun with his haircut

My hair Skyping the roomies back in Calgary

Making Khao Kai Noy and curry.
I like to think I helped some other foreigners find a passion in sticky rice ;)

I cannot wait to see many of you when I return to Calgary in the summer. All the best until then!

Jesse

Blog Post #40 - Training to Become Laos' Best....in Ultimate Frisbee

While drinking BeerLao may be the most popular evening activity for many living in Vientiane, I recognize the need for a bit of diversity and physical exercise. I therefore have been playing ULTIMATE frisbee at least once a week. To think that you can play outdoor sports next to palm and banana trees in March is quite the dream.

The group is called the Sabaidisc - Lao Ultimate Frisbee Club. With an official title like that, are you surprised that they take their frisbee seriously? Sometimes I feel like a headless chicken running around the field as they yell technical formations at me. I am far from very ultimate at the sport.

A cool 25C March evening

Back in December I even participated in my first ultimate frisbee tournament.

Look at that professional in the back row with the hat
(thumbs up of course)

After a day in the office, my standard Monday night is as follows:

1. Two hours of frisbee
2. Indian food at one of a couple GREAT spots nearby
3. Oil massage

Final bill for the night - $20. I don't think I want to leave...

Today it is reaching 38C. Makes frisbee in the evening a lot more difficult. But still worth it!

Blog Post #39 - Cuso Volunteer Conference in Vang Vieng

My final weekend in Laos has come to an end, and I could not have asked for better people to spend it with. The Cuso-Lao field office organized a great volunteer conference in Vang Vieng. Despite the reputation of Vang Vieng as a backpacker and Korean party town, we managed to have a full day and a half of presentations without any wild interruptions. With all fifteen Cuso volunteers converging on Vang Vieng, we had the opportunity to learn more about Cuso volunteer projects across the country (with no shortage of fun in the evenings). Everything from chicken husbandry in Attapeu to teaching English in Vientiane to Khao Kai Noy from Xiengkhouang (by yours truly).

View from the hotel room.
No shortage of karst topography (my dad is now smiling from my geology terminology)

The Lao interns are an impressive group.
Always working hard, doing an awesome job to help the volunteers, and SMILING!

Our first night, I wanted to take the team to my favorite restaurant in Vang Vieng....

The second night we had dinner with a view.
Way more impressive than my choice

The team celebrating a great conference

Staring into their eyes or the mountains?

The best celebrations were saved for Sakura Bar.
Talk about a lot of dancing and even more Koreans!

Not relevant to the Cuso volunteer conference whatsoever, but after returning to Vientiane on Saturday afternoon, I spent Sunday fishing with SAEDA work colleagues and eating A LOT of the catch.

The day started with a bunch of small guys 

Then the 'big' guys started biting

Some of the haul

Then the professionals brought out the nets

Working on my net toss

I might prefer fisherman over rice farmer 

Cheering for a successful throw (despite no fish)

Still all smiles

The BBQ was never empty

Blog Post #38 - The Best Weekend Spot in Laos

For anyone planning to visit Laos, there is one spot that is a MUST visit if you are staying around the Vientiane area. I have been to Nam Ngum Reservoir 2x with a group of friends (once in November and most recently this past weekend), and both weekends were highlights of my six months in Laos.

It is only a 2-hour drive north of Vientiane. Our journey was interesting....but we made it eventually

A communist police officer with sharks, surfboards and beach balls on his uniform

We slept under the stars on a private island Saturday night. Until the fire went out in the middle of night things were okay. Then the wind became out worst enemy, and things got very cold (especially with six people and only four blankets). Must look for the positives though, and at least the wind meant no mosquitoes. It was an amazing experience overall....despite the lack of sleep.

I slept on the end, so it was my responsibility to block the wind for everyone else 

Despite the rough night, it was an amazing morning swimming and fishing

The gang enjoying life on our private beach. Not another soul in sight

Not winning any fishing competitions,
but definitely got style points with that colorful outfit

The real expert at work
Mr. Ley, the legend himself

We made landing at a local village and were greeted by these ambassadors

The village is famous for a monk that claims to be 117.
What does a man who is 117, blind and almost deaf, like to eat?
SOY MILK of course.....so we brought him a lot of it!

He and his handy helper led us through a prayer and good luck Buddhist ritual

Graced with good luck after visiting the monk

Ajan Claire teaching the village children 'head, shoulders, knees and toes' in English

Everyone was eating watermelon...even in the water

Look at that happy crew!
Hard at work (drinking the BeerLao) and keeping the boat afloat

Good thing there was NO other traffic on the water
Mr. Ley loves his BeerLao

Talk about an awesome weekend.
Just another Sunday in Laos

Blog Post #37 - The Land of a Million Elephants....Minus the Elephants

Throughout history, Laos has been referred to as the "Land of a Million Elephants." While I never expected to see them walking along the side of the road, I am surprised that they seem to have disappeared from society completely. No sightings, no posters, no shows, no mention (although there was recently an elephant festival in a province nearby). While I am glad that I do not see them being exploited in entertainment or for elephant rides, it cannot be a good sign.

The only elephant I have seen in Laos....and it was chained to a tree :(

Maybe war explains their disappearance?

In fact, biodiversity in Laos seems pretty scarce. Despite lots of interesting plants, insects, lizards and fish, you will not find a bird or wild mammal bigger than the size of a squirrel.

A lively bee-hive

More bees!
Mouth is watering for that honey

This spider was the size of my palm :O

For a country very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, I can only hope that its people realize that reducing carbon footprints should be complemented with a commitment to protect the wildlife that keep the ecosystem balanced.  They may consider some species delicious, but that's not an excuse to exterminate them (except maybe the spiders).

I think they came from a different planet

The country only has six million people, and therefore there is no shortage of natural beauty, especially in the less populated areas outside of Vientiane Capital.

Nam Ngum. Still my favorite day in Laos

Boating around without a tourist in site.
Easy to stop in at the small beaches on each of the islands

Nam Ngum in the dry season
We slept on one of the islands this past weekend....without a tent, under the stars

National Geographic 'action shot'...with my iPhone

View from a monastery in the center of Luang Prabang

Asiatic black bears rescued from poachers...and now lounging

Artsy tree shot with the sunset in the background
(Phonsovan, Xiengkhouang)

ONE WEEK LEFT IN LAOS! Then on to the next adventures in Malaysia and India. The trips will be for personal travel before returning to my work at Deloitte back in Canada. I will not be bringing my computer so cannot continue with the blog posts. When back in Canada, I will find some way to share photos and stories with everyone that has followed along so far.