Thongbay (tong-bye) and last weeks

Sat 15 Feb-Wed 18 Feb

During our two weeks at Thongbay bungalows on the banks of the Nam Khan just outside the city centre, we’ve had full-time internet access so I’ve whiled away many an hour and not felt the need to add to my blog. And I also signed up to my first MOOC (massive open online course), “Our Hungry Planet - Agriculture, People and Food Security”, which has been interesting and stimulating, getting bits of my brain that sometimes lie dormant up and buzzing.

Our Thongbay luxury pad overlooking the river.

Thongbay has a vast team of friendly staff, trained to cater for their guests’ every need with a smile. In the morning a massive breakfast arrives on a tray on our balcony – pancakes, muesli, baguettes, fruit and yoghurt, tea, coffee. It takes most of the day to digest it!

Breakfast!

Being within easy walking distance to the centre of town, most days late afternoon we wander down the dirt road to have a beer or two and meal. The first week we noticed that the villagers we passed were very busy demolishing and rebuilding bits of houses. It transpired that the Government had decided a 7-metre-wide road was to be built through the village, so houses on either side were having to be moved back to accommodate it. This was a massive shake-up for the community.

Once the digger arrived there was no arguing!

That balcony had to go!

Now, back at K&K’s, “The End” gallops towards us at an alarming rate. Just 10 days to go before we head home. We start to make tentative plans. What will we drop from our former lives? What new pursuits? Trevann looks towards more music, Buddhist practice and exercise. I think about Transition, work, growing food, shedding “stuff” and simplicity.

Meanwhile there’s cloud hanging over K&K’s. The question of how they can possibly untangle themselves from their sticky situation and move forward is a constant background preoccupation. The business is not making enough money year-round to be sustainable without capital input – which they don’t have. It’s all a bit of a mess. This is their life, their home, their children and their income all on the line.

Once again, we’re stuck in the middle. It’s none of our business really but we feel so sad to see their pain. And there’s no easy solution that will suit everyone.

Six-inch wingspan, sadly deceased

From our point of view, we love this place more than ever. It’s very special to us so we’ll be sorry to see it go. There are not many bungalow guest houses that give you so much space – both physically and emotionally. They leave us alone to get on with our own thing. No one will mind if we don’t get out of bed until 11 o’clock. At Thongbay the bungalows were 2 metres apart and every 5 minutes someone was coming along to clean the room, bring food, check whether we needed anything. Lovely – but we’re not used to being waited upon and served to that degree. Also, because breakfast is brought to the bungalow every morning you don’t get to meet your fellow guests so easily.

View from the Old Bridge towards Thongbay.

Young monks messing about in boat.

Gathering river weed.

Family occupation.

So, apart from the lack of wifi (Still!), we’re very content back here. And there are other guests around at the moment to talk to. Yesterday we sat around the fire until 2 in the morning drinking beer and whisky with Khoun and three others: a very drunk but jovial middle-aged French Canadian man, a quiet girl from Alaska, and a large, extremely loud but entertaining Aussie woman called Michelle. It transpired she was a high-ranking officer in the Australian army and military police, taking 5 months off work to travel in SE Asia and learn Vietnamese. She regaled us with tales of her army life and adventures and we felt we would definitely want her on our team if we were in trouble!

I was interested to learn about the Australian involvement in the conflict in Papua New Guinea in the 1990s. Apparently years of copper mining had led to severe pollution of the main river, causing devastating health problems for the people downstream. The company responsible were made to pay generous compensation to the communities living on the banks of the river, but the towns and villages inland complained, arguing that the copper belonged to the whole country so they should be paid as well. Before long the tribes were fighting and that led to full-scale civil war. Suddenly a country that had been developing was cast back decades. Roads were destroyed, power plants blown up, infrastructure gone. People who had enjoyed the convenience of living with cars and microwaves were back to hunter-gathering. At that point the Australians supplied arms to the government forces to try to sort things out – which it didn’t. Eventually the UN stepped in with peace-keeping forces, but because the Aussies were no longer seen as neutral they could not take a leading role. Instead the New Zealand and Fijian armies were deployed, with the Aussies supposedly in support. That was why Michelle spent nine months in PNG. Her job in supplies.

Once again, ask someone in a developing country who has experienced labour-saving modern technologies whether they would like to return to a simpler, more rustic way of life and they say no, like Hans Rosling’s grandma, they choose the washing machine.

In other news we’ve been spending some time researching Lao culture, trying to put names to the deities depicted at the temples, learning about the 32 kwan (spirits) we humans have and how to keep them content with offerings and ceremonies. When we left Thongbay the manageress tied white and orange threads around our wrists for “luck” on our journey. We keep them on for at least 3 days then untie them rather than cut them off.

We also went to a Lao storytelling event where an expressive young man, accompanied by an elderly tribesman playing the khene (traditional bamboo pipe instrument), told fantastic folktales about gods, mountains, kings, monkeys and nagas that turn into rocks. Wonderful.

Just check out those feet!

Garuda.

Rishi - the sage.

One of my favourite LP temples at night. Full moon festival.

What is this? A frog-lion-dog-elephant?

Nagas always guard the steps.

Unusually, this ruined sim had not been demolished when they built the new one. 

Thorani appears to be cutting off her hair with a sword. What's that about!?

And yesterday we had The Storm. Out of the blue a sudden downpour with thunder and lightning. We were in town half way through our dinner – we never got the second half! – but at K&K’s the winds were enough to uproot two trees, demolish Khoun’s favourite frangipani and shut down the power for the evening. Bedtime by candlelight.

This Olympic size pool lies empty and abandoned on the edge of town, alongside massive sports complex of tennis courts, shooting alleys, petanque places. All unused. 

Lorry-loads of grass being delivered for village broom-makers.

We can see you!