Today we had another day of orientation and learned about more programs at the American Center. This was our last session of the week. On Thursday and Friday we have a field trip to sites of cultural importance and museums which I’ll write more about later.

Smoothies and Fruit Juice in Laos

I had a smoothie and a chocolate croissant from a local café for lunch. The smoothie came from a small stand nearby the American Center. Fruit juice and smoothies are everywhere in Laos since they are a great way to replenish electrolytes after a long day spent in the sun. The one I ordered was a mango smoothie since mangoes are in season in Southeast Asia until September.

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

“Hi So”

In Laos you go to streetside vendors or restaurants for food. Streetside vendors sometimes have a stand, a tent, or a cart. They often have fried buns filled with yellow beans, fried bananas or sweet potatoes, fruit and vegetables, and fried fish.

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

Here’s a picture of a streetside vendor with a cart that I passed today!

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

Here is a vendor operating outside of a shop that I saw a few days ago.

On the other hand, you can go to a restaurant for food. Restaurants that have air conditioning and nice decor are considered to be “Hi So” by Lao people. “Hi So” restaurants are more expensive than other restaurants (think 40,000 kip a plate instead of 20,000) and Lao people go there to celebrate or to show off to their friends. Many young people who go to “Hi So” restaurants post pictures of themselves and their friends on Facebook to flaunt their wealth. (Facebook is the main source of news and internet for Laos.)

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

This is a “Hi So” restaurant called Veena that we ate at yesterday night for dinner. The Vietnamese egg rolls we ordered cost 40,000 kip for a plate ($2).

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

Here is another “Hi So” restaurant that we passed today. Notice how it has a nice ambience and decorations.

Christina P. and I had a croissant and a brownie in a “Hi So” café called Le deux soeurs for a light snack. Laos was a French protectorate from 1893 to 1953, so there is still some French influence in food, schooling, and local signs. My croissant was 46,000 kip, which is really expensive for Laos (a little over $2.25). Normally a snack would be 10,000-20,000 kip; however, with a “Hi So” you’re paying for the ambience and the status symbol of eating in such an expensive place.

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

Lao Dos and Don’ts

Here is a list of Lao dos and don’ts. Keep some of these in mind as I explain the next section.

In Laos don’t:

1. point at people, places, or things with individual fingers
2. gesture at things with your feet
3. put your feet on furniture
4. touch people on the head
5. raise your voice
6. show people the bottom of your feet
7. touch monks or statues of the Buddha (*only for women)

Do:

1. point at things using “airplane hands” (put all your fingers together)
2. use soft hand gestures when pointing with your “airplane hands”
3. bow slightly at the waist as you pass people or step in front of them
4. cover your shoulders and knees
5. take your shoes off when you enter a temple or when you see other Lao people leaving their shoes at the doorway (e.g., I took my shoes off when I went to the tailor to get fitted for sinhs)
6. cover the top of your feet in professional settings with sandals or close-toed shoes

Chao Anouvong Statue

Keep in mind how I told you that pointing is super rude in Laos as I talk about this next monument.

Today we passed a massive statue of a man in traditional Lao dress gesturing across the Mekong at Thailand as we walked back to our hotel. (We took a different route home today from dinner.) Christina P. told us that her relatives told her the story of King Chao Anouvong. Chao Anouvong was the king of Vientiane from 1805 to 1828 when all three kingdoms of Laos (i.e., Vientiane, Luang Prabang, and Champasak) were under control of neighboring Siam (i.e., modern-day Thailand). Chao Anouvong wanted Lao independence and started a rebellion against Siam in the false belief that Myanmar (Burma) and the British Empire would soon begin a war against Siam. Neither group invaded, and the Thai king had Siamese soldiers raze Vientiane to the ground in 1828. Chao Anouvong was captured, taken to Bangkok, and put in a cage where he died as a prisoner of war. As a result of this and other events like when Thailand took the Lao territory of the Khorat Plateau and the Emerald Buddha, there has historically been tension between Thailand and Laos.

Courtesy of Amazing Thailand

Image of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand where he currently resides

Read more about Chao Anouvong’s life

Learn more about the the tension surrounding possession of the Emerald Buddha

Chao Anouvong’s pointing gesture suggests that the Lao people will fight any attempts at invasion and that they will protect their right to autonomy. Chao Anouvong points across the Mekong in a defiant manner conveying his strength and willingness to fight for Lao freedom. The statue of Chao Anouvong faces across the river towards Thailand, suggesting that the Thai should not threaten Laos’s autonomy again. The statue of Chao Anouvong shown here was erected in 2010 to mark the 450th anniversary of the founding of the city of Vientiane.

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

Read more about Lao-Thai relations on Wikipedia. (I didn’t want to use a Thai or Lao website about their relationship since they are clearly biased.)

As Promised

To end on a more pleasant note and as promised in one of my earlier posts, here is an ornate spirit house that I passed today. (I will continue to post images of beautiful spirit houses that I pass.)