Saturday, July 04, 2009
LAO HERITAGE AND WAT LAO RATTANARAM
THE SOUND of drums is loud enough to rattle my bones and shake my thoughts. Their sounds reverberate and bound through a hectic foyer past bulletin boards that once held potluck announcements and choir practice schedules. Where I stand, in this entrance, it all feels out of place – here now are Buddhist monks chanting below a large crucifix, a lavish ceremonial atmosphere in a predominantly Skid Row part of town, a Technicolor crowd dressed in the colors of peacocks and tangerines. This lavish Lao temple has risen from an abandoned Protestant church, repurposing for a small community of outsiders the remnants of mainstream.
Not many people know much about Laos, its culture or traditions. It is a small country with a population half the size of Los Angeles, spread over a countryside as large as Utah. What the community may lack in size it makes up for in grandeur and spirit; as an outsider, invited in by the community to help document their efforts to preserve this culture and these traditions of vital importance to them, I cannot help but respect the sheer will of a body of people so focused on one shared goal. The makeup of this community itself is diverse and represents a wide spectrum of economic disparities, jobs and ages, not to mention Lao ethnic minorities. Some are life-long monks, others are community elders who have immigrated to the United States after living a majority of their life in Laos, still others were born here and have never seen their parent’s homeland. What they share is a spirit of effort, pageantry and a desire to hold on to pieces of their past so that their life, their Lao life, is not forgotten in a sea of western culture.My time with the Lao community began as a photography project. Through a series of fortunate discoveries I was introduced to Prince Nithakhong Somsanith, a member of the Lao royal family. Prince Somsanith established a small cultural center in the northern Lao city of Luang Prabang, a town long prized for its cultural purity. Somsanith uses this center to educate young people about Lao culture and help them preserve their country’s heritage. He has also exported the efforts of this small center to Lao communities around the world.
Puang Champa House in Luang Prabang, Laos
A CREATIVE LEADER
“What I endeavor to bring to the Lao youth has little to do with technique or proper protocol, or even commercial value,” says Somsanith. “To me, what we offer is a fragile connection, a frayed thread connecting me and future generations like me to our heritage and our cultural roots. Its implications are many – cultural, spiritual, religious meaning, economic. I fear that if Lao youth are not given an opportunity to understand and know their culture, we will lose that special ingredient that makes Laos different and unique.”
The activities taking place at Somsanith’s center in Luang Prabang are exported to youth programs at Lao temples sprinkled around the world. In Richmond, Calif., the annual traditions of Lao culture become opportunities to showcase to youth the techniques and folklore of Lao h
eritage, and a teachable moment that provides Lao youth with total immersion in a culture unfamiliar to them. The presence of a formal spiritual leader – a Buddhist abbot – helps young Lao withdraw into the community, and instills in them a sense of pride and purpose.
This day my visit to the Lao temple in Richmond marks the Lao New Year and the beginning of a week of celebrations that will culminate in a large weekend festival. The mood is jovial, spirits are high and the smells of roasting chicken and spice fill the air. These are the manifestations of Somsanith’s programs – people drawn together, young and old, to keep traditions and folklore alive in the spirit of this rich community.
The activities taking place at Somsanith’s center in Luang Prabang are exported to youth programs at Lao temples sprinkled around the world. In Richmond, Calif., the annual traditions of Lao culture become opportunities to showcase to youth the techniques and folklore of Lao h
eritage, and a teachable moment that provides Lao youth with total immersion in a culture unfamiliar to them. The presence of a formal spiritual leader – a Buddhist abbot – helps young Lao withdraw into the community, and instills in them a sense of pride and purpose.This day my visit to the Lao temple in Richmond marks the Lao New Year and the beginning of a week of celebrations that will culminate in a large weekend festival. The mood is jovial, spirits are high and the smells of roasting chicken and spice fill the air. These are the manifestations of Somsanith’s programs – people drawn together, young and old, to keep traditions and folklore alive in the spirit of this rich community.
“To me, the work we do in Luang Prabang is important, yes. But my primary satisfaction comes when I visit temples like Richmond, or our families in Minnesota, where young Lao people are learning to play Lao instruments, perform traditional dance and weave tapestries that tell stories about our long history. That is my moment, and it is theirs for the future.”
About Daniel
Friday, December 08, 2006
Images of Luang Prabang
Uploading pictures here is a bit painful, so I hope everyone appreciates the time it takes :)
New pictures of my first day in Luang Prabang here.
New pictures of my first day in Luang Prabang here.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Luang Prabang
Sabaidee. I flew this morning to Luang Prabang, in the north of Laos. Wow. I am left speechless at the beauty of this little town (20,000 people!). In just a square kilometer or so, it manages to capture the charms of cities 10 times its size. The temples, the setting at the confluence of two rivers, and the mountains all combine to create a mystical world.
The people in northern Laos are very exotic looking too; that adds to the mystery. I am going to spend two days trekking up into the hills with a guide, of course; don't want to run into any UXO (that's unexploded ordinance, for the unitiated). UXO is a very serious problem here, as in Cambodia; I read somewhere yesterday that an average of one person per day steps on and activates a land mine.
The people in northern Laos are very exotic looking too; that adds to the mystery. I am going to spend two days trekking up into the hills with a guide, of course; don't want to run into any UXO (that's unexploded ordinance, for the unitiated). UXO is a very serious problem here, as in Cambodia; I read somewhere yesterday that an average of one person per day steps on and activates a land mine.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Off to Picasa
Ok...well, it appears I will be unable to post any pictures in Blogger so I created a web gallery with Picasa.
Herewith, my new gallery.
Herewith, my new gallery.
Bahhhh Blogger why do you do this to me, huh?
I was attempting to upload some photos this evening; I even wrote some snazzy captions for them.
I then got a nice "We're sorry, but we were unable to complete your request" note from Blogger when I attempted to upload. Bah. Bah. Bad sheep.
While I attempt to sort this out, you are welcome to e-mail me if you'd like me to send them the old(er)-fashioned way.
I then got a nice "We're sorry, but we were unable to complete your request" note from Blogger when I attempted to upload. Bah. Bah. Bad sheep.
While I attempt to sort this out, you are welcome to e-mail me if you'd like me to send them the old(er)-fashioned way.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
What can you get for 5 USD in Vientiane?
I arrived this morning in Vientiane, the capital of Laos; this small city of just over 200,000 people feels like stepping back in time. It's slow, lacks chaos, is full of temples and historic sites...something feels amiss here, compared to other capital cities in SE Asia.
I decided to see how far I could stretch a fiver. Turns out, you can go quite far on it. I shared a tuk tuk into the center of the city with a young monk and his grandmother; both put their hands on me and bowed as they stepped out. I was perplexed. Total: 1USD.
Then I withdrew cash at the only ATM in town that I could find. After waiting in line for 20 minutes (yes, it's that popular!), I withdrew 1,500,000 Lao Kip, which is 150USD. Lots of cash is needed here because there are very few ATMs, and acceptance of credit cards outside Vientiane is basically non-existent. Plus I had to pay Lao Airlines 665,000kip for my air ticket to Luang Prabang. Sigh. Easy come, easy go. Total transaction fee: 2USD.
I ate lunch at a local cafe and enjoyed a (at my request) mildly spicy green papaya salad, steamed vegetables served with a fermented crushed fish paste (tastes remarkably better than it sounds), and a large bottle of Beer Lao. Total: 4USD.
I went over my budget by 1USD so I walked back to the hotel. I think Laos is going to agree with me, and that's not just the Beer Lao talking. I have a plan of attack for taking pictures tomorrow; I will spend the day in the city, taking pictures of its temples and sights, and the beautiful people. The Lao are a mix of Khmer, Chinese and Vietnamese ethnicities and are very unique.
I decided to see how far I could stretch a fiver. Turns out, you can go quite far on it. I shared a tuk tuk into the center of the city with a young monk and his grandmother; both put their hands on me and bowed as they stepped out. I was perplexed. Total: 1USD.
Then I withdrew cash at the only ATM in town that I could find. After waiting in line for 20 minutes (yes, it's that popular!), I withdrew 1,500,000 Lao Kip, which is 150USD. Lots of cash is needed here because there are very few ATMs, and acceptance of credit cards outside Vientiane is basically non-existent. Plus I had to pay Lao Airlines 665,000kip for my air ticket to Luang Prabang. Sigh. Easy come, easy go. Total transaction fee: 2USD.
I ate lunch at a local cafe and enjoyed a (at my request) mildly spicy green papaya salad, steamed vegetables served with a fermented crushed fish paste (tastes remarkably better than it sounds), and a large bottle of Beer Lao. Total: 4USD.
I went over my budget by 1USD so I walked back to the hotel. I think Laos is going to agree with me, and that's not just the Beer Lao talking. I have a plan of attack for taking pictures tomorrow; I will spend the day in the city, taking pictures of its temples and sights, and the beautiful people. The Lao are a mix of Khmer, Chinese and Vietnamese ethnicities and are very unique.
Heading to Laos
This morning (BKK time) I am flying to Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. Here I will begin documenting some of the temples and other sights, before traveling onward via Lao Airlines to Luang Prabang, a world heritage city in the north of Laos.
No pictures to share just yet; please be patient :)
No pictures to share just yet; please be patient :)
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Revival of the blog
I am off again tomorrow - Friday, Dec. 01 - to continue building my image portfolio of Southeast Asia. My itinerary looks like this:
Dec. 01-04 - Bangkok
Dec. o4-07 - Vientiane, Laos
Dec. 07-15 - Luang Prabang, Laos and the northern territory
Dec. 15-29 - Bali, Surabaya and Jakarta, Indonesia
Dec. 29-Jan. 04 - Pattaya, Thailand
Jan. 04-Jan. 09 - Cambodia/Angkor Wat (yes, again!)
I will - of course - be posting images from my travel regularly here, as connections and internet cafe sojourns permit.
Dec. 01-04 - Bangkok
Dec. o4-07 - Vientiane, Laos
Dec. 07-15 - Luang Prabang, Laos and the northern territory
Dec. 15-29 - Bali, Surabaya and Jakarta, Indonesia
Dec. 29-Jan. 04 - Pattaya, Thailand
Jan. 04-Jan. 09 - Cambodia/Angkor Wat (yes, again!)
I will - of course - be posting images from my travel regularly here, as connections and internet cafe sojourns permit.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
A long bright winter
I arrived in South Africa two days ago - currently staying in Capetown until the 21st, then headed to Zambia and Botswana for 2 weeks. Because of its position south of the equator it is winter here. Bit warmer today - about 60 degrees -but yesterday was COLD, down to 35 at night. Nevertheless, the skies are a marvelous blue, the mountains unobscured by fog or clouds and beautiful sunshine as far as the horizon permits one to see.
Capetown is often compared to San Francisco and now I know why. The neighborhoods, hilly streets, great restaurants and of course the weather make the two cities very like-minded. Even more, they are both located the same distance from major wine regions.
Monday I am mountain biking down through Cape of Good Hope with a small group; will maybe see whales, but definitely will see a penguin habitat, sea lions and significant awe-inspiring beauty.
Capetown is often compared to San Francisco and now I know why. The neighborhoods, hilly streets, great restaurants and of course the weather make the two cities very like-minded. Even more, they are both located the same distance from major wine regions.
Monday I am mountain biking down through Cape of Good Hope with a small group; will maybe see whales, but definitely will see a penguin habitat, sea lions and significant awe-inspiring beauty.
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