SAILers visiting their village families where they learned the art of sticky rice basket weaving.

Last weekend we went on our first excursion 70km outside of VTE to the countryside of Phongsong. I am indeed “luk xao na” (daughter of a farm girl) so it wasn’t something new to me to see the farmlands of Laos, but there were many things I got to experience that I have never experienced until last weekend. I’d just like to say how incredibly warm and inviting the people of Phongsong are and I am glad to have met all of them. There was a point during the baci ceremony and final speech that I got really choked up and thought I was going to end up in tears. They will forever be in the fabric of my life and their hospitality will never be forgotten.

1. A Hiking We Will Go – My family has farmlands in Southern Laos, but due to its proximity to our house, we drove there the last time I was in Laos. I am glad we got to walk this trail though. The landscape of Laos is just incredibly beautiful. The green and calm of the country is such a contrast of the hustle and bustle of VTE. There was also a beautiful cave full of Buddha images that was awesome to see that was nestled on the side of a cliff. Although the walk was incredibly long, it was so worth it.

2. Fresh Fish – We hiked all the way to the fishing pond. Ake threw out a fishing net and Ryan got to ride in the boat with a few of the local people. Unfortunately, the fish weren’t biting but the ka thoob (small shack) was a welcome sight for tired feet. The cool Lao breeze swept through the ka thoob and eventually lured a few of us to lay down and shut our eyes for a few minutes. I could have spent a lifetime resting there. The owner was kind enough to get some fish on the grill and invited us to eat with him. Fish couldn’t get any fresh than that!

3. Attack of the Ants – On our walk to the fishing pond, we spotted an ants nest so on our way back we decided to attack it! Unfortunately, the ants decided to do the same in return! In the end, we did conquer them and came home with a bag full of ant eggs and lots of ant bites but it was such a fun and funny experience.

4. Rice Farming – The last time I was in Laos, my family joking asked me to stay and rice farm so I am happy to report that the Farm Girl is still in me and I can farm almost like the local farmers. Granted, my rice plants don’t stay up but I can farm pretty quickly. I will say that I am not a fan of the rice caterpillars but the experience was eye opening to the lifestyle of the country folks.

5. Work Hard; Play Harder – It’s no secret that the country folks work hard. Everything they have, everything they need, everything they eat had to use manpower and be cultivated. The people of Phongsong do bamboo handicrafts and plant rice and when a day’s work is done they know how to relax and enjoy themselves. They were kind enough to let us share in some dancing after a wonderful Lao meal the last night. We did a lot of games that allowed us to interact with them and they also invited us to share a few American games with them. We adapted Duck, Duck, Goose and Red Light. Who knew children’s games could be so fun at our age? Honestly though, it was all about the company that we kept and the people of Phongsong were incredible and it will the a lasting memory for all of us that were there last weekend.