Luang Nam Tha

The little dusty town of Luang Nam Tha; surrounded by dry rice fields, towering mountains. a smokey haze reminding you of the current season of sunshine and the desperation for rainfall. We arrived by van and tuk tuk in the company of a kind German couple. The unexpected journey here was a fortune of the sky and its unwillingness to provide moisture the last four months. The lack of rain has resulted in a dry riverbed and the passage by boat to Luang Prabang was merely impossible. Little did we know that Lunag Nam Tha would bring us rest, a memorable and authentic Lao wedding, and traveling companions turned friends.

On our second day, we rented bicycles, this time with proper gears and tires, and were led by our guide Somlak. Up red dusted roads, into the forested hills, through a Lamet village where we saw bamboo making and beautiful gentle faces of women and children in traditional dress, we found ourselves at a modest waterfall that was half its size due to the season. We continued on west on the main road where a group of young boys challenged us to a race before we turned off down another dirt road, leading us to a village built on stilts; bamboo woven homes standing above ground. Laundry of traditional textiles hang to dry below as children, dogs, chickens and pigs play, women squat over open fires, and men huddle in groups. Here, we came across a "moonshine" distillery right on the side of the road. Women with their babies in tow, hovered over the container of soaked sticky rice that is steamed and turned into lao lao or lao whiskey. We were offered a shot; its warm, sweet flavor satisfied our pallet which pleased the makers. Onward, we stopped to watch another group of women weave beautiful colored silk; such intricate patterns created with such ease and precision.

With the sun beating down on us and stomachs growling, we stopped along the Mekong river and feasted on vegetables and Jeow-a traditional Lao dish that resembles salsa but with local flavors of smoked eggplant and tomatoes, chili, garlic, lemongrass, and lime. Stuffed and sleepy, Somlak politely asked if we would join him at his friends wedding. Knowing that this was an opportunity not to pass up, we agreed and biked to the festivities with no clue what we were getting into-which is what makes it so appealing!

We arrived and were asked to take our hair down as only the bride wears it up. We entered the tent of which hundreds of people congregated and we were handed our first of 8 shots of lao lao. Somlak led us to a table of his friends and a quick glance around, we were the only "felongs" (foreigners) there; all eyes and whispers on us. Immediately, we were offered more lao lao, as the mother of the bride travels from table to table carrying a plastic bottle of the whiskey and a communal shot glass that she refills for the guests. Its hard to decline because one, it tastes good, and two the obvious stare from the other guests forces the liquid down. It didn't take long before we were asked to dance which only put us more in the spotlight! Somlak got up to sing, his voice blaring through the speakers, guiding us for the dance---slowly walking in a circle, hands delicately moving, one step toward your partner than back another passing them like a dosey-doe. Around and around, everyone moved slowly, mostly due to the heat and slight drunkenness.

After getting wasted, Somlak insisted that we ride to the local temple, another few kilometers away and 176 steps up stairs to the top; the three of us drunk and laughing at our state of being and of our unbelievable experience we just had. Somlak timidly asked us if we had a good day and if we would like to go back to the wedding. Yes, we had a fantastic day but were in need of a nap to recover. However, Somlak, the villages, the wedding, and the lao lao will be a story never to forget!