Tomorrow we are off to Vietnam for our first major vacation in Southeast Asia. We are really excited and will have lots of photos in the coming weeks.
The remnants of Typhoon Ketsana hit southern Laos yesterday. There have been pictures of severe flooding but so far, no reports of the deaths that other countries experienced due to the storm.
Below are the images from our boat racing experience. We were a little disappointed that our vacation to Vietnam would cause us to miss the annual boat races in Vientiane but the Lao came through for us. After all, why have only one day of boat races when you can have two weeks of boat races? Obviously the boat races provide an excellent opportunity for drinking but the tradition is actually rooted in the pre-Buddhist belief in nagas or river spirits. The Lao believe there are giant serpents who inhabit the rivers of Laos. During the rainy season they sneak into the fields. Therefore, the boat races are an attempt to lure them back into the rivers so harvesting can take place. There is a common photo around Vientiane of American soldiers holding a naga that was pulled from the river. Photoshop or not, the men really are holding what looks like a giant eel that stretches across the arms of two dozen men.
The boat races are exactly what you would expect: a party, carnival atmosphere.
Complete with games for kids,
Toy guns for children to play with,
and a carnival show of freakish animals, which at 30 cents was too good for us to pass up.
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