Laos Day 6: Parting ways
Jun 25, 2008 Trips
This will be my last post on my working trip to Laos with World Vision Malaysia. I know I promised a 10-part series, but even I am suffering from Laos fatigue on my blog (I will however blog once more on Laos later, about the rest of my trip where I did the touristy stuff). Besides, it ends nicely as my feature article on the trip is published today in Youth2 (cover story of Star2), as well as a video (thanks to Mee Yook who painstakingly rushed it so it would be out on time!).
My article focuses more on the situation in Laos, mainly children living in poverty, and how external organisation like World Vision is helping ensure that they have a better future. In the video, I tell the stories of three families I met - the hardships they encounter and their positive outlook in life.
As such, it is the perfect opportunity for me to reflect back on the journey in today’s post. Much of what I have to say was already published in The Star last Saturday in my The Bangsar Boy column. In the article, I mention that I don’t know if it’s a life changing experience - it would be too naive I think to presume long term impact - but the sights I saw, and the stories I’ve heard, definitely make an impact in the way I view thing.
After all, images like bloated tummy’s from lack of food, a near-skeletal diabetes patient and a 10-year-old child lugging 20kgs of water to take care of her family do not disappear so easily from one’s mind. Truth be told, I still think about those people I visited everyday.
Join the 30-Hour Famine campaign if you want to help. Hinboune, one of the districts I visited, is among the many beneficiaries from this year’s campaign. Link on image above.
The last day of our trip started early as well - and with my kind of luck, history repeated itself. In my post about Michael Wong (Part 3), I mention that Lucent and I were late for dinner on the first night and how bad I felt for making everyone wait. Well, it happened again on the last day - we were a few minutes late for breakfast, as we couldn’t find our room keys.
Breakfast was nevertheless a jovial affair - some of us got Michael’s autograph (hey, I’m still a fan!) - and we were still reeling from the laughter and jokes shared the night before. It was an early breakfast as Michael had interviews with members of Laos’ media at 9am. I myself would have to head to the airport at 10.30am.
At breakfast, we had a final debriefing and a few of us shared our thoughts and experiences. It was obvious that everyone was touched by what they saw, although I was equally as moved by the humanity of those people on the trip - I think it reflects on everyone as an individual how well we got along for six days with each other 24/7, how everyone reacted and dealt with unfamiliar territories.
The whole crew (minus Yee Lee who had returned to KL) in our last shot together as a group.
With a hearty goodbye, I saw them all off on a tuk-tuk. They were heading to do some last minute shopping and sightseeing, while Soukanya had so kindly offered me a ride to the airport.
It was the end of our trip, but what a trip it was. I don’t wish that we could do it again - it wouldn’t be the same - but I sure hope that the bonds were created would bring us all together again many times over.
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Update: There are six parts to this travelogue.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
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9.58am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: guang liang, laos, michael wong, Star 2, StarMetro, The Bangsar Boy, The Star, world vision, Youth2
Laos Part 5: Long journey
Jun 24, 2008 Trips
I’m not sure how the others felt, but I for one was tired. The trip was going well - I had made some great new friends, had experiences I’ve never before encountered and seen things I never thought I ever would - but still the late nights and early mornings was starting to take it’s tool.
Still, I was getting a bit sad. The whole day, I wondered if today would be the last day I’d see everyone, as I would head to the airport earlier than the rest the next morning.
Also, this was the earliest we had to leave - 7.30am - as we wanted to be able to visit and leave the next village by noon so as to be able to get to Vientiane by dinner time. Yes, we had to brace ourselves for a seven-hour drive that evening.
Garlands and flowers awaited us.
The last place we visited was the Nakair Village located in the World Vision’s Phalanxai ADP area. WV was funding the construction of a new primary school to replace a really torn and tattered one. It wasn’t so heart-wrenching meeting the locals, who greeted us with garlands, flowers and later a Basi ceremony, because, like the village from Day 4, it was a little more “well-off” than those we visited the first two days.
I took this picture because I thought it was rather funny.
I was telling the rest that the chickens in Laos are very sexy.
We met many people from that village itself, like the elders, but also others such as construction workers (mostly people from nearby villages) and the school teachers themselves, who briefed us on what the education system was like in Laos and the villages. It was a long gathering - they had lots to tell us, and we had lots of questions as well. After all, this was our last chance to find out all we wanted to know about the people in rural Laos.
The new school being constructed will replace this delapidated one.
The conditions of the primary school currently in existence is rather sad. Walls made of leafs were torn and tattered, there was no proper lighting and there were holes in the ceiling. But some children who go to school there, had sportingly travelled from their own villages, to come and meet us. And they were indeed a cute bunch.
But the most significant sight was that of the new school being constructed. I felt like that was the most touching among everything I’ve seen because it was a sign of a better future for the children and people of Laos.
As there was not much interviews to be done there, I roamed around a bit, getting whatever else I needed from the World Vision crew and some footages for the video (which will be out tomorrow morning!). Everyone else also took the chance to take pictures as this was the last time during the trip we will see many of the WV crew from the provincial and district offices. Only Soukanya and Lee Bee were heading back to Vientiane with us.
The journey was long heading back, and everyone got some sleep, I think. By the time we arrived, we were rested (despite our journey being interrupted by hourly toilet breaks and the inccessant rain which kept starting and stopping every few minutes). The rain was a sign of things to come during the rest of my trip.
We went to eat at this place which had dim sum and duck noodles.
We had a nice dinner together - it was nice being in a “big” city again, and I think the experiences of the past few days had built a strong bond among us - where there was lots of jokes and laughter. This continued on to the Mekong Deck for late night drinks where we had to be asked to leave (well, they just abruptly switched off all the lights).
It was late by then, and our beds were beckoning. But for me, it was hard walking back to the hotel, knowing that this was our last night together.
Update: There are six parts to this travelogue.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
11.34pm Malaysian Time (+8 GMT)
Tags: guang liang, laos, michael wong, Owen Yap, Phalanxai, Savannakhet, Vientiane, world vision
Laos Day 4: Feet first into the paddy field
Jun 23, 2008 Trips
My roommate Lucent and I were early for breakfast, so we went down to take some shots.
My mum calls me a “fan tong”, translated is Cantonese for Rice Bin. It’s a reference to the fact that I can barely survive without rice. Although, in the context of these series of posts I’m blogging on, might not be the most appropriate of analogies.
Still, I have only even known how to eat rice (okay, fine, I can cook it too!).
So, on the fourth day of the trip, when we visited a paddy field, one of World Vision’s Increased Yield Crop programme areas, I took the opportunity to try it out.
But I’m getting ahead of myself here.
Laos’ 11: Yen Hau, Owen, Michael, me, Susan, Suat Peng, Wan Ting, Joanne, Lucent, Yee Lee and Sam.
This day was significant for many reasons. First of all, it would be the only day (other than dinner on Day 3 when Owen and Yen Hau arrived) that the entire Malaysian contigent (including Sam and Wan Ting) would be together. Yee Lee, a producer from 8TV, had to leave for Vientiane that afternoon, as she was flying out the next morning.
Then, it was also the day we explore Savannakhet and the areas we were set to visit were not in as dire conditions as the two villages from the previous days. World Vision has also been in these upcoming areas, some for several years, so the families we would meet would be more comfortable.
However, the road conditions were not any better (in fact, due to heavy rain the night before, it was quite bad) and, you guessed it, one of the four-wheel drive vehicles we were in got stuck. It was quite a sight - and an experience and we laughed it off. Until, it happened again as we left just as it started drizzling. Still, how often do you get experiences like this, huh?
But back to visiting a more “comfortable” village. It was an assumption that proved to be true. Midway through the Basi ceremony, a mobile phone started ringing - and it didn’t belong to any of us. It belonged to one of villagers. The village had reaped lots of benefits from WV programmes including clean water (a water sanitation system had been installed), proper communal toilets, animal bank (goats) and weaving.
Michael and Owen listening intently during the Basi ceremony.
Soukanya is in the purplish-pink top on the left.
We had visited the home of one of the first families to participate in the weaving project and saw a lady at work. Michael had a go at it, and learned pretty fast (or so claimed Soukanya, who was translating for us as usual). As we were leaving, a few of us purchased some of the cloth weaved by the lady (and many others later). I think we eventually bought them out but no one was complaining, it takes them an estimate full day to weave one cloth so each of us easily bought a week’s worth of work.
Then it was time to visit the paddy field. Obviously, Michael had a go at it, and Owen, being one of the 30-Hour Famine Angels, joined in as well. I, on the other hand, was busy talking to the World Vision staff member in charge of the project. I finished my interview as Owen and Michael were planting stems of paddy.
Perhaps sensing my eagerness to help, Susan asked if I wanted to join them. I didn’t hessitate. There was the fact that I’ve never tried it before, but I was also keen to help the villagers - most of us had previously taken a backseat to Michael, who tried of almost everything. So this was my opportunity.
I didn’t break my back, but it ached a bit as I was stopping over planting them into the muddy water. I know they are used to it, and do it on a daily basis, but I have newfound respect for these farmers who toil under the sun day in, day out.
Then it was back to Savannakhet for dinner before we took a walk around the town looking for fruits. We found it, and lo and behold, they sold durians - Michael’s favourite!
It was quite a “party” that night (not really, but since Sam’s room and ours were adjoining, we had lots of traffic). By this time, I think we had already grown really comfortable with each other, and I can’t speak for the rest, but personally, I was sensing that “the end” was near, and wasn’t looking forward to it.
Update: There are six parts to this travelogue.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
11.57pm Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: 8TV, guang liang, Improved Yield Crop, laos, michael wong, Owen Yap, Savannakhet, world vision
Laos Part 3: Michael Wong (Wang Guangliang), Dala Malaysia
Jun 22, 2008 Trips
It was another early start but everyone was up bright and early. Owen and Yen Hau from Sin Chew had joined us the night before. We were checking out of the hotel today, to head down south towards Savannakhet, the second biggest province in Laos.
Before that, however, there was another village to visit, another family to meet. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and raring to go, not least Michael Wong (Guang Liang) who you could tell was quite affected by our visit the day before.
Lucent from 8TV getting some footage while we got ready to leave the hotel.
This post will be dedicated to him, the dala Malaysia (in Lao language - Malaysian superstar). He would be referred as dala several times during the trip, but it was on this third day that I first heard it being used. Of course, we gave him a lot of flak for it, but Michael appeared quite uncomfortable with the term.
This would reflect Michael’s character throughout the trip. He came across as modest and very likable. I’m not only saying this as a fan (interesting enough, his song Yue Ding was the first ever Chinese song I know, one that I had learnt last year when I was trying to supplement my Mandarin lessons) but his humility really shone through.
Right from the moment he stepped into the arrival hall on the first day, I had this impression. Of course, the first day for me was a blur due to being starstruck. He was very obliging to fans asking for autographs, despite the fact that he had been traveling for several hours and had an early start to the day. He pushed his own trolley and when the drivers were loading bags into the vehicles, Michael assisted them.
Some of the many smiley faces that greeted us every where we went.
But what would be the defining moment for me, was on the first day when we arrived at our hotel. We were given about 20 minutes to freshen up before dinner and my roommate for the trip Lucent and I decided to take a quick shower. Naturally, we were late and as we walked down the steps, I saw everyone standing there - Michael included - still in the same clothes they were wearing earlier. No one had showered, they had just dropped their bags and came downstairs. I felt very embarrassed to have made everyone wait, what more a famous personality who obviously (and Joanne would love this) wasn’t as vain as I was.
Then there was the incident on the second day, when we had to climb this wooden make-shift ladder to help us cross a fence. Michael had crossed first, but stayed on the the other side to help some of us cross. Except that I must have mis-stepped and I broke one of the steps, and fell through the ladder. I didn’t hurt myself much, thank goodness, but I felt pretty bad for damaging it but Michael just laughed it off with me, and I felt better.
Throughout the trip, Michael would show his various characteristics except that it didn’t seem like he was trying. He was as genuine as it gets. From his lame jokes (yup, he had tons of those) to his being helpful (he once rushed out of a car to help Soukanya and Lee Bee who were carrying boxes of mineral water), he is a very down-to-earth person.
I remember he told me on the third day: “I’m not like what everyone thinks you know.” And I had to be honest, I had little idea on what the public thought of him as I can’t read Chinese and as such, have not been privy to any gossip surrounding him. Later that day, I sat down with him for an interview and I asked him what he meant by that, and he told me that there is an impression that he is like the characters in his music videos - sentimental and almost perfect, saying and doing the right things.
“But I’m just a normal human being like you, you know?”
With Aour, learning to mine for lead.
Well, at least one with a big heart. At the village we visited, you could see him compassion for Aour and her family. The way he speaks to then, even through a translator, was with the utmost respect, and not pity. He was genuine in wanting to know how their lives are, and what problems they faced, and he really wanted to help.
The village kids were fascinated with our visit, and would sit by the side observing our actions.
At the end of the visit, again, he spent some time with the kids in the village, playing games with them after presenting them with gifts. The looks on the face of the kids said everything - those gifts had brought lots of joy into their lives. But it was also Michael’s warmth.
I hope I don’t come across as gushing, because that is not my intention. Michael really has a heart of gold, and this I think is reflected in the people who work with him and are his friends, like Sam, Suat Ping and Wan Ting, who together, company I enjoyed tremendously.
Michael, Sam, Joanne and Lee Bee showing off the strings from yet another Basi ceremony.
That evening, as we drove towards our new hotel (yes, it was another few hour drive), we came across a beautiful rainbow. And then we noticed there was another one right by it. I don’t know how much I believe these things, but it was Day 3 and everything was still fine. I had reservations before leaving for Laos, knowing so little about the country. But the rainbows seemed to be telling me that everything would be okay.
If you look hard enough, you’ll see another rainbow arching out from the top of the tree on the right.
Update: There are six parts to this travelogue.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
9.28am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: 8TV, guang liang, Guangliang, laos, michael wong, Owen Yap, Sam Kung, Savannakhet, Sheng Min, Wang Guangliang, world vision
Laos Part 2: Different lives
Jun 19, 2008 Trips
It was an early morning, but everyone seemed raring to go but I was not quite sure what to expect. After all, besides some information on the couple of families we would be meeting, all I knew was that we were visiting a World Vision seed area - which basically means that they have identified the area and are working on preliminary plans but have not actually started work in the area.
The ride was long, and the four vehicles headed down south. Midway through, however, we stopped by to meet the Governor of the district, as is customary. I’m sure lots of things got lost in translation (although Soukanya did a brilliant job trying to help us understand!) but it was generally ceremonial.
What was most significant, however, was that I was (politely) told off for wearing my cap in the Governor’s building - a sign of disrespect. None was intended.
The journey from there towards the first village was bumpy, to say the least. It would be a sign of road conditions to come, although at that particular point - almost three hours of dirt road - I didn’t imagine it could get any worse.
Thank goodness we didn’t get stuck … on the first day, that is.
Still, we were fortunate to have four-wheel drives. The Governor had earlier mentioned that some villages were totally blocked out during the rainy season. It is actually rainy season in Laos at the moment although the skies were merciful to us. It stopped being so understanding when everyone left - I had extended my trip by a few days and it rained quite a bit.
I won’t write too much about the conditions of the villages, or the people I’ve met. I have, after all, got to keep some material for my article to be published in Youth2 (next Wednesday in StarTwo). I am hoping that this series of posts about Laos will culminate on that day.
We met a lot of villagers that day but were directly introduced to two families. One was Mr Tee’s - he has nine children, one of whom was born just a day before we arrived, and another given away because he could not afford to maintain so many children. The other was that of Mrs Chok’s, who lives in the village with her two daughters, one of whom, like her, has an eye condition that would probably not heal as they cannot afford medical care.
(Left) Pam and Joy, two children of Mr Tee’s. (Right) Torp, who can only see using one eye.
At the village, too, we were introduced to the Basi ceremony for the first time. It was quite spectacular, if you ask me, although the villagers (through Soukanya), kept mentioning that this was only a simple ceremony but all they can offer us as a welcome and gratitude.
I missed most of the ceremony as I was filming at Mr Tee’s house (yes, also available on The Star Online from Wednesday) but when the few of us showed up, we were greeted by the village elders who, while mumbling under their breath what I can only imagine are well wishes, tied bunches of white strings around our wrist. I looked around and noticed that Michael and Susan, who were “leading” our delegation had the most number of strings.
Michael (right), Susan (second from right) together with the rest of the village elders,
during the Basi ceremony.
Over the course of the next few days, we would participate in four Basi ceremonies and I finally got to experience what it was like. It starts off with a speech by the village leader. Then everyone was invited to touch the bottom of this large plate consisting of some food, fruits and flower-arrangement looking thing (to which many bunches of white strings were hanging off) while the elders chanted.
Those of us who couldn’t make it to the front just needed to touch the elbow of someone in front of us (or just any part of the body alternatively) as the well wishes would flow through our bodies. It was the most interesting concept.
It was evening by the time we left, after spending about an hour playing with the kids in the school. Most of us took a backseat as Michael, handed out gifts (he had brought the kids school bags, stationeries and a brand new blackboard!) and played a game of Monkey using new footballs and volleyballs he had donated as well.
Playing with the new toys Michael donated.
We were mostly silent when we left, at least the car I was in with Joanne and Lee Bee, partially because we were tired and also because we were contemplative about what we had just seen. Or maybe it was just me.
But it was too early to react. This was only our second day.
Update: There are six parts to this travelogue. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
10.10am Laos Time (+7 GMT)
Tags: guang liang, Khammouane, laos, michael wong, world vision
