International Womens Day...Laos style

My third day at Lao Pako nature preserve and things were moving as slow as possible...just the way I like it. My morning herbal sauna was over and I was wondering what to do. The sauna was amazing. I had to meander through a hot jungle to get to the sauna house. The small wood structure with a grass roof was on a gentle slope just above a stream for the refreshing dip afterward. Most people describe this part of Laos as a sauna and wonder why anyone would want to go from one sauna to a hotter one. I wondered that too as I stripped down and entered the steamy dark room. But I realized that day, that if one steps from the hottest fires of hell into the more reasonable fires of Laos, it makes Laos seem rather refreshing...which it isn't. From under the hut a pipe leads horizontally out to a small boiler sitting over two long logs that had their ends pushed into a fire. Its a great system. Someone puts eucalyptus leaves and other "herbs from the jungle" into the boiler and if the room cools down too much you just run out in all your sweaty nakedness and shove the logs farther into the flames and streak back in. It was plenty hot however as I stepped into the steamy abyss. The herbal smells and wood smoke mix with the hot wet air as I melted into a puddle of sweat. The smell was cooling and counteracted the heat which allows one to stay longer than is prudent. Not known for prudence, I hung out in there for a good 30 minutes before feeling the (by this time in my trip, normal-post-cycling) effects of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. The lightheadedness was kind of nice and for a dollar one of the cheapest highs in Laos. That and Beer Lao, but I've already discussed the magic of Beer Lao. And since I've decided to go back to beer abstinance (which as we'll see in a minute lasted all of three hours) I felt great. Stumbling into the cool stream I stared up at the leaf speckled sky and smiled at how perfect this moment was. The dizziness wasn't clearing after I took 3 or 4 more trips to the steam room and started to wonder about the "jungle herbs" that were in the steaming pot above the fire. Back at the resort however my mind cleared after 2 liters of water. It was then, in my paralytic state, that I realized that Phut was talking to me. It was 90 degrees by now and it took me a minute to formulate an answer to his question. He just stood there waiting for my answer. Either he sees a lot of really drugged out tourists or, like everyone else in Laos, is so mellow that waiting 20 seconds for a reply is not abnormal.
"What party?" I asked. "You know, I told you yesterday my village is celebrate international womens day". Leaving the shaded, open deck/reception area and cycling in the blazing midday heat didn't sound really fun after a dehydration high. But how often does one get invited to a Laoatian villiage party? (As it turns out...all the time but how was I to know?) "Of course I'm going" I said, and thought, 'as soon as my legs lose that gelatenous feeling.'
I set out at about 1:00pm instantly remembering it was the hottest part of the day. In the clear cut jungle area I was surrounded by the pleasing and mystical sounds of wooden cowbells. The sound was all around and weird since I could only see an occasional emaciated cow in the scrub. I always think of percussion instruments as each bell has its own tone. With dozens of them tinkling invisibly and no other sounds and nothing around for miles it was my own private concert and I stood in the shadeless road smiling once again at Laos. It was the sweat pouring down my asscrack that pulled me from my reverie and I rode on to the small village. The booming subwoofers told me I was close. When I got to the school field there were maybe 150 people sitting outside under the trees. Plastic benches and stools were set up in front of a wall of massive speakers as a guy with a microphone in his hand was shouting excitedly into it. Being the only white guy in the crowd I felt a little uncomfortable realizing that this was their party and I was crashing it. Even though I had been invited, my host was back at the "resort". Just blend in I laughed to myself as I leaned my bike up against the fence. I haven't really bothered locking my bike these days as I have had no reason to. Back at home I would have put the chain through both wheels and found something strong to lock it to. Here in Laos it feels way safer than my own country. Maybe its just because they are all so wealthy I shrugged and went off into the crowd. The musicians had taken over the mic and were blaring some nice sounding Laos pop which has a swinging little reggae beat and great lyrics. Actually they were singing in Laoation which pissed me off but didn't seem to bother anyone else. People were staring at me while I was leaning up against a tree trying to be as inconspicuous as possible but the looks were not hostile at all. A handsome young guy in a starched shirt came up to me and invited me over to his table of friends. I told him I'd be right over and made a detour to the beer stand. There were 3 tables set up for concessions. One for chips and sunflower seeds, the other for meat stick snacks and the biggest by far was the Beer Laos stand. Grabbing three large bottles of beer I headed back to the group of friends who had cleared a spot for me. They were all well dressed and looked fresh whereas I had on a sweaty dirty T-shirt and some natty shorts. They didn't seem to care as their gaze was fixed on the beer. I was a hit as I opened them up and passed them out. But even though they were pleased, no one grabbed a bottle but just kept them together in the middle of the table. Then I realized that there were no cups and started looking around for some. The last pot luck I attended at home someone always brings the cups and plates...its an unspoken expectation and they always show up. Then at the end of the party we always gather up the trash bag and throw away 5 pounds of plastic. No such waste here! Someone stood by my side and poured me a half cup of beer and waited. I took a sip and continued the tortured conversation of where I lived etc. The guy pouring beer was still at my side and my young friend said "You must finish your beer". I thought it was some sort of macho thing about not sipping beer so I downed the rest. The guy pouring looked relieved and grabbed my cup, refilled it and gave it to someone else. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! I don't know how many of us shared that cup that day but I was there for 3 hours and it was going strong when I left. I was at the table of college students who were visiting the village for 4 months teaching English to the local kids. They all wanted to speak English so I had the same conversations over and over until one woman asked me if I wanted to dance. The music was too loud in front of the speaker wall and that's just where everyone was. The Laos dance, as a generalization of course, like they live...very relaxed and slowly. Kind of like a reggae sway...you find that groove and hang with it. Everyone in the crowd with the same move and all smiling and laughing and loving the afternoon. Everyone includes the cool teen-agers, the married couples, the old ladies dancing together and a few drunk old men dancing alone. I was surprised to see that everyone was drunk as well. The Beer Loas was flowing hard but I was a bit shocked to see one 60-ish year old woman pouring beer down the throat of another older woman. As the beer soaked the front of her shirt they both just laughed and supported each other with a free arm. It was International Womens Day after all and these girls were milking every minute of it and having a blast. After many, many half cups of beer later and dance after dance with half the village, I had an experience I've never had before and gave me just one more reason to love this country. While dancing and looking out over the crowd I realized I was looking out over the crowd! Being 5'7" on a dance floor usually allows me the view of armpits and bouncing breasts...OK so not all bad but still a bit claustrophobic. Here the tops of heads were swaying and I could see to the horizon which was also swaying! It was time for me to go back to the lodge and drink something other than Beer Laos. I had to extricate myself from the party and especially from one guy who wanted me to sleep at his house all night...but not really sleep. The bike swayed a bit as I rode out of town they all waved and smiled and shouted goodbye.
The women here in Laos got one day off this year from cooking and sweeping and toiling and harvesting and slaving away. They took that day and, here in this village, played just as hard as they work. Unbridled joy in a crowd is a rare thing to see...it's a memory that I hope stays with me for a long time.