same same
Luang Prabang, Laos
Even if they don’t speak English, there is one phrase that everyone here uses:
same sameIn case you don’t notice it (and honestly, you cannot miss it if you’re here for a few hours), you can buy it emblazoned on a t-shirt from every other stall at the night market. *same same*
Then there’s the variation: same same but different
And it sums up our experience here quite nicely, same same but different.
The kids are sharing two rooms – same same – but only four mattresses – different.
We’re eating the same thing for breakfast each morning – same same – but instead of porridge and fruit, it’s sticky rice and bananas – different.
We hang our washing out on clotheshorses – same same – but we wash it in a bucket beside a communal hose – different.
The temperature is just like New Zealand summer (16*C in the morning, then up to 26 in the afternoon) – same same (OK, so a bit hotter here, and not humid, so much more pleasant) – but it’s actually winter – different.
We are staying up an alley (not too dissimilar to our right-of-way in NZ) – same same – but everyone from six houses takes turns using the one concrete table in between the houses for eating at – definitely different.
We are cooking for ourselves again – same same – but over a wood fire – different.
We have a flush toilet – same same – but have to throw the toilet paper in a rubbish bin – different. Gross as this sounds at first , you get used to this practice. And the toilet paper is different too!!!!! Think scratchy and grey, and specially engineered to lose all cohesive properties at the slightest bit of moisture. Hmmm. Use with caution.
Most families in town have wheels – same same – but usually only two – different. And they push those motorbikes into their houses at night – well and truly different.
Then some things are just DIFFERENT.
The stairs are steeper – actually they would be more accurately called ladders. All part of the need to be ultra-efficient in use of floor space! You can get a flight of stairs to only take up about 2 1/2 square metres, and that’s with a stud height of 3 metres!
Shoes are slipped off before going inside.
Roosters crow everywhere (grrr!)
99% of cats look close to death (ok, so that doesn’t really bother me, sorry all cat-lovers – and look here – look what we just found in the market – definitely more than 99% dead!:
Oh yes, there’s a food market and night market, but no supermarket.
There are lots of orange-robed monks, who are held in high respect.
We’ve only seen one stop sign and no traffic lights. Not one.
You can’t drink the water, but you can eat bat or guinea-pig.
Instead of dairies on every corner there are Vats (aka Wats or temples)
There’s no grass, but lots of dust.
They drive on the wrong right side of the road. That makes avoiding tuktuks and motorcycles even more tricky when you forget which way to look and have three littlies hanging off you!
It is rude to point your feet at anyone or to step over anyone… but appears perfectly acceptable to stare non-stop while the white foreigners eat their meal! We have got used to that, almost.
It is totally unacceptable for any public displays of affection between adults, but fine to absolutely smother young children, hug them tightly, kiss them, speak right in their faces, pick them up and pretend to take them away (what four-year-old gets that?)
There’s a midnight curfew for tourists.
Market prices are cheaper in the morning than the afternoon.
All the females here have long hair – all of them.
A lot of people have serious phlegm issues 😉
Friday 28th started out a same same day.
cooked rice over fire * went to market * did washing * revised memory verses and had family singing time * Rob took older kids to Big Brother Mouse * I took little ones for a walk to check out transport costs for the next leg * chatted with neighbours * blogged * collected laundry * bought more rice * tried unsuccessfully to get internet connection * sent a couple of kids back to Big Brother to work some more * sat outside with neighbours * cooked more rice for dinner * same same
then suddenly it was different
Kgirl9 had bought a bag at the night market two days ago and the zip broke today so we took it back. In spite of my oft-repeated, “It’s broken, no good” and insisting that it was *same same* as the other ones in his stall, the man would not budge. We returned home dejected, but the lady who lives downstairs (and who had taught us how to say “it’s broken” on our way out!) marched back with us, determined to see justice done. She ended up winning, but not without a scene, including two bags being thrown angrily on the ground.
She then said we should accompany her to see some Lao music. Feeling too thankful for her help to want to refuse her invitation, I sent the two kids on with her and raced home to tell Rob. On the way back towards the music spot I heard her calling from a tuktuk – there were no kids in sight! They were rather nervously waiting at the festival, uncertain whether they should have gone in a tuktuk with her or not and whether they should then have got out of it while she drove off again! With relief on their faces at seeing me, they were then able to enjoy the sights. We hadn’t known if we were going back to her place to listen to a CD or to a hall with a band or quite what when she had invited us. It turned out to be a huge field with a big stage and three screens. Around the outside of the crowd were carnival-type games – throw a bucket over a Pepsi bottle and you win the drink, pop three balloons with darts and you win a beer (Jboy12 got one for her husband), knock over tin cans with a ball and you win something else. Plus there were a whole lot of variations on a gambling theme. Balloons were constantly popping and cheers going up all over the place – people were getting right into this simple entertainment.
Surrounding all that was the amazing (to us) bit – maybe one hundred metres of motorbikes at least ten deep……then there were all the bikes and tuktuks up on the street….and lots more bikes mingling with the crowd. We had never seen so many motorbikes in one place. The music was interesting, but the motorbikes were phenomenal. There were Just. So. Many.
same same day turned different
Tags: children, learning, postcard: Laos, tradition
rayres
Oooh, the music confusion must have been a bit scary! How common is cat for dinner? They don’t look very filling.
I won’t be showing these photos to Daisy;-)
We have ended up not really having internet time to respond to each comment, but I’m still chuckling at the Daisy comment five minutes later! Daisy, you are in our thoughts. Love Da Bearsxx
Oh, Fiona – not sure how filling they are – possibly more so than the crickets K11 ate today!
ps we don’t love cats but we couldn’t quite bring ourselves to knowingly eat one – not yet anyway
youd be surprised maybe but re the temperature it has been HOT here and were celebrating the 1st day of summer 🙂
opps my stomach has just flipped – i use to have guinea pigs when i was a child the thought of eating them grosses me out
note breify you said 26 degrees