Just a Little More Time: The Christmas Spirit in Northwestern Laos

Happy Holidays!

I hope this finds you enjoying the holiday season with family and friends! I am sorry this Holiday email didn't make it out in time for Christmas. I have been very fortunate to have received so many wonderful emails from all of you that I decided to take a break in Laos for a couple of days so I could clean out my inbox (which I wasn't able to do so if you are still waiting... I haven't forgotten about you!)... but I wasn't able to get to the holiday email before we headed of to more remote regions.

I hope that everyone had a very safe and relaxing holiday season... and that you have a very safe and exciting New Years! You were all in my thoughts as we celebrated the holidays in Northwestern Laos near the borders of Thailand, China, and Myanmar. On Christmas Eve we woke-up early and admired the beautiful ethnic clothing of tribal woman at the local market before strolling through a Buddhist temple where instead of listening to Christmas Carols we enjoyed the chanting of monks.

In the afternoon, we rented bikes in hopes of pedaling through the countryside and visiting various small villages but within the first 2km I blew out my back tire (now the moms can stop saying that I have lost too much weight ;) ). Since we had to walk our bikes all the way back we decided to make the journey a bit more interesting by collecting local flowers that we used to make our own Laos mistletoe (pic attached).

In the evening, after a great conversation about what we are grateful for and those who are in our thoughts at home and around the world, Jason opened our only Christmas gift wrapped in colored bags from the market: 4 of our used water bottles (it disgusts us to think of how many bottles we have used over the past 8 months but after our water purifier broke in India we have no other options... though we have tried a few... but that's a longer story), 4 permeate markets, and 4 candles which we used to create our own Christmas candles (pic attached). Our holiday consumption totaled 4,000Kip or just under $0.40. Which is a feat I will probably never again be able to match. In a way, it really made the season much more meaningful for us than giving and receiving a lot of gifts from each other. It was nice to be able to share the day together and not get so wrapped-up in "finding the perfect gift" which, in the end, we know neither of us need anyways (and this feeling has only been magnified throughout our travels).... so what did you all get for Christmas ;).

On Christmas Day we woke-up early to start our series of bus/truck/van rides into China. It has been nice to experience a new culture and see new architecture since Laos and Thailand were so similar to each other in these aspects. Today we went to a temple that was destroyed over the course of the last 900 years from natural disasters, war, and the cultural revolution. It was a really bazaar experience. The site was re-built in the mid-1990's as a full scale tourist attraction (it cost us $15 each to get in... which is more than we paid for all of our tourists sites in Laos combined - literally)... cement terraces, picnic tables, a golf course, and nic-nacs galore (black-belt Buddha figurines, florescent Buddha clocks, etc)... inside the temples. Even though the site is re-done beautifully, after experiencing such spiritual devotion at Buddhist temples in Thailand and India and becoming really fond of the atmosphere there, visiting this "temple turned theme park" was quite a shock. I don't know how many $30 tourist attractions will be in our budget!

A couple of days ago we ran into our first counterfeit Chinese note. We were in the process of buying mittens and long underwear to make the next two months in China bearable (I've spent this time of year in China before so I know what it will be like and as one person we ran into put it... the weather this time of year shouldn't be a problem... if you are from Canada or Russia... I think MN is close enough but I worry about Jason ;) ). Anyways, when we went to check out our change should have been 4 rmb but the woman asked (or motioned... no English) if we had another 6 rmb so she could give us a 10 note... we obliged. She set the note on the counter and immediately after touching it I knew it was a counterfeit so we held it up to the light and compared it to another 10 note we had. We told her we wouldn't take the bill and ultimately didn't give us a real bill until I started to take our purchases out of the bag to tell her that we weren't going to buy anything then... it changed her mind pretty fast! It is unfortunate that they were given a fake bill but we were glad to know it is easy to distinguish between the real and the fake ones.

It reminds me of a story from the last time I was in China with my family and Ben visiting Jeff and Patty and family (relatives). One way or another my dad was given a fake note from someone (makes me wonder if they like pawning fake bills off on tourists). After Jeff pointed out that the note was a fake we thought we were stuck with it... until my dad came up with a brilliant idea... give it as a tip! As he proudly said after the fact when asked what he did with it, "Our guide thought he did a real good job!" Oh I love it!

So any grand New Years resolutions or wisdom gained over the last year you would like to share? I am sure my reflections from the last year of my life will stretch out for years to come but one thing I have learned is to be happy with where I am at... you know the whole "the grass is greener on the other side". Some days I find myself dwelling on being home again... with all of you; living in a permeate home and actually having some responsibilities... instead of fully enjoying where I am at, but then I remember what I thought about while I was in school studying and what I wanted to be doing instead of working in CO... never what I was doing that's for sure! So my New Years resolution is to not take for granted the beauty and potential that each day brings, to enjoy everyday to its fullest no matter where I am at in my life.

I hope you have a great holiday and happy new year! Even if it takes me a while to get back to you I love the pictures you send (maybe some holiday ones??), as well as all of your updates and stories. I read every one of them and sincerely look forward to writing you back.

As Jason said in his holiday email "Thanks for everything in 2006 and I can't wait to catch up in 2007!"

Much love to you all,

Michele