Today was our last full day in Laos. Thanks to a lowkey sleep in until 8:00am, we had a fresh start to the day. Breakfast had a vast variety of delicious food including mini pancakes (our first in a very long time!), delicious mangos, watermelons, toast and eggs. As we left the hotel after a briefing of our day, we headed off. After a 45 minute bus drive, we arrived at what everyone knew would be a highlight of the day; the elephant camp. Tha Thao, the owner of the elephant sanctuary, gave us a talk on the elephants that he helped rescue from various instances of captivity and cruelty. All the elephants were females as the males were too aggressive to handle at such close range. The ride took roughly 30 minutes as we toured the park. After the joyous ride, we were amused by the baby elephant who was known for taking strolls into the nearby village and LITerally scaring its inhabitants. Whilst the other half of the group took their turn in riding the elephants, we were allowed to feed the newborn elephant who especially liked sugarcane. As we found out, like our hungry teenage selves, our new animal companion eats for up to 20 hours a day – something we looked up to. Even though everyone was laughing and smiling, we could see how it relates back to the original Laotian culture that we have embraced over the past few days, especially as the original name of Laos was the land of a million elephants, which unfortunately has declined over the years.
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at a traditional Laotian village, that would be safe to say touched everyone’s hearts. The harsh reality of a third-world county hit us as four year old attempted to sell us the source of income for their family which was handmade fabric for only one American dollar. Yen, our tour guide, told us that a young female was expected to be married at the age of 16. He also informed us that the 18 year old in front of us had three children already. After this experience we left with having a broader worldview, but also heavier hearts. We then headed back to the hotel to prepare for the great race.
Within the great race, we travelled around Luang Prebang by ourselves, allowing us to take in more of the cities wonders and many offerings. Even though there were lots of debatable smells the groups worked together and pursued the ultimate goal of understanding Laos through the beautiful many sights of Luang Prabang.
The dinner we ate was in a special room that permitted us to watch the dancing of the three tribes in Laos (highland, middle land and lowland tribes). We took part in a mini ceremony that was led by a fortune teller. We were given blessings in the form of white cotton wrist bands. Four of the males in our group including myself, were lucky enough to be included in a dance performed live while a delicious meal was served.
Overall, today was the one of the best days of the Big experience for us. 💯
– Nell B and Leon G
