Falangs in Luang Prabang

Falang: noun, 1: foreigner in South East Asia.  Etymology: falang is slang for "french."  Since France occupied much of SE Asia and were some of the first westerners in the region, "falang" is now the common word used to describe any westerner and/or tourist in SE Asia.

I'm a falang and I didn't even know it.  I've been in Asia since September and the first time a local called me "falang" to my face was in Laos.  Apparently, Laotians see this as a term of endearment, where I suspect other countries in SE Asia use it in more of a mocking manner.

Once edified, it didn't take long for me to make this word a regular part of my repertoire.  "Look at that drunk falang!" "The falangs are out in force today!"  When spotting a tour group: "Flock o' Falangs!"  New friend Richard dubbed the chanting of monks as "the call of the falang" because as soon as the unmistakable sound drifts through the streets, every camera carrying tourist in the area appears out of nowhere, drawn like a moth to the flame, looking for the perfect shot.  I even attempted to utilize it as a verb: "Let's go falanging at the night market."  But that didn't work out too well.  When adding the nationality to the end it might sound like an order at Starbucks: Falang Americano, Falang Swiss, French Falang, Falang Italiano.

One day at a cafe I overheard a falang discussing his love life with his buddy. "Yeah....she's pretty hot, but not as hot as I thought she was on the boat.  I mean, like, I could probably bag her if I wanted, but like...I don't really feel like making the effort, you know?  Maybe, like, I'll just blow her off for a while.  I mean, chicks really dig that, you know?  When you, like, don't talk to them and ignore them and shit?  They love that stuff."  He was talking EXTREMELY loud at this point, perhaps because he didn't think anyone could understand him.  Finally I turned around and just said, "seriously??"  He was pretty embarassed.  Falang Americano, of course.

Okay, enough with the falang...but I am in total shock it took so long for me to learn this word.

I read that Luang Prabang oozed with character as the streets are relatively in tact and represent a unique mix of French and Lao architecture.  It definitely delivered on my expectations. 

The main street in Luang Prabang

Stunning view of Luang Prabang from the top of Phu Si hill

The scenary is beautiful and you can hear the kids laughing and playing in the river

Looking out over the city

The city teems with temples and monks of all ages wander the streets in their bright orange robes and umbrellas to block the sun, giving the town quite a whimsical feel.  At 6AM every morning the locals (and some falang too) line up along the main road to give the monks "alms" which they collect in large bowls.  The alms consist of rice, fruit, crackers, cookies, etc.  We hauled our butts out of bed at 5:30 to witness this ritual.

It's dawn when the procession begins, which casts an eerie light and I loved seeing the locals lined up, bowing their heads to each monk as they placed their alms in the waiting bowl.  I'm absolutely amazed this timeless tradition takes place every day.

Barefoot monks receiving alms

Our friend Richard was out riding his bike one afternoon and wandered off the normal path out into the countryside.  He ran into a young man at a temple reading a book in English and asked him about it.  As it turns out, the kid aspired to be a tour guide and studied English at the local University but had never spoken to a falang before!  He also taught English to a group of kids and asked Richard to come teach a class or two.  We invited ourselves to tag along.

We only had two bikes for three people so Richard chauffered Betsy while she sat on a tiny wire seat on the back.  Cute!

The adorable kids with Richard and their usual teacher, who looks like a student himself!  He was very shy and wouldn't look at the camera....

As it turns out the teacher already had quite a life story at the tender age of 17.  Due to an accident, he became an orphan at the age of 10.  After a few years at an orphange he became a monk where he studied for 4 years.  This year he entered the University, lives in a dorm, works as a gardner to try and make ends meet and teaches kids to speak English 5 days a week.  What a guy!  Based on our brief conversation I'm pretty sure he's never been on the internet...he certainly doesn't have an email address.  I'm amazed at his fortitude and his accomplishments with no family and little resources.  We each gave him 50,000 kip (about $5) to help with his school and he seemed very grateful.  In a country where 75% of the population lives on less than $2 a day, it should help him out a bit.

The kids were absolutely charming and learned their new words of the day from Richard.  I then gave a brief overview of the US which the teacher translated for the kids.  They asked some cute questions.  What kind of animals do you have?  Do you have big animals in the sea?  What food do you eat? Where were you born?  I can honestly say I never expected to see the word "Albuquerque" written on a white board in Laos!  Kind of surreal.  Overall a wonderful day!

We spent the majority of our time in Laos in Luang Prabang and the bike ride to the little school room in the country side definitely whetted my appetite to see more.  The country remains relatively undeveloped with something like three major roads and 70% of all roads are unpaved.  I hope to make it back soon to explore further.  I can tell there is much to see and learn.

The night market in Luang Prabang, strategically placed between our hotel and the center of town, contained beautiful silk, artwork and paper umbrellas.

In front of our hotel...

I fell in love with this little pooch who barked at me if I wasn't paying her an appropriate amount of attention while eating my breakfast.

Nighty nite from Luang Prabang...