One Hello

One of the most interesting things about travelling is getting to know the place, and getting to know the people.  In my travels, I have met many friendly faces...smiling faces...and I feel bad not knowing how to say hello in their language. For me, trying to speak their language, at least the very basic words (like "hello") is one way of honoring their culture. 

But saying hello is not merely a greeting-- it can be slightly complicated in some places. For some cultures, how you say it depends on the gender, age, status in the society, religion or culture of the person you are talking to. 

So...how do we say hello...let me count (some of) the Asian ways.

In Bangladesh, you say Salaam Aleykum ( which means "Peace be unto you.") or Salaam (Peace) when greeting a Muslim. Namaskar is used when greeting Hindus. Touching is not common so when doing the greeting, you either fold your hands or touch the forehead (when greeting Salaam).

In Bangladeshi costume..during an event in Dhaka, Bangladesh

In Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country, the phrase As-Salam-u-Alaikum, is used. It means the same as Bangladesh' Salaam Aleykum. As-Salam-u-Alaikum is used when you are the first one to greet, but when you are responding to someone who greeted you first, you respond by saying Wa'alaikum Salaam ( "And upon you, peace"). There are also variations when greeting one male, one female, two people, multiple females and so on- but As-Salam-u-Alaikum will do in most situations.

Pakistan, with a Nepalese friend. 

Namaste is common way of greeting in the Indian subcontinent and this is used in India, and Nepal. Namaste means, "I bow to the divine in you" or "may our minds meet". When doing the namaste, the hands are put together infront of the heart,  with a very slight bow of head, to extend friendship, love, respect and humility. Namaste is used to greet someone older or an equal, but not someone younger.  Namaskar the more respectful form of namaste. 

Beautiful Nepalese village

The countries by the Mekong river, such as Cambodia, Laos and Thailand also put their hands together and slightly bows when greeting hello. Touching is considered rude, specially if you do not know each other.

The Cambodians do the sampaeh, or they place their hands together, with palms touching and bow their heads, when doing a formal greeting or if it is the first time to meet.  The formal greeting is "Choump reap sor".  An informal greeting does not involve doing the sampaeh and the phrase "Susaday"  is used. My Cambodian friend told me that where you put your sampaeh and how high or low you bow , depends on who you are talking to.  The lower the bow, the more respect you show.  Forehead level sampaeh is for the gods, eyebrow level is for monks and king, nose-level is for parents, older relatives and teachers, below the mouth-level is for bosses and older people,  chest level is for people of the same age and position.

Temples in Cambodia

In Laos, they also press their palms together to do the Nop. Similar to a sampaeh, the higher the nop, the greater the respect, except that the hands are never held above the nose level.  In a nop, the bow is slight and done together with a slight bend of the knees and a smile.  The nop is a deference to the "social order".  The person considered as socially inferior or younger is the first to nop.  When doing the nop for people of higher social standing and monks, the hands are held infront of the nose.  When doing the nop for people of equal social status, the hands are held at mouth level, or at chin level when addressing younger or people of "lower" social status.  The Laotian word for hello is Sabaidee or Sabaideebor which means  "Are you well?".

In one of the Laotian Buddhist temples

In Thailand, they do the wai, which is the same as the Laotian nop, along with the greeting "Sawatdi" or "Sawasdee".  "Sawatdi kha" is the more polite phrase to use when greeting a female while  "Sawatdi khrap"    is for greeting a male person. Sawatdi means all the good things like success, beauty, happiness and goodluck. 

Exploring the old capital city of Ayutthaya with a friend from Ecuador

The Philippines, unlike their Southeast Asian neighbors do not do the bow.  Filipinos greet "Kumusta ka?", which comes from Spain's "Como esta?".  One of the old practices is the mano, where  the younger ones presses  his or her forehead on the elder's hand to accept a blessing from the elder.  While doing the gesture, they say "Mano po" which means "Your hand please".  Mano is again another Spanish word, which means "hand". 

One of the old churches built during the Spanish time in the Philippines

In Indonesia "Apa Kabar" (How are you?) is used in informal situations.  In a more formal setting, "Selamat Pagi" (Good morning) is used if it is day time.  "Selamat Siang" or "Selamat Sore" is used if it is afternoon or night time, respectively. 

The gave me a welcome dance in Soe, Indonesia..nice people!!

In Timor Leste, owing to Portuguese legacy, greeting people, even strangers is common, using Portuguese greetings.  Bondia is used if it is morning, Boatardi is used after lunch and Boanoiti. Ola (Hello) is also used. Shaking hands likewise common or women kissing both cheeks, or air on both sides of the face.  

Market scene in Aileu district

In China, "Ni hao" is the Mandarin equivalent of an informal "hello".   "Nin hao", is the more formal form.  "Nimen hao" is for greeting a group of people. 

By the mother of all rivers in China, the Yellow River, with a Chinese friend.

Different phrases, different gestures.  One hello. One humanity.  

Oudomxay

From Vientiane, we travelled to Oudomxay, where our provincial office is. Oudomxay  is in the northern part of Laos,50 minutes plane-ride away from Vientiane.  We dropped by our office, which is just across the airport, for some introduction before we headed further north, to one of the districts.

Oudomxay has a beautiful, mountainous landscape, which I enjoyed during the more than 2 hours drive to the district.  On the way, there are huge plantations of bananas and watermelons, which, as shared by our staffs, are owned by Chinese corporations. Oudomxay is close to the Chinese border and in exchange for the roads built by the Chinese, they are allowed to operate these plantations in Oudomxay.That would explain the many Chinese trucks plying their highway, and the many Chinese drivers and pahinantes billeted in the hostels. 

Watermelon plantation

Typical house in the villages

Early morning scene in the village

House and the rice produce

We stopped at a local market along the highway to buy some food. I was shocked to see the many headless cats and rats being sold in that market!   Our Laotian colleague just laughed me off saying these are jungle cats and rats and can be eaten. (Say, what?! ..... Anyways, I temporarily became a vegetarian for the rest of my stay in Laos). 

Boiled bamboo shoots has become one of my favorite food in Laos

Rice cooked in bamboo "pan?" 

We stayed one day and one night in the district to do our review of the district office, then we traveled back to Oudomxay for a review of the provincial office. The review lasted for 3 days and there was hardly time to explore the place. Except on our last day.  Together with my Laotian colleague, Somsack, we went for a walk in the late afternoon. We climbed up for around 15 minutes to the Phouthad stupa. A standing Buddha statue, with right hand raised to ward off evil and calamities, awaits visitors at the top.   Sunset and the view of Oudomxay town at the top of the stupa, was a great way to end the trip. 

The Phoutad stupa

Standing buddha, at dusk

(P.S.  Hunting of jungle cats is now prohibited in Laos, because they are near extinction)

(P.S.2 Our colleagues shared that excessive use of chemicals in the plantations are damaging their soil so much so that they fear that when the foreigners leave, the next generation might not be able to plant anything in those areas)

The Wat Ho Phra Keo, the Visiting Monks and Selfies

The second wat or temple I have visited in Vientiane is the Wat Ho Phra Keo or Haw Phra Kaew. I have seen quite a number of Buddhist wats during my visit in Bangkok and Ayutthaya in Thailand, and in Cambodia. By now, they tend to look the same to me- which I think is more due to the fact that I lack knowledge of Buddhism ,which make me miss the details.

But what is special about the Wat Ho Phra Keow is that it was built in the 1500s to be the temple for the Laotian royals and it also housed the Emerald Buddha.   It is said that the Emerald Buddha was seized by the Thais when Siam raided Vientiane in 1700s.  The Emerald Buddha is now displayed in the temple in the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Now, visitors of Thailand always include a visit to the Emerald Buddha in their itineraries. What a loss to Vientiane! 

The congregation hall

A lady getting ready to welcome the visitors

The Ho Phra Keo is a small wat with a small beautiful garden. The temple is adorned with bronze Buddha statues.  The wood carvings are likewise impressive. The temple or the congregation hall is now a museum.  

Situated just across the Wat Sisaket and right beside the Palais Presidentiel, Wat Ho Phra Keo gets a lot of visitors. Among these visitors are several bus loads of monks which I chanced upon during my visit. It's interesting to see these men, wearing bright orange clad robes, all lined up to visit the temple. But what's more interesting is that most of them have their ipads with them, taking their selfies. Too bad I was not able to take a picture of their selfie moments because by then they were already giving me that warning look. 

The Wat Ho Phra Keo is is open everyday, and admission fee is 5,000 kip.  It is located along Setthathirath Road, beside the Palais Presidentiel and across the Wat Sisaket.

The Wat Sisaket and the Monks-To-Be

Situated across the Palais Presidentiel along Lan Xang and Setthathirat Road,the oldest Wat in Vientiane is easily filled up with guests. Bus loads of tourists alighted at Wat Sisaket during my visit in January 2015.

There is an entrance fee to the wat for 5,000 kip (if I remember correctly). Visitors are free to take pictures in the garden within the courtyard, but not inside the main temple or the ordination hall.

Tourists and tour guide on the way to the courtyard, after paying the admission fee

Wat Sisaket was built in the early 1800s. At the entrance is a garden, golden Buddha statues, and the drum tower. 

The cleaner, at the wat's garden

The golden Buddhas

The drum tower, with Nagas guarding its stairway

Upon entry in the courtyard, there is the temple or the ordination hall. Those who enter the temple must leave their shoes or slippers outside. The temple is surrounded by the courtyard galleries which house thousands of seated and standing Budhha statues, of all sizes and made of wood, silver, bronze and ceramics. 

The temple or the ordination hall in the middle of the courtyard

The courtyard galleries

Wat Sisaket is also a monastery. There were a number of novice monks roaming around - cleaning, pushing carts, preparing offerings, talking and laughing. Young as they are, I cannot help but wonder if a monastery is a good enough place for these young children to grow up?

The Patuxai, the Laotian version of France's Arc de Triompe

The Patuxai is another landmark in Vientiane. It was said that it was built from the cement donated by the United States after World War 2,  for them to build their airport.  They chose to build this monument, however.  

The Patuxai is a war monument built in memory of those who fought for their independence from France.  What I find ironic, however, is the striking similarity to France's Arc de Triompe. It is when you look at the details that you will see the Laotian designs.  The ceilings and the arches contain images of Hindu gods and mythical creatures such as the kinnaree (half human, half bird). 

The Patuxai has 4 gateways, facing the four directions.  Visitors can climb up to the view deck, for a 5,000 kip fee (or equivalent to 60 cents in US dollars). While climbing to the view deck, it is evident that the monument is a bit run down. Having many stall souvenir vendors inside also makes the place feel cramped and untidy.  

At the view deck, visitors will enjoy the view of the city.  It gives you a good view of the Palais Presidentiel.  Visitors may also hang out at the Patuxai Park, where there is a musical fountain. The park is free of charge.

The Patouxai is at the end of Lang Xang Avenue. It took me 10 minutes to walk from the palais to the monument.  Not bad at all.   

The Palais Presidentiel in Vientiane

Listed as one of the landmarks in Vientiane, the Palais Presidentiel is an imposing structure along Lane Xang street.  The Palais, built in 1973, is a huge, beautiful French building.
Monarchy in Laos has been banished in the early 70s, and therefore, no monarchy lives in the palais. It is now used for formal government ceremonies.



View from Lane Xang Street



I  wish it was possible to go inside or roam its garden, just like the beautiful palaces in Germany or in the United Kingdom.However, it is closed to the public.  When I passed by the palais, coming from the patouxai, there were government officials coming out of the palais ( complete with steady siren blasts to announce their presence and to clear the street so they can pass, unhampered, of course).  

 

 

 

 The palais is a stone's throw away from the Chao Anouvong monument and park, which is the best place to view and take photos of the palais, as the park is not as busy as the Lane Xang Street. .