I Seek and I Find...Burning Lao!

Yesterday was a rather extraordinary day. It landed me at the Lao version of Burning Man, locally known simply as, the "Boon" (as in a haughty British man saying 'Burn').

The day after Cave tells me that if I keep seeking I will find - even if I don't know what I'm seeking - I decide to go seeking. What for I have no idea.

Well, I do know it's International Women's Day, and I've heard there are lots of parties. I rent a ridiculous pink Chinese girls bike for a buck 80 and ride 2 miles to the local market. It's pretty dead.

When I go pay the nice man who minded my bike his 23 cents, he says, "Nam", which means river, and sort of wiggles his hips and smiles.

OH God, not another man proposi - OH, wait. I think he means there's a party at the 'Nam'!

Me: Party the Nam?
Him: Smile and nod.
Me: Where?
Him: Smile and nod.
Me: There?
Him: Smile and nod.
Me: 2 kilometers.
Him: Smile and nod.

I take off pedaling on my small, one gear, Chinese girls bike toward the great Nam. Soon I believe I am lost. I consult my Lao phrase book to find the words 'women', 'international' or 'day'. 1 for 3. No dice.

I do find the word for festival. It's pronounced, more or less, Boon.

I spot a very cute Lao girl and ask, 'Boon'?

She's like, 'No. Boon in December.'

I'm like, 'No. Boon in March!'

She's like, 'No. Boon in December.'

I'm like, 'Want a ride on the back of my girl's bike?'

She's line, 'No.'

I turn around and head back toward the Nam. I start seeing lots of young people heading somewhere in motorbikes. I follow. I'm not really thinking about whether I'll get there, I'm just pedaling, furiously.

The pavement turns into a bumpy, hilly dirt road. It fills with more and more motorbikes.

'Boon?!' I ask.

And people actually start pointing - in the direction I'm heading! Plus they smile, because I'm riding a pink Chinese girls bike I think, as they speed past on their Hondas and Yamahas and Suzukis.

2 miles down the road I stop at a restaurant. 3 of the owners are enjoying lunch.

Me: 'Sa bye dee! Boon?'

Them: Expressions I take to mean, hey you, we have no idea what you're talking about, stop saying Boon and have some of this whiskey and shellfish with us.

OK, I do.

I pedal on. The road grows increasingly worse, and hilly, and crowded with motorbikes and not tuk tuks and flatbed trucks carrying 10, 12 people and giant cases of Beer Lao. I think I'm on to something.

I keep pedaling. It's been 4 miles. I must reach the 'Boon'!

I ride on. It is super hot. I am sweating profusely. I don't know how far it is or where I'm really even going.

And then suddenly, there, in front of me, is the beautiful Nam Ou river, and tents and parked motorbikes and at least 1,000 people. I have arrived, at Burning Lao!

I am so excited. And so dirty, and wet with sweat. I lock my Chinese girls bike to a tree and walk into the 'Boon'!

Immediately I buy water and a sweet treat at Center Camp. All around people are camped by the river, eating, drinking and singing.

I walk around sort of dazed. Holy shit, I'm at Burning Lao!

People smile at me was I walk by. 'Hey, get a look of the tall freak with the shaved head and Thai pants. God don't they have jeans in his country?!'

I wade through a very large puddle and past Lao people galore. Suddenly, I come upon, my god...2 Americans! They are with a very sweet Lao guy named Gai (pronounced Guy, which means chicken in Lao, and I say so, and he says so).

Of course we become instant friends. Its sort of the rules in those circumstances. We are the only 3 white people there. Fuck probably the only 3 people who weren't born within 25 miles of the place. (I have yet to meet one Lao person who has been outside of Lao).

Immediately they serve me grilled river fish, rice and salad. OMG I was so hungry after riding old 1-gear 5 miles up and down that dirt road.

We are surrounded by people. The women are clearly in charge, at least on this day. They are drinking like fish, putting me to shame, to shame, and even putting their men to shame.

I head over to the dance area. Glitch Mob is spinning and Ana Sia is about to jump on for a guest set. Sweet!

Why doesn't Ana Sia just officially join the Glitch Mob, I wonder? And why doesn't she ever smile?

No really, I think, I am at an 8th grade dance. People in South East Asia, most of them anyway, are super shy dancers. And the music is way cheesy pop.

I walk up to the crowd. I am immediately pulled in by a man who thrusts me in front of a woman who seems quite happy to be dancing with me.

Other people surrounded me. We are all very happy.

As soon as a song ends, people run off the dance floor like rats fleeing a flood. They are so shy!


So I run along too, and a college student pulls me over to her table, where I sit next to some guy who gives me beer. And more beer.

Ya'll know I don't really drink. But I did, and that, with the heat, well, it did enough.

The music starts again. I get the 'let's dance' look from the girl. We do. She tells me to buy her a beer. I say I have no money on me. Which is true! God this feels awkward. She seems momentarily disappointed, but quickly brushes it off. I dance with her, and other girls, and guys, and lots of people.

I head back to our camp. I take off most of my clothes and swim in the river and do my best to fend off all the beer these bad ass cuties are offering me.

So, some similarities between our Burning Man and Burning Lao:
* People camp in big groups
* People share lots of food
* People drink a lot
* The ride home is dusty and gross

Unlike our Burning Man, theirs:
* Includes a river
* Is free

Unlike theirs, ours:
* Lasts 8 days
* Features sex, giant butterflies and lots more dancing

Other than that, it's basically the same thing. OK really it's not.

But it was awesome, a very real Lao experience.

And here's the strange thing. For some reason, for the past week here in Lao, when some kids would approach me and giggle and I'd pull out the old video camera and not understand one word they were saying, I'd inevitable say, "So who here has been to Burning Man?" And they'd smile and nod and I'd ask what camp they were at, how they liked it and all that.

And then, yesterday, I come across the 'Boon' of the season, at the Great Nam. Burning Lao. I wonder what their Decompression is like?!

Much love,
Roni

ps - No way I was going to ride my Chinese girls bike 5 miles home down that road. So I hopped into the back of a truck with a Lao family who strapped my bike to their roof and charged me 4 bucks for a lift into town. Rip off, but what the fuck.