Dam Beautiful!

Was invited with the diplomatic class (the students are future diplomats) to visit Nam Teung Dam last weekend, in Kammoune Province,
the central part of Laos.

The journey there was long (6 hours!) and tedious enough for me to star in Brokeback Mountain Part 2.
Suffice to say that the seat in the van was just too small for my leggy and sexy stilts.

But the view of the rolling hills, the lush green plains of padi fields, the wooden huts that lined the roads and the occasional cattle that dotted the landscape, gently grazing, with nary a care in the world.
All these more than made up the discomfort.

I have a soft spot for mountains and vast green plains.
It was so exhilarating that I could almost jump for joy!

What was disconcerting was the toilet time.
In the middle of nowhere, a colleague (lady, no less), would say, I need to relieve myself,
and the van would stop.
Everybody would disembark, find a spot in the bushes,
finish their business and presto! Back on the road again.

I have experienced this before in Myanmar and Cambodia and Laos during other periods of time. But when its somebody you know, well, kinda weird, especially if the people also happened to have served as diplomats in South Korea, France and other countries.
Contributing to nature, they say!

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Finally fell into an uneasy sleep and I dreamt of something knocking my head,
like a huge woodpecker boring at my head.
Only the woodpecker is really a metalpecker, cos its beak was made of metal.
Woke up to realise that my head was bumping into the railing of the seat in front of me.
I looked like I had gotten in a fight with two ogres and was hit till my head was swollen like a melon!
Hahaha…
Funny but painful lah.
Luckily the view was just plain breaktaking.
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Nam Teung Dam 2 was such a major project as it was to be the mother of all dams. Not that it was the first dam, nor the biggest. But that it incorporated environmental concerns, welfare of the people the dam displaces as well as economics- 70 percent of the dam will be produced for Thailand consumption via the many cable lines.

Water from the dam will be cleaned and used for irrigation.

In addition, it is a massive project involving a French company, a Thai company and the Laos government, employing some 6000 Laotians.

The success of it will serve as a model for many dams to come, not just in Laos but also in other countries.

And the President of Laos visited it at 9am in the morning! We visited at 4pm in the afternoon. Some dignitaries indeed!
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One of the highlights must be the visit to the relocation villages that the company set up for the villagers whose lives are affected by the flooding of the dam.

The village was set in a picturesque setting amidst a range of mountains, with the flooded plains now forming a lake. In front was the small plantations of maize and padi and in the distant, the low looming clouds. As it was some 400 metres above the dam, it was really cool and windy, almost surreal.

The tranquility broken by an occasional laughter from the little children running around. Oh… It was just like a postcard picture of the a resort. I could probably stay here for a long while.. Riddance to modern comforts!

Saw a rainbow too!
Great omen!
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That night, we crashed at the resort like bungalows owned by the French company. Had dinner there hosted by the president of the company.

Super cool in both temperature and setting. The thermometer showed 18 degrees! Fell zzz amidst the cries of the crickets and whirling fan.
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As it was dark when we reached the bungalow, I couldnt see the surroundings.

Got a pleasant surprise in the morning when I saw that to the front was a vast plain of greens and to the far north, mountains and clouds.
Lovely.

Except that barely 100m from the bungalows,
there was a barbed wire fence to prevent people from venturing into the forest.
Cos there are still bomblets and ordnances left behind by the US during the Vietnam war.
Every year, there are some 50- 60 casualties. Sad.
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The second leg carried out amidst much fanfare from photo taking to a dreary 3 hour presentation!

I nearly expired.
I mean, firstly it was in Laos.
Then, everything was in the booklet they gave me (in English),
which they also presented to the President when he visited the dam yesterday.

When the presenter finished,
everybody, and I meant EVERYBODY scrambled and left the place in a hurry.
hhahha.. 3 hours!
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Went to this bridge that must have the perfect combination of water, sky, clouds, trees and wind.

Such rustic beauty lah.
Photog time.
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Went to another resettlement village and whilst it was not scenic like the first one,
it was bigger in scale and even boasted a small market.

Colleagues bought much food and drinks for lunch.
And I accompanied this lady who has a weak stomach by eating potato chips and the likes.
Hungry siah!
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On the way back,
it was really funny to see the auntie colleagues,
who stopped at almost every little stall by the road side that they fancy and bought stuff.

Kinda like a mad scramble for the Great Laos Sale!

Went to a tribal market,
where the ethnic groups from the mountains came down to sell their wares.
Vegetables and bananas.
Bananas! I have never tasted anything that sweet and simple!

Apparently,
the villagers lugged down the bananas (heavy!) for bout a few hours to go to the market and sell them.
So colleagues bought many combs and a lot of vegetables.
Cheap and fresh, they say.

Saw another rainbow!
Rainbows in Buddhism, are auspicious signs,
especially Tibetan Buddhism. Woot.
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On the final leg home when the aunties saw a roadside stall selling dried fish.
Stopped and everyone made a beeline for the smoked fish.
One auntie diplomat even bought a big piece of sliced fish.
Talk about being on the lookouts for good bargains!

The houses by the side of the road were so well located.
Mountains and plains in front,
the river behind.
Good fengshui!
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Finally reached the office at 8pm!
Travelled for 8 hours on the road.

One funny thing was the toilet break again.
As it was pitch dark,
when the occasional car passed by,
the light illuminated a bunch of women squatting by the side of the road!

Darn funny!
Luckily men have it easier…
Woot!