Charity Sunday: Literacy for Lao Children – #Literacy #Laos #CharitySunday

What do you know about Laos? Probably not much, unless, like me, you live in Southeast Asia.

Laos is a mountainous, landlocked country bordered by Myanmar, China, Vietnam and Thailand. Sparsely populated, it’s one of the poorest countries in the region, though it has made a great deal of progress since it was brutally bombed by the U.S. during the Vietnam war. As it happens, it’s also one of my favorite places in the world. The rich culture, dramatic scenery, laid-back atmosphere and, most importantly, the warmth and generosity of its people have drawn me there half a dozen times over the last decade.

One of the many problems Laos faces is poor education infrastructure. Until quite recently, there were no books published in the Lao language. Outside of the cities, transportation is difficult, not just because of rugged terrain and bad roads but also continued problems with unexploded bombs and mines. Children struggle to get the education they need to pull themselves and their families out of poverty.

For today’s Charity Sunday, I’m supporting a home-grown Lao organization called Big Brother Mouse, dedicated to publishing books in Lao and getting them into the hands of kids eager to learn. For each comment I receive on this post, I will donate two dollars to Big Brother Mouse. And let me emphasize – two dollars goes a long way in Laos. 

Meanwhile, I’m sharing a snippet from my story Vows, which is set in Luang Prabang, the ancient Laotian capital in the mountains. My characters are tourists, but I hope I’ve capture a bit of the magic of the place. By the way, Vows is available as a standalone title or as part of my Asian Adventures boxed set.

Also, I want to highly recommend the entertaining and illuminating Dr. Siri series of mysteries by Colin Cotterill (https://www.goodreads.com/series/49714-dr-siri-paiboun), set in Laos in the nineteen seventies, just after the end of the war and the victory by the Communist Pathet Lao. Despite difference in time period, I find these books capture a lot of truth about Laos, even fifty years later.

 

The more you try to release desire, the more attached you become.

We strolled northeast toward the far end of the peninsula, where Wat Xieng Thong was situated. The jewel of Luang Prabang, according to our guidebook. We had visited several of the other famous temples in the city. I had been saving this one for last.

Dani took my hand as we made our way through the quiet streets, in the lengthening shadow of Phu Si hill. “Relax,” she said. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle things. Just leave everything to me.”

That was exactly what I was worried about.

The vegetation thickened around us as we left the city center behind. We passed rough wooden houses on stilts, chickens scrabbling in the shade underneath, laundry swaying in the gentle breeze. Occasionally, we heard the muted babble of a television or radio, but we saw no one. It felt as though the whole of the city-village was dozing in the afternoon. I took a deep breath, and then another, trying to release the awful tension that gripped me, but it was no use. I was consumed by desire and dread.

Finally we reached the arched gateway to Wat Xieng Thong. Souvannaphone’s home. Gilded nagas, the serpent-dragons that sheltered the Buddha while he meditated, guarded the entry, their scales a riot of multi-colored mirrors. As we stepped over the sill and into the sacred compound, I felt something shift inside me. The choice was made, the effects would follow. Let karma do its worst.

At first, the place seemed deserted. Directly in front of us was the magnificent sim, or ordination chapel, with its five-layered, flame-tipped roof swept into dramatic earthward curves. Smaller but equally ornate buildings were scattered around it. Blue tile and gold leaf were everywhere.

An enormous, fantastically-twisted tree shaded the entire courtyard. At the same moment —I could tell from the way her hand tightened in mine—Dani and I noticed the figure seated, full lotus, on the turf at the foot of its main trunk.

It was, of course, Souvannaphone. His eyes were closed; his chest was bare. The golden, hairless flesh fascinated me. His nipples, more bronze than gold, drew my eyes and made my balls contract and ache.

It was his expression, though, that once again brought up my tears. It gave me a glimpse of total peace. Bliss. Perfect stillness and unearthly beauty. My craving to know his exquisite body faded and transformed into exquisite longing to know what he knew, to experience this state of completion.

 

Don’t forget to leave me a comment. Help Lao kids experience the joy of learning! And I hope you’ll visit the other blogs participating in today’s event. Every comment, at any of them, is a good deed!

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