I was in Luang Prabang, Laos in April for Boun Pi Mai Lao or Lao New Year Celebration. It was my third visit to Luang Prabang since 2010 and I’ve made quite a few friends during the previous vacations. I am now a daughter, sister, niece, and granddaughter to three families in one village and a handful more in several villages on both sides of the Mekong River.
This is a blessing because I always get invited for a meal on a daily basis and would be included in a family gathering like Baci Ceremony for Lao New Year. It’s not polite to say no and these wonderful people never took no for an answer. While I was traveling alone in Laos, I was never alone and had a great Lao New Year celebration with delicious Lao Food and wonderful company.
I ate two bowls of Nam Varn for dessert!
If that was not enough, then I had a bowl of Kanom just to make sure I was not going to be hungry until dinner.
While I was out taking photos during my morning walk, the ladies and men were busy preparing several Lao dishes like minced pork salad, three different kinds of soup, pon pa, and desserts like nam varn, kanom chun, and other types of kanom that I don’t know their names. After the Baci Ceremony it was time to share food and drink and chatting with one another. Then the rest of the day was a trip to Pak Ou caves and Kuang Si waterfalls.
I took so much photos and videos during my morning walk and the camera ran out of battery. I didn’t have a second battery and took the Lao Food photos above with my iPhone 4S. They turned out pretty good and it was better than having no photo at all to remind me of the good food and good time I had for Lao New Year celebration.
