12. Laos Mobile Library & more trouble getting Cosmo home

Today was our mobile library visit to a local village. They have a great mobile tuk-tuk library in Luang Prabang where people can buy books for $2.50 which includes a book for the library (similar to a comic book except sturdy thicker pages, since most children don't read much), a wrokbook which had the Lao alphabet and times tables on the back, and a hygiene kit with pen, pencil, toothbrush, toothpaste, and soap. They take these to local villages and instruct them on hygiene, read them stories, give them time to read, and distribute the kits, workbooks, and little squares of banana bread.

If you want, you can sponser a whole trip for $300 and go on the tuk-tuk with them to the village, which is what Dawne and I did. Ae and Dao picked us up at 9:30 (usually 8:30 but we had yoga from 8-9). Then we drove about 50 minutes to the village called Hatnga. The roads were pretty good except for some dirt and rocky spots near our hotel and as we got into the village. As we were driving, we hit a large sharp rock and heard a loud pop and shhh as the tire went flat. Uh oh! Then I looked up and saw tons of children on a playground staring at us. We got the flat tire at exactly the right place! Since we were there a couple of hours, a bunch of men came over and fixed it for us before we headed home.


The teachers got all the students formed into lines by grade and they played a little song in English for them and led them in some hand motions to match. Video of it is better than my description.

After that, they took them to the share area and one of the girls said hello to me in English and asked how I was doing. I replied and asked her and she said "I am doing very well thank you!" Which was so impressive! She is taking classes on English at the library.

Then they talked to the students about hygiene with a giant picture of poop and Dao did some humorous explaining of how dangerous it is to not wash your hands after pooping. I have no idea what he said but there was a lot of laughing. Then they got to read some books we brought and play with the new sports equipment we brought. Dawne played soccer with some of the boys. My little English speaking girl read a book and translated the words to English for me.

We gave out the kits and they were so sweet, doing a little namaste-like bow and saying thank you when we handed it to them. It was such a great experience and so much better than bringing things from home. I could not believe how much they were able to purchase for $300: 100 workbooks, close to 300 children's books, 100 hygiene kits, 100 little individually packaged banana bread bites, 2 soccer balls, 2 rattan balls, 4 sets of badminton game (2 rackets and a cock), 5 hulahoops, jump ropes.

Above are the parents chatting, laughing, and watching. Below is storytime.

Unfortunately on the way there I read my email and found out from Vietnam airlines in Laos that I need now government stamped export papers in order to take Cosmo on the plane to Vietnam. I responded explaining that my cat was not from Laos but from the US and we were only here a week. I talked to the folks from the library and they arranged for us to stop at a pet clinic in town. We spoke with the man there and he said they didn't do those papers but gave us the WhatsApp for a man who might. Aargh! It's going to be so hard to get Cosmo home! I texted the other fellow and he replied pretty quickly that it would take too long to get the papers approved as the office is in Vientiane, 5-6 hours away. I think I may be taking the bus. Hopefully they will let him on the bus! They said it should be no problem going to Nong Khiaw on the bus with a cat, but they don't allow dogs or goats! However these overnight luxury buses are not the ordinary public bus. I will have to find out tomorrow in town before we go to Nong Khiaw. Maybe if I put him in his crate they will let him travel under the bus. Poor Cosmo