Laos, Part Two: A 17th of August Like No Other
Back again — it's me, the 16 year old currently making his way around the world. Picking up where I left off on the Laos story.
I realize I might've made it sound like Seven Eleven was basically the whole trip last time. That wasn't true, so let me actually cover the rest of it.
Independence Day at KBRI
We ended up at KBRI (the Indonesian Embassy) right on August 17th, which is Indonesia's Independence Day. Perfect timing, not planned at all.
A few of us got pulled into the ceremony's choir, standing up front and singing during the flag raising. Not something I saw coming, but it's one of those moments I'll remember for a while.
Afterward there was a whole spread waiting for us — food, drinks, snacks, desserts, the works.
While we were there I got talking to an Indonesian man who's been living in Laos for years. Really easygoing guy. We mentioned we'd be heading to Thailand the next month, and he just handed us 20 baht on the spot, told us to get some snacks with it. Didn't even think twice about it.
I also got asked to stand up and share a bit about my time in Laos in front of everyone there. Kind of a surreal thing to do, not gonna lie.
More Places, Fewer Names
Turns out KBRI wasn't the only stop. We hit up a few other pretty cool places around Laos too — I just genuinely can't remember what any of them were called. I've got photos though, so those'll have to do the explaining.
(dropping photos in here)
Friday at Masjid Al-Azhar
We went for Friday prayers at Masjid Al-Azhar, and stuck around after to talk with the people running the mosque — basically just checking in, getting to know them. That's also when it hit us how small the Muslim community in Laos actually is. Made the whole visit feel a bit more special.
PPI, Round Two
Sat down with PPI again while we were there, mostly just talking through normal stuff — what living in Laos is actually like day to day, the social side of things, university, all that. Nothing crazy, but always good hearing how other Indonesians are doing out here.
The Warung Lady
Before I wrap this up, I have to mention the woman who ran the little warung where we did our laundry. She was so kind we ended up teaching her some Indonesian in our downtime. She also had this dog that honestly looked more like a wolf — huge thing.
Last day there, I went back just to grab a photo in front of her warung. Might post it on Instagram with "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" playing over it. We'll see.
Two Weeks in Laos
Looking back, Laos wasn't exactly packed with big, flashy moments. But I still had a genuinely good two weeks here, and I'd come back in a heartbeat if I got the chance.
Next stop: Thailand.