The drive from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang was possibly the best drive I've ever had. Coming in a close second was driving up to Gisbourne with Si, Stefan and Samson because that was super fun. This drive, on the other hand, was the most breathtaking 7 hours of my life. Around every corner I was seeing a way of living that is so completely different to my own. People living off the land and using what they have to survive. Building homes from materials collected in the jungle and these houses were the most beautifully crafted houses I've ever seen. It really overwhelmed me. I think it has something to do with my love of barns and treehouses and wood.
It reminds me of making a miniature village as a child. Sarah and I made it with Kerry and Judy's children (I forget their names) at the Oahu out of sticks and wood and straw we'd collected from the forest. Then there was Troll Valley. Our next door neighbors, the Stevens, had a massive pile of dirt in their backyard (sounds delightful doesn't it?). We all thought it was a perfect opportunity to a) get dirty and b) get creative. So we began constructing our own little valley with houses, lakes, roads, waterfalls and it was amazing!! Then Rupert and James came along with their toy trucks and destroyed it. Almost imitates real life when you think about it. Wow, that was an aside if ever I had one. I'm definitely not trying to compare Troll Valley with the villages I passed yesterday. Far from it. I just had so much appreciation for all the villages we passed and think humans are incredible, the way we adapt to our surroundings.
At one point the van stopped and there was a landslide up ahead. Several people jumped out and the locals were sitting beside their houses on the side of the road watching the action, and watching us. While we were simultaneously watching the action and watching them. As we drove past the slip I could see that it had done some damage to some houses and I really felt for the families that now had a lot of work ahead of them.
Coming through a village some chickens ran out on the road and the driver just ran over them. I gasped. The driver smiled, shook his head and looked very unperturbed. Couldn't help but think 'I'm glad that wasn't a human'. I then became quite conscious of all the kids and babies playing on the road and started thinking about the concept of danger.
Our understanding of danger seems to be completely shaped by our surroundings and by what we learn from people around us. Is it nature? Is it nurture? Is it both? For instance, in Laos it is commonplace to see an infant or baby perched at the front of a motorbike looking very at ease. This is what they are used to. For them it is normal and so very little thought probably goes into thinking about the dangers involved. It also requires some kind of awareness by both parties to avoid danger and to have some common sense. It seems to me that while it is important for children to understand the concept of danger, the Western world seems to have gone beyond this and has taken away that which is learned. For example, when I started primary school the slide at my school was the highest, longest thing you've ever seen. Made out of some sort of metal that probably had bits sticking out. When I left school, all the playground equipment was plastic and about knee height. Thus removing any likelihood of danger. But also removing a child's opportunity to learn and make decisions concerning their own safety. Here I am debating danger. Why? Why?! That's what my brain gets up to when left to its own devices. I'm not saying w should all be carrying our babies on our motorbikes and dancing in front of cars, I just think that there is only so much cotton wool you can apply before we all turn into fuddy duddy scaredy cats. Or is that just me? Thoughts and opinions on this welcome.
I have spent the day in Luang Prabang and it is a lovely city. Heading to Nong Khiew tomorrow to do some trekking.
Also, I am aware that I spelt observant wrong. There is one thing in this life that I have accepted I will never be, and that is a good speller. Is it an a or an e? Is it a double l or a single l? I am unsure.
Goodnight.
Lily pop
Here's a different angle. I had noticed that when there were one or more on a motorbike it was never the child that wore the helmet. I think you'd find in NZ that most people would put the helmet on the child rather than on themselves. So I guess it's not all cotton wool padding. Maybe it's about protecting those we love in order to be at ease. Furthermore, in a country such as Laos, where a large percentage of the population live in poverty, people may be more inclined to fight for themselves from a very early age.
ReplyDeleteWell this opens up a large can of worms doesn't it? Mmmm danger. Legislation in many affluent countries regarding what we can and can't do has developed alongside industrialisation and more recent technological developments. We no longer have a society where people take personal responsibility for many of their actions. Economics and social practices have required the state to become like a parent, placing boundaries and safety nets around our actions to take our place as we have become more and more involved in our work environments. So where in the past we had a casual approach in many areas of our lives, we have now defined and labelled many aspects of our lives and then constructed discourses around these areas as part of a public discourse that helps explain our lives as part of the mainstream. So, the result is that many things that previously would have been seen as just part of our way of life, have been defined, and labelled and catagorised. I remember growing up in the sixties not having any safety gear on anything,not even really considering safety from within that discourse. Many of the things we did were dangerous or would now be considered dangerous, climbing high trees, riding bikes, driving without safety belts, swimming on beaches that had no life guards, racing horses over fences without helmets or saddles, and later letting our kids pretty much have the run of the outdoors.
ReplyDeleteThink I need some editing. Thanks for getting me going on this Tess, gotta go and help get lunch. Maybe more later.
Love your comment Mum, I knew as I wrote that I could count on you to have something interesting to say about it. I think it totally is about the state and how it has defined and labeled and catagorised everything. The things you did as a kid, while dangerous, seem fun!!! Adventurous. That's what it's about.
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