village wedding, lao style

we went to a hmong hill tribe wedding in a small village in laos. these old US parachutes were used as canopes. we danced under them in about 3 inches of dust.

the kids were nuts. they chased after our car when we pulled up and literally gasped when we got out. gasped.

they were so shy, but warmed up after a little bit. it was like an oven, but most of them wore sweatshirts, and occasionally a cool hood.

fancy party decor

these were the guys we started drinking homemade whiskey with at about 10 am. i might be going blind.

Loon (on the right) was our guide.

and then, fermented rice wine drunk through super cool, super long bamboo straws. (no. not cooler than crazy straws).

joren is smooooooth.... just like the rice wine.

the bride and groom with ceremonial string around their hands, the priest blessing them, and their string.

kids peeking through the windows at the wedding ceremony

mr green jeans on the dance floor. maybe itching his butt.

there were so many kids. i'm convinced they were reproducing as the day progressed.

joren teaching mr green jeans some american style hand jive

the bride and groom after the ceremony. i swear it looked like she had been crying. i know mole eyes when i see them.the kids were roped off with ropin' off rope.

after changing out of their traditional wedding clothes, the bride and groom came around and gave everyone a drink of beer and a bite of chicken. same cup, same spoon for everyone. kind of like communion, but better.

does this guy look like lee? maybe it was the homemade whiskey at work.

and then the dancing began...

behind the house (on the ground, mostly) was where all the food was being prepared. water buffalo skin (complete with hairs still attached), fish head and river weed soup were a few of the delicacies

joren's primary dance partner. seriously. this guy walked around holding joren's hand half the day.

joren let me cut in for a dance or two. he DID have some moves, and a handful of communist medals on his uniform.

this was the generator supplying the power for the reception. it broke down about half way through. they eventually hooked a small tractor engine up to keep the power going.

this lady was two years younger than me and had seven kids. SEVEN. we could only speak through our guide (Loon) who took us to the wedding. they hold hands here a LOT.

after the wedding, we went to Loon's house for dinner (more water buffalo and sticky rice). his new wife cooked while we took a power nap on the straw mats on the floor. a chicken kept walking in and out, pecking around. when i asked Loon if i could help her, he said, "no. but you can look at her."

these neighborhood kids perched outside and kept peeking in. the kid tied a string to the chicken's leg at one point.