#morlam dancing

The third day of our Chiang Mai to Vientiane road trip took us by Nam Phong - a small village on the outskirts of Khon Kaen, where Charlie had his first English teaching job six years ago. We were in two minds whether to visit Charlie's old school or not. All the pupils he had taught would have moved on by now and what if the other teachers didn't remember him? He was only there for three months after all. Or what if they did remember Charlie, but they had nothing to say to him after six years. AWKWARD!

But as they say, it's the things we don't do that we regret, not the things we do. And it was unlikely that we'd be passing by Nam Phong anytime soon. So we dropped by and do you know what? It was like Charlie had never been away! All the teachers recognised him straight away and they all greeted him with the warmest welcome. 

It was a Sunday afternoon but the school was full of students, busy practicing their Morlam singing and dancing for a competition. Their teacher Pi Noi Noi was very proud to inform us that their school wins every year. And she wanted to show us why. So her husband, who also teaches at the school, pulled up two seats for Charlie and I and ordered the talented teens to put on their show just for us.

It was brilliant. The dancers were extremely ladylike and entrancing and the musicians were talented and fun to watch. In fact, they looked like they were having such a good time, that I just wanted to jump up and join them (but I saved it for Monday's jam at Boy Blues bar instead). No wonder these kids win every year. Take that X Factor! 

Luckily we had three horseshoes in our bag. What? Are you telling me you don't carry horse paraphernalia around with you? Well neither do I normally. But we picked them up at Route 12 - the American-themed pitstop we took a breather at along the way - thinking that they'd make a nice gift for Charlie's old colleagues, since in our culture they symbolise good luck. And boy oh boy were we glad we did. The first one we handed over was met with a few confused looks, even when we explained the meaning behind it. But the second horseshoe was greeted with appreciation and big smiles and the last exchange meant the world to us, because it meant the world to her. Pi Sim has a big heart but sadly, luck has not been on her side. So when we explained that the horseshoe is a symbol of good luck and protection, it seemed to be very significant to her. She looked delighted, as if this piece of metal was a little ray of hope.