Pii Mai Vientiane

Pii Mai in Vientiane involves getting soaked every time you venture out. The usually reserved and polite Laos form water-armed gangs roving the streets on the backs of pick-ups searching for victims.

For us it was a return to relative civilisation of colonial-influenced cafes and restaurants—though Willy’s order never came.

On the 3rd day Phoxai (remember from Pakse?) and his fiancé Noi took us on a Buddha washing temple crawl. The Buddhas get taken out of the temples for washing once a year and everyone turns out to wash them in flower infused water, preferably that’s passed through a naga. It’s best to do an odd number of temples and as many as possible. They did 9—high achieving Buddhists that they are.

The next day was a baci ceremony for Pii Mai for the elder men of Phoxai’s village, the oldest of whom was 92, followed by raunchy dancing for the mums (no photos—too much water).