============================================================== To reach ALL SJD members, please send to sjd@satjadham.net ... Do NOT include any other addresses when sending to the list... Include as LITTLE of the original messages as possible........ Message sent by: LanXang Siengkhene *** Announcement: *** Please send your member fee to Victor if you haven't done so. ============================================================== Sabaydii Tutu and all, If anyone wants to publish the story, please do. Just let me know. I, myself, am not in a position to do that. Tutu: if you happen to be in Vientiane, please get a copy of "Phuon Thao LaoKhaam" (a story of Chao Ratsavong). This important document is with the Department of Literature at DongDok. I would appreciatively pay you for any cost. By the way, it is incredible that you still recollect the memory of Thakek. I guess you must be leaving the town at a very early age, right? Without any further ado, here is part 2 of my story: ***** Thakek Part 2: Along the shores of the Mekong River... I think if it would be a great idea if I tell you a brief history of Thakek. To my knowledge, Thakek was first mentioned in the history book as the legendary Sikhotabong kingdom. That Sikhotabong standing a couple of miles from the center of Thakek was a reminiscence of that era. It was said that Sikhot came to rescue Vientiane kingdom from the destruction of the wild hordes of elephants. As a reward, the king of Vientiane had to partition half of his kingdom to Sikhot and gave his only daughter to Sikhot for marriage. All went well in the beginning until the Vientiane king was getting scared of his son-in-law rising power. To cut short of any trouble, the Vientiane king turned to ruse and deceit. He tricked his daughter into asking Sikhot about his death spot as neither spears nor swords could penetrate his body. Trustful of his wife, Sikhot let her know that his death spot was his bottom. As soon as the Vientiane king learned of Sikhot's secret, he had a lance planted in Sikhot's toilet. As expected, Sikhot made a daily routine to the toilet and made his death there. Before he died, he cursed Vientiane that it would never get prosper. Even if it did, it would last only as long as one winked one's eyes. Even up to the present, Vientiane has never gotten over Sikhot's curse. What a curse indeed! It was rumored that when Kong Le made a coup d'etat in 1960 and won the government for Chao Souvannaphouma, he came down to Thakek or did something to nullify the curse. Sad to say that the curse was still unbreakable. Some thought that only when Hat Don Chan was sunk to the bottom of the Mekong River then Vientiane would prosper. So far, Hat Don Chan still grows and grows. Also, it was believed that the curse would go away once the leader of Muang Lao (Vientiane in particular) places the interest of Muang Lao and Quon Lao above his and his clique. Maybe, one day, this will happen… Also, from the history book, I learn that Thakek was the site of the bloody fight between Chao Souphanouvong's Issara troop and the French. It was said that the Mekong River was turned into red color as the planes fired on the fleeing Issara troop. To the dismay of the onlookers from both sides of the shores, Chao Souphanouvong's boat was capsized as the plane repeatedly fired at it. My dad who was watching the event from Thakek couldn't help his tears from slipping down his face. That went one of the Lao Issara heroes. Fortunately, Chao Souphanouvong survived that massacre. The Lao Isan from Nakhon Phanom helped tend his badly wounded body. This dramatic event was the first phase in rallying the ethnic Lao from both sides of the Mekong shore to Chao Souphanouvong cause - Muang Lao for Quon Lao. And that marked a special place of Thakek in our long history of fighting against invaders. What's more: Thakek was the very last stronghold for the fight against Siam during Chao Anou's war of independence. Thakek, or to be exact Mahaxay (I tend to use these two names interchangeably) was the last exit before Chao Anou moved on to seek political asylum in Vietnam. If you've ever been to Mahaxay, you would feel right away as to why Chao Anou regrouped his scattered troop there. Fortifying by the rows after rows of steep hills, Mahaxay was an obvious choice against the advancing of the Siamese war machine. I, myself, was in Mahaxay in 1988 and felt in love with the place. Wherever I looked, I felt like I was floating between the clouds. Adding to the stretches of rice fields and a river (SeBangPhai) running through the town, Mahaxay was like a heaven on earth. (to be continued) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com _ ***************************************************************** Visit SatJaDham Homepage at: http://www.satjadham.org (or .net) *****************************************************************