One sheet of corrugated steel was used as a wall of the forge to block the air, and at the same time, separate the craftsman from the heat.

On top of the blazing coals, were pieces of war scrap metal getting hot, turning blood red.

Molten steel over unexploded shell
(note: no gloves, no shoes, no eye protection, no apron!)

The young girl is creating motion by moving the plungers up and down, fanning the flame. The molten steel is in the fire, and the craftsman is manning the tongs, turning the steel until it’s just right.  

When the steel is blistering hot, he pulls it out of the fire and places it onto his anvil.

This is when we take notice.

His anvil happens to be a mostly buried and unexploded wartime artillery shell!

Cutting steel into strips

The molten metal is placed upon this artillery shell. The assistant then uses a huge sledge hammer with all his might to cut the steel into the correct size. That’s when we took a step backwards (as if that would help), knowing that if this blows, we will all be meeting our Maker...

Why these shells have not detonated yet, or if they ever will, remains a mystery. However, it was a bit unnerving to be so close to this operation, one that is commonplace there in the village. 

Quiet, unreleased power

We turned the situation over in our minds many times.

Ingenious, it was, to use all this left over and valued metal from the war to benefit their lives. Questionable at best was the decision to use undischarged ordnance as an anvil!

A bit unnerved, we left them to their task, and shaking our heads, boarded the Tuk Tuk to return to our guest house.

Arriving in town, we spotted what looked like freshly made saa paper drying in the sun on hand woven bamboo racks.

Dark in color, with various items for design and texture, this mysterious pulp peaked our interest.

Drying the moss in the sun

In a chance conversation with two young Lao men, the subject of river moss come up.

"Have you seen it? Have you tried it? Alloy!"

Alloy is the Thai/Lao word for delicious. Said with much gusto, our curiosity was fanned, and after a few minutes of discussing the preparation, flavoring, and how it was eaten, we began to find flattened and dried river moss everywhere.

On the street, Lao women lugged the finished product over their shoulders in baskets attached to carrying sticks.

This moss was sun-dried, rolled up, and encased neatly in plastic bags for display. In the markets, at street vendor stalls, on menus in many restaurants, it seemingly appeared where before we had never noticed.

River moss for sale

Dotted with sesame seeds, tomatoes, garlic and Asian eggplant, this parchment-thin moss similar to Nori, the seaweed that sushi is wrapped in, looked appealing and flavorful.

Then one day, while walking through a village, we spotted a couple of women at their daily chores. An ancient woman was there for support, while a younger woman slopped this goop on a bamboo rack and began thrashing it with vigor.

Noticing our keen attention, she smiled, and continued whacking, thinning the lumped wad of waterlogged greenstuff until it was shaped to her satisfaction.

Seasoning and flattening the river moss

We approached teasingly, acting like we wanted to eat it right there and then.

In Lao, the woman patiently and courteously explained that now was not when it was edible, only after hours in the sun, see the racks over there?

Looking to our right, there were dozens of bamboo frames of this river moss, thoroughly walloped and left in the sunshine to dry.

Before we knew it, our industrious River Moss Lady brought us a sample to try, and timidly, we did.

Delicious!

Proud, the final product... MMMMM!

A bit salty, with a touch of garlic, mixed in with those heavy earthlike flavors of the Mighty Mekong.

We realized that this was the age-old food of sustenance for the enduring tribes along this powerful river, the method of which had been handed down from times long ago.

Ingeniously made, filled with nutrients, it supplied life-giving nourishment the same today, as it had done in the traditional past. A tasty bit of antiquity in the twenty first century!

Looking for something different in Luang Prabang? Get off the beaten track. Take a walk and find something unusual in the daily life and times of the village folk.

For more stories and photos on Laos, Click Here

For more stories and photos on Thailand, Click Here

For more stories and photos on Viet Nam, Click Here

For more stories and photos on China, Click Here

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