The Moua Brothers

Kou (left) with Nu at the White Temple, Chiang Rai, on June 25. This was taken only a few hours after Nu picked us up at the airport.

When we first began to plan this trip, we understood that Kou Moua would be a valuable member of our traveling team. Not only does he speak Thai and Hmong (and Lao, English, and French), but he had been back to Thailand several times since leaving Ban Vinai in 1987, giving him a good frame of reference for what we were trying to do. Kou helped draft our itinerary that was a huge success once we were there. He made phone calls and sent emails to coordinate school visits--something we could never have done on our own.

Jean, Joel, and Kristen cannot thank enough the more than 25 donors who gave financial support to Kou, most of whom have not had the pleasure of meeting him. We have now raised $2500, which covers Kou's international airfare and his flights to and from Bangkok to northern Thailand.  Because of Kou and Nu, this  trip was far more successful than we had ever expected.

We thought it might be nice to share more about the Moua brothers to give you a better sense of what your support meant for these amazing men and to the rest of the traveling team.  

After being together for a few hours, their closeness was apparent to us.

Kou used Nu's shoulder to steady a shot of the White Temple.

Our first full day together, June 26, was a busy one. We drove to the Golden Triangle, which refers to a triangular patch of land that you can see behind Nu's right shoulder. Myanmar is at one point, and Laos and Thailand at the others.

At the end of a long, hot day at the Golden Triangle, we stopped at a wat on our way back to Chiang Rai. It is located at the sight of a sunken city near Chiang Saen, the story of which we had just learned about earlier in the day. This short video is a great example of what we experienced on a daily basis. Nu would explain something to Kou in Hmong, and Kou would then interpret the message and translate it in English.

During our visit to Nu's village of Chai Thong, we stopped by his home for lunch. We got to meet his 16-month-old son, Moua Mu, who wasn't so sure about these strangers in his home. He was content to be on his daddy's lap.

After our Chai Thong school visit, Kou wanted to stop by his father's grave. It's located on a mountain side near Nu's home. The brothers left food and drinks for their father's spirits. Kou spoke to his father in Hmong for quite some time. Later he explained that he was asking his father to take care of his three American friends during our travels in Thailand. Moments after this picture, Nu comforted Kou with a hand on the back when he was overcome with emotion. 

After landing in Laos, Nu and Kou lead the rest of the traveling team up the steep hill to  the  immigration check point to apply for our visas.

The brothers filling out applications for a one-day visa in Laos. Kou was apprehensive because he wasn't sure how a Hmong American would be treated. It turns out the Lao immigration officials issued him a 60-day visa while the rest of us (Nu included) only received a single-day visa. It was a great moment.

As we checked out of our hotel in Chiang Rai, Kou and Nu posed with Supap, a Hmong hotel employee who was excited to know there were Hmong travelers actually staying at the hotel. Supap, who learned to speak English because the queen's mother provided training, has worked at the hotel for 21 years. He has seen Hmong guests only once before.

Riding elephants and watching the elephant show in Chiang Mai was a first for both Kou and Nu. 

After a morning visit to Chiang Mai's Adventist Academy, Nu stopped at a little

restaurant on the side of the road. We shared dishes of spicy grilled sausage,

pork laab, fried rice with chiles, and spicy soup--all with a side of sticky rice. 

After bringing us to the Hmong Museum in Doi Pui, Kou and Nu toured a garden area. Kristen had asked Kou if he had been to the museum before, and he replied, "yes."  We assumed that we were nearing the end of our visit to this little village. Little did we know that Kou was about to reveal that he had first come to Doi Pui when he was still in Ban Vinai. We also didn't expect for him to bring us to see a Hmong home that he had stayed in during that time.

The brothers share a laugh during their last dinner together on Tuesday, July 3. We all knew we would say goodbye to Nu the next morning when he dropped us off at the Chiang Mai airport. A somber tone had settled over our little group, so it was lovely to have some laughter. 

Shortly before our flight left, we bought Nu breakfast at the airport. He started speaking in

Hmong to Kou. It was clear that he was pouring his heart out, but at the time we didn't know what it was about. Later, Kou shared that Nu was talking about nightmares he has of being left behind in Ban Vinai. Kou has almost the exact same nightmare.

This was the last time we stood together as a group. We forced a smile, but it wasn't so easy for Kou and Nu. We were overcome with feeling gratitude for all they taught us. They changed every one of us.