South East Asia, Laos

Day 6. Tuesday, January 21

Mr. Oh and another hotel person sees us off as we enter our bus for the airport. We are flying to Laos (Lao People's Democratic Republic). 8:56

The Bangkok airport had this amazing sculpture depicting a Thai legend. The demons and gods are roiling the ocean to get a magic potion (Amrit).

Heading for Luang Prabang Laos 1:54

Our accommodations in Luang Prabang - the Parasol Blanc Hotel. Laos is known as "The Land of a Million Elephants" but there are probably only 400-600 wild elephants left.

We take a short orientation walk starting on this street. 4:42

We continue on our walk. 4:49

Preparing a meal. 4:43

We check out a restaurant where we may want to eat our dinner on our own in a few days. 4:53

Looks lovely inside...most of us decide to make reservations!. 4:53

In Laos we took jumbos, they are larger than tuk-tuks and can accomodate 6 passengers.

Our hotel was about 1/2 mile from the Mekong River, or "mother of all rivers".

Suk. 5:33

Day 7. Wed, January 22

. 10:02

. 10:04

Once a colony of France, much of the architecture in Luang Prabang is French influenced. It is rapidly expanding as a tourist town.

. 2:38

2:54

Ladonna poses in front of a pretty building as we head to the Night Market. 5:43

Walking toward the Night Market.

Along the way we stop in front of a nonprofit working to save elephants. 5:47

In the Night Market. 6:08

There are still signs of the secret war led by the CIA.

A typical night scene.

The beer (and the food) were good.

Day 7. Wednesday January 22

Our breakfast buffet the next morning. 7:34

A lovely setting for breakfast. 8:06

We didn't mind the cool damp morning in such a setting.

We board our boat for an excursion on the Mekong River.

We head up river on this chilly morning. The air is hazy due to the burning of crop stubble. 9:10

We stop at a small rural village. 9:21

Inside the village gate.

We get to see how a popular snack is made from river weed. It is topped with tomato and garlic and then air dried before it's ready to eat. It is one of the small industries in this town.

Souk and Roni take a hand at making the river weed snack. 9:37

Drying the snack in the sun. 9:44

The seated woman is extracting river weed juice. 9:50

Dried river weed, it is washed before use.

Preparing river weed. 9:46

A street in the town.

Rice cake manufacturing. 9:57

Linda and Tom make rice cakes. 10:04

Doug and Alison walk through teak logs along the shore as we head back to our boat.

Kwansouk (Souk) is our local Lao guide.

Souk talks about the rail bridge we see in the distance. It's where the high speed Chinese train crosses. 10:19

Tom and Roni on our boat. 10:28

We head farther up river.

We approach the Pak Ou caves. 11:41

Ban Pak Ou village. 11:45

We visit Pak Ou Caves. The cave is filled with thousands of Buddha icons.

A lot of boats but the caves did not feel crowded. 11:49

View from upper Tam Ting cave. 12:01

Entering the upper cave. 12:01

The upper Pak Ou cave.

Lighting incense. 12:09

A view inside. 12:14

Inside the lower cave. 12:35

The lower cave.

Alison walks the plank back to our boat. 12:40

We take the boat back to Luang Prabang.

Back in Luang Prabang, we visit a handicraft area. 2:27

Souk points out a mulberry tree.

A cotton tree 2:35

Mulberry pulp is used to make paper.

This artist is decorating mulberry paper book marks. Linda purchases several for her book club friends.

Ronnie helps make mulberry paper. 2:46

The finished paper product. We bought some cards made from this material and mailed one back to Ellis and one to Marlene. At the post office the nice lady who sold the stamps also brought out a glue stick to help to adhere the stamps to the course paper.

Silk worms. 2:49

Souk explains about silk worms. 2:50

Souk explains how to get the different colors of silk. 2:54

Silk worms. 2:48

Pulling silk from the coccon.

Johannes and Ladonna heading back to our hotel. 3:42

Day 8. Thursday Jan 23

We get up early for a 5:30 departure to participate in giving Alms to the monks. Our guides outfit each of us with sashes. 5:30

Our rice container from which we would take a small handful and put into the monks bowl. Throughout our SE Asia travels rice was served sticky. Nop adopted the name "Sticky Rice" for our tour group and used it whenever we were following him in crowds so we could stay together! 5:53

A local lady waiting for the monks. Getting alms is not considered to be begging but instead it's the community contributing their part to the temples. Shoes are not worn.

The monks arrive. We are mostly shoeless but have a runner under us.

Some younger monks. They followed the more senior monks. If monks don't see a regular donor they will inquire and check on the persons wellbeing.

Souk donates more. 6:26

What was inside the basket.

All of the food collected is divided equally amoungst the monks.

Next we visit a local food market. People prefer to buy their food fresh daily.

Fresh fish.

Birds for sale for release at the market. Ladonna buys some for release.

River weed for sale.

Fresh orange juice. Their orange juice was a deeper orange than we have in the states. 7:02

After walking around with the birds for 15 minutes, Ladonna proceeds to free the birds. 7:14am

Ronnie at the market. 7:17

Judy eating jackfruit. 7:18am

We stop for some coffee. 7:45

And then back on our Tuk-Tuk. 7:46

A day in the life of a MuangKhai Village.

In the village 10:01

Motor cycle repair shop. 10:26

Heading to the local school. 10:41

We visit a local school. The students were technically out of school for a break but the school remained open as a day care for some students.

The students line up for a performance.

The students performed for us. 10:56

We lead the kids in a song they know.

OAT helped obtain a water system for the village.

Girls tending to cooking rice.

Emerson bought this dish from its carver.

Linda bargains for some cloth.

We visit the home of the Hmong chief (mayor).

Outside his home.

The chief performs a traditional dance while playing this instrument.

Deep fried banana worms and whiskey for our appetizer.

Couldn't pass up the appetizer. 12:39

We take turns helping to prepare one of the dishes.

Sitting down together.

A look at our lunch spread. 12:57

A temple close to our hotel. 4:33

Monks outside that temple. 4:36

Close up of temple Stupa. 4:36

Manda de Laos is the restaurant where we made reservation for 2 days ago. 6:19

The menu 6:305

The meal 7:48

All the couples take turns having photos taken within the pretty grounds of the restaurant.

Day 9. Friday Jan 24 We head to Vientiane today. Pronounced "Vieng Chan", it is the capital of Laos

We have our last breakfast at our lovely hotel in Luang Prabang. 8:10

The outside of our room at the Parasol Blanc Hotel in Luang Prabang. 8:14

We remember to take a photo of the inside of our room as we prepare to leave. 10:16

As well as the balcony!

We find Linda, Tom and Roni waiting in the lobby ready to leave. 10:17

Also waiting is Doug, Nop and Richard. 10:18

We take the high speed train to Vientiane. The train station in Luang Prabang has a Dairy Queen inside!

The train system is financed by China. It is supposed to eventually go through Thailand but the Thai won't use Chinese financing. 12:36pm

The train interior. We couldn't take nail clippers, compressed shaving cream etc. on the train. It was collected the night before and sent by courior to our hotel in Vientiane. 12:57

Scenery from the train. 1:30

We've arrived in Vientiane and pass the Patuxay Palace on the way to our hotel. 3:39

We get our shipped items back.

Our hotel room in Vientiane.

A view of Vientiane from our hotel room.

As Souk takes us for our exploratory walk near hotel in Vientiene we see wires and more wires. 4:50

Nam Phou Fountain Park 4:55

We have a home visit. This lady makes custom speaker assemblies and runs a money exchange. 6:23

The daughter is practicing for a dance recital and she demonstrated how the dancers exercise to bend their fingers so far back.

We help prepare the meal.

At the dining room table. 8PM

Before we go we each get bracelets and two small bananas ...for good luck? When we first arrived we sat down and looked at old family photos and learned .... had been pulled into the war and never came back???? This was a very enjoyable visit. 8:52

Day 10. Saturday Jan 25

The presidential palace 8:46

The front gate. 8:47

A busy road close to the palace. 8:48

Sisaket Museum 8:53

We visit the museum/temple and get a chance to do a Q and A with a Buddist monk. Both Nin and Nop had been novices. Being a novice is a way for boys to get a formal education.

We talk with the monk. 8:57 AM

The monk talks about the robes they wear.

Museum grounds 10:16

More of the museum grounds 10:26

A Buddist temple. 10:48

We visit the COPE Visitor Center and learn about this organization that provides prosthetics and rehabilitation services to those who have lost limbs due to land mines and UXO's (unexplored ordinances) left over from the war in Southeast Asia in the 60's and 70's. 11:12