Laos
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Lena and Håkan, friends from our Moscow stay, came visiting from Hong Kong and joined us for the first 6 days. The first morning, aboard our boat, we were ready to head upstream on the Mekong River.
As we were heading west (upstream) on the Mekong the limestone cliffs started. It is really stunning and much like Ha Long Bay in Vietnam and Phang Ngna Bay in Phuket.
Pak Ou Limestone caves with hundreds of Buddha figures.
A similar boat to ours heading up the river.
2 Rice wines (15%) and one "whiskey" (50%). None will win any awards any time soon.
A village along the Mekong River, people live in these kampung house.
Manual harvest in the rice field. The black longhouses in the background are for watermelons.
Pool overlooking the rain forest at Nam Kat Yorla Pa resort.
This sizeable spider was outside our cabin at the hotel
After a 4 hours hike we reached the waterfall
Driving to Muang Khua we stopped at a streetside market selling local goods.
These small birds were hidden under a tarpaulin. There is not a lot to eat up in this area; locals will eat what they can.
These ladies are from the Akha tribe. They walk several hours a day to get to the road to sell their goods.
View from the river of the village of Ban Sopchem where we spent one night.
Village women weaving these cotton scarves/runners. It takes about 3 days from rough cotton, spinning thread, colouring and weaving, to the final product. Cost from $5, not a lot for 3 days of work....
Main street Sop Chem. Spot the tourists.
Our home stay for the night. $15 including dinner and breakfast. We had our own bathroom and hot water.
A bit of rain heading down the Nam Ou river next morning.
A local taxi. Mechanical or Chinese Buffalo they call them.
A reminder from the American War (aka Vietnam war). There are still millions of unexploded ordinance around killing about 40-50 people per year, down from over 100 people a few years ago. Mine-clearing works. This is some kind of cluster bomb.
Local kids were quite happy to have our leftover fried rice at lunch.
After a hike to the waterfall we had a 10 km paddle on the Nam Ou River to the next hotel in Nong Khiaw. Hotel was floating on the river, so we paddled to the door.
View from hotel in Nong Khiaw
My favorite machine for the trip. They call it the Chinese Buffalo. Very simple and versatile.
A still for making rice Lao "Whiskey".
Waterfall outside Luang Prabang
After 542 steps up there was this pool where we could go for a swim.
Moon Bear sanctuary at the waterfall
Fish, Frog-legs, Bamboo-shoot skewers and fertilized eggs, actually ready to hatch. No, we did not eat any of it.
Most temples did not like you taking pictures. This was an exception.
Main street in Luang Prabang with cozy restaurants with its French colonial influence. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
We were up before the birds to see the Alms giving ceremony. Most were Chinese tourist getting ready to give alms.
Monks receiving the alms.
Quite an amazing sight although most of the alms given were recycled and sold again the next morning to continue the cycle of alms giving.
Laos is a Communist country, making great beer.
Little birds (sparrows) you can buy for a few dollars to release at the temple for good luck.
View down the Mekong river from Phousi Hill.
9 years of one bombing raid every 8 minute, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. About 600,000 bombing raids total , in an effort to stop the Vietnamese supplying troops in the south. Aka- the Ho Chi Min Trail.
Presidential Palace in Vientiane
Wat Sisaket. The only temple not burned by Thia forces because the were used as barracks.
This is the Buddha.s Friday pose.
Patuxai. Laos' version of Arc-de-triumph. Built to commemorate all the people lost in the struggle for independence from France. Concrete used was from US and was meant to build a runway at the airport.
A 22m sleeping (reclining) buddha.
Apparently, we were not supposed to climb this structure in Buddha park, but even if exceeding the rule by 10 years we broke the rule!
Buddha park is a mixture of Kmer, Sri Lankan and local religious and traditional culture statues.
Lao.s way of looking at a lunar eclipse. A frog (earth) eating the moon.
Complex wiring outside Hard Rock Cafe in Vientiane.
Vientiane Art Museum, private museum with an impressive collection of very nice wood-carvings.
Electric Kok-Kok local taxi
Fountain at Patuxai
A very common sight in Laos and other SE Asian countries. A whole family on a moped without helmets.
Night market:crickets, worms and crab. Again - we did ot try them.
Hotel prices in Laos (Luang Prabang) are quite comfortable, for $73 per night we had a entire cabin.
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Traveling through Northern Laos with Lena and Håkan was amazing! Starting in Luang Prabang we boarded a 25 meter river boat, on the Mekong River, motoring to the Buddha Caves then to Pak Beng with our guide and translator Bounma. The next day was spent driving to Oudomxay, another province, lodging in gorgeous wooden cabins in Nam Kat Yorla Pa resort. We trekked in the jungle to a waterfall crossing 13 sky bridges. Next stop Muang Khua, where we cruised on the Nam Ou river, with a land transfer around the hydropower Nam Ou dam, for our overnight at Done Kham homestay in Sopchem. We continued along the Nam Ou river to Muang Ngoi, then to Nong Khiaw where we enjoyed a 1 hour hike to the Tad Mok waterfall, refreshing! We boarded kayaks for a 1.5 (10km) hour paddle along the karst formations to Mandala Ou staying in gorgeous Nongkhiaw floating houses. After a vertical climb to the viewpoint we started our journey back to Luang Prabang stopping at Nayangtai cultural village and Ban Xang Hai to see the Rice Whiskey process. Along the way, we visited various ethnic minority villages of Taidam, Lao Lu, Khmu, Akha, Hmong, drove through rubber tree plantations, forests and more, simply learning about & observing daily life in remote areas of Northern Laos. Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage City, retains its French colonial charm amid the beauty of the lush jungle greenery. We embraced the town with its delicious cuisine & inventive cocktails, vibrant markets, and the refreshing swim at Khung Si’s cascading waterfall. We visited Buffalo Dairy farm, Royal Museum, Ethnology Museum, admired Wat Xieng Tong’s gilded splendor, took in the sweeping view from Phousi Hill and experienced the serene early morning almsgiving. Whether cycling alongside motorbikes or wandering by foot, every moment in Luang Prabang felt like stepping into a living postcard. Vientiane, the capital, is a stark contrast to the northern regions with expensive cars, asphalted roads, palatial buildings and busy city life. There is a plethora of restaurants and cafés, gilded Wats (temples), electric Kok Koks (tuk tuks) and street food. We walked through Buddha Park along the Mekong River and visited the Vientiane Art Museum where there was an abundance of impressive and rare wood and roots sculpted. (Agarwood & Rosewood) The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) are still finding and destroying the unexploded ordinance (UXO), in fields and construction sites, from the incessant US bombing raids. Both MAG and COPE (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise) information centers provide raw shocking data that Laotian’s endured. Best regards, Lynne and Atle PS. We used Ben at luangprabang-laos.com to organize the trip for us. I must say he did an excellent job.
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