Slow Boat on the Mekong - The First Day

Here is a very similar long boat to the ones we were on. They had installed old car seats which were quite comfy, although each set of two was attached to a couple of boards and could be moved around. Travelling up river, we were lucky because the boats weren't full. I can imgaine though that on a full boat it could lead to conflict as people adjust the placement of seats to suit their legs. Sometimes, when leaning to the outside of the boat, the seats would tip when the inside person got up! The toilet, like most in Lao was a squat toilet, which I imagine could be trickier for females, especially on a rocking boat!

This is Paula, who is German, but we managed to get along and she is 6 years old. She has a little sister that is called Frieda, who is 3. They were on the boat for two days with us. -Emma

The Mekong is a river that is part of the culture and mystique of South East Asia.  People use it for bathing, fishing, doing laundry, and transportation.  The slow boat left early in the moring and we began a long two day adventure of watching life pass by along the river.  It is a strong flowing river; in places very narrow and other places very wide.  It requires a skilled captain as there are many hidden rocks just below the surface, as a result we zigzaged from one side to the other quite often. Strong currents and small rapids reminded me of our own grand rivers, such as the St. Lawrence or Fraser and how intertwinded they are with our daily lives and culture.

Leaving Luang Prabang

I bought these two little birds for $20,000 dollars, oops I mean 20,000 kips, which is about $3.00. 

It was so cruel and sad they kept them in garbage bags

so I had to buy one and let it go.

Emma and I are checking our Lao phrase book.  She purchased this phrase book and we have made good use out of it!  We are fortunate that the Lao people are very patient and correct our pronunciation when we make a mistake.  One particular monk taught me how to say your welcome, or in Lao, "no problem".

OK, so we missed the annual polar bear swim at Point Roberts this year... so this was our version. Emma and I went in (I even jumped off the tree branch you see above us). You may think it looks beautiful, but in reality Luang Prabang had just had this very rare winter storm where it had poured rain for almost two days straight. The temp was about 17 degrees, but in a country with no indoor heating, and with us having packed (very lightly) for beach weather... It was COLD! No really! Come on Canada, where's the sympathy?

My little Communist soldier guarding the fanciest hearse you'll ever see, used only for Royal family funerals.

Life in Luang Prabang

A typical street scene played over and over again in Laos.  Emma was very pleased to be buying fresh mangoes from this woman.  They are sold by the kilo, 10,000 kips or about $1.50.  The average person in Laos makes about $1400US/year.  No need to haggle too much over the price. Today I managed to buy a kilo of oranges again for $10000 kips only speaking in Laos! - Keith

I was a happy girl with my mango smoothie walking down the main street in Luang Prabang. I thought it was phenomenal and It was prepared in a cart.  The main Wat at the Royl Palace is behind us. -Emma

We ate big bowls of piping hot, delectable noodle soup from this woman for two days in a row. Despite the primitive conditions of her shack (no electricity, just a fire), we decided that it would be safe. I thought of my friend Lorraine because we based this decision on the fact that she was well put together with lipstick, earrings and a tidy hairdo. The second day, we even added... meat! - Steve

    

Keith contemplates the Nam Khan from the top of Mt Phousi (pronounced poosy). This hill (really) is in the middle of town right in front of the Royal Palace. Emma and I went to a storytelling night where they told the tale of the demanding Queen who asked Hanuman, the monkey God to fly to the mountains in the north of Laos to collect her favourite mushrooms. He kept returning with the wrong ones, until in exasperation he brought the top of one of the mountains and placed it in front of the Royal Palace for her to choose the mushrooms she wanted. 

If you look carefully you can spot a very ornate looking golden wat in the distance at the foot of the mountain.

"Stop! ... In the name of love, before you break my heart." Sorry, I couldn't resist. - Steve

Tomorrow we begin our two day trip up the Mekong River to Huay Xai, where we will trek into the jungle and swing with the gibbons!

More shots from Vang Vieng

At first Emma was a little worried about the "rapids", but soon loved the experience of kayaking on the river. The guide tried to pair people up, and asked the big, burly English guy to go with the small, inexperienced Korean. In the end, they ended up tipping, as did the young jocks from Hungary. Keith and I joked that he should have asked the Canadians, after all, we invented the sport! 

A typical roadside eatery in Laos. I don't think they have too many foodsafe inspectors coming by here. 

We've eaten fruit, smoothies, soups and crepes from these stalls, but haven't ventured further yet. 

                 

This is me at Blue Lagoon jumping off a roap swing. It was scary at first, but then I did it many times.                         It was awesome!! - Emma

   

Believe it or not, this is a gas station. Our driver stopped here to have that old water bottle filled up with gas and poured into his tuk tuk. 

                

The last day in Vang Vieng when we awoke to look outside our window we saw this hot air balloon floating over the river.  Made me think of Rob and Brad having just booked a hot air balloon ride on their upcoming trip to Africa.

Chocolate love (this is to Chloe Quinn the chocolate lover)

This photo was taken on our minivan trip from Vientiane to Vang Vieng. As we careened among the trucks, bicycles, children, cows, goats, dogs, and entire families on motorbikes, I wondered whether I should be more concerned about their safety, or my own. I was perched on a rickety fold down seat, the top of which came to my middle back, with a seat belt tied (the buckle end was missing) around my waist. I decided that while I would escape this slightly perilous journey in a matter of three hours, the children along the road playing in ditches would not. While Laos is a stunningly beautiful country with warm, friendly people, it is still one of the poorest in the world, with per capita GDP below countries like India, Pakistan, Indonesia or Vietnam. Having the means to do so, we will opt for a larger, although slower, bus for the journey onward to Luang Prabang.  - Steve

This is the sunset view from our balcony at our hotel in Vang Vieng overlooking the Nam Song. The tree in the bottom left of the photo was filled with lighted paper lanterns at night. Later that evening we were treated to a procession of paper lanterns gracefully floating into the sky from the opposite bank of the river. Gorgeous!

 

I'm so excited to be eating a banana,chocolate and peanut butter pancake with my papa. It was so 

amazingly, deliciously warm and chocolate love, and it was cooked in a cart on the side of the road!!

    This is my new friend Toto the tour guide, who called me Rabbit!!

Vang Vieng, Laos is a small town on the Nam Song (Song river).  It is surrounded by rock outcrops called karsts and is an eco-adventure playground. Kayaking, rock climbing, caving, biking, tubing, swimming - this town has everything.  This photo was taken when we were crossing the rice fields (dry season) to visit a cave.  Here, we sat in inner tubes and pulled ourselves along a rope into a long winding water cave for at least half a kilometre. You are supplied with a headlamp as it is pitch dark within the cave. This cave took about 30 minutes to get through and was pretty spectacular. -Keith

You don't know how much I love you pretty papa,Daddy and snuggley pussy cat.

This boy was walking home from school with his friends.  As our tuk tuk passed they all ran and tried to hitch a ride, a very common thing. He just popped up off the street and hung onto the back. As our tuk tuk sped ever faster, we wondered how he would disembark safely. Thankfully, he managed to jump off running full tilt without falling. To our eyes, the roads appear chaotic, but it is a very subtle dance of bike, truck, bus, tuk tuk, car, and pedestrian. The culture is of a shared road because vehicles are not dominant and do not feel "ownership" over the road. It seems that all users are given equal attention. - Keith

Vientiane, Capital of Laos

 

Tuk Tuk Haiku

colourful tuk tuk

skirting around the city

flashing your colours   

- Keith

Mango lassi or lemon mint shake? I want both of them, but... I have to share. They each cost 10,000 dollars, oooops, I mean 10,000 Lao kips (about $1.30). The drinks are phenomenal, but the food is tremendously, absolutely, perfectly scrumptious, especially the banana, chocolate, peanut butter pancakes/crepes (Laos was once ruled by the French). - Emma

Keith on our bike trip around Vientiane visiting Patuxai (Laos' Arc de Triomphe) built to honour those who fought in the struggle for independance from France. We climbed to the top for a view over the city (see below). Inside there are several levels of trashy souvenirs, many of which look like they've been there for decades. It is also known as the vertical runway because it was built using funds and actual cement from the American government to build a new airport. Thanks Uncle Sam!

New Year's in Bangkok

Emma is quite fascinated by the rituals of Buddism. As New Years is a very auspicious time in Thailand,  we started the evening by visiting a local Wat.  Emma wanted to buy a candle, inscence - three sticks required, and flowers as an offerring to Buddha.  We then made our offerings and prayed to be more peaceful and mindful in 2015... as we headed off to the mayhem of Khaosan Road!

This was New Year's Eve on Khaosan Road. You can see the countdown clock behind the Thai flags. Two hours left, and Emma was determined to make it to midnight.  The music and noise from competing clubs and bars became unbearable, so we headed back to our hotel where Emma quickly fell asleep (although she says she didn't). Steve and I snuck up to the rooftop to see the Bangkok skyline become alive with fireworks.  Every area had their own massive fireworks display and this mixing with locals firing fireworks off their rooftops, made it seem like the entire skyline was dancing with colour.

This cat is at a temple lying in the sun on a rock. 

 But this one is a scaredy cat!!! At our hotel there was another cat who came up to me and sniffed my hand, and then snuggled with me. 

These local women were enthralled by Emma. The canal is behind them and we walked along here many times to get to restaurants and shopping.