To start out to this very beautiful place we booked a minivan to pick us up where we Dropped the motorcycle and drive us the next 2 to 3 hours to Vang Vieng. But the trip turned out to be a little bit more eventful and unusual than we planned. As soon as the minivan picked up all the passengers and then stopped off at their office in the center of Vientiane they change drivers and added a few more passengers. The new driver told the young Japanese fellow sitting in the front to move towards the back because they had a lady passenger who wanted to sit in front. After the Japanese customer moved to the back, the lady, Vietnamese, was told to sit also towards the back of the van while the driver instructed her male friend to sit in the front. From the accents we could tell that the new driver and the two customers were Vietnamese.
The driver spoke continuously in Vietnamese to the other passenger in the front. Nothing too unusual so far except the lie the driver told the Japanese customer. Then we got onto the expressway after going through the tollbooth, the driver pulled over and switched seats with the Vietnamese customer. I found this a little strange but, who knows, the passenger might’ve been an extra driver. Well, it turned out he wasn’t. After trying very nervously to get started in the minivan, continuing on the expressway, it seemed pretty certain he had no experience driving a minivan and was very uncertain on the road. After having almost 2 accidents driving the rest of the way to Vang Vieng I decided to ask the licensed driver of the minivan about the customer/driver. It turns out he was just a tourist, did not have a license to drive in Laos and could not speak Lao. What a strange trip. We survived.
the tourist driver on the lefttold by the hired driver to drive in the middle when going through the tunnelour driver so proud, sending a photo of the tourist driving to his friendkayakers enjoying the riverNice name for a restaurantBlue lagoon six, good for swimming Blue lagoon one. A hair-raising experience. See the jumper entering the water? Transparent wingsAre we in Paris? guess who!A resort in the countrysideRice fields enjoying a big, late lunchFrom part way up the trail to the viewpoint. The path was too slippery and dangerous to make it all the wayA group of Thai tourist rented ATVsA countryside homeBlue lagoon two US$100 a night bungalowsMy new best friendMice for saleconquering the calm rapidsKing of the lagoonblue lagoon sixpara planeing?Empty electric socket at the pool entrance. Shocking!The view from the roomMeeting some Japanese tourists on the way back to Vientiane
just after we left Koh Chang for Laos the main road on Koh Chang was partly destroyed, slid down the hill and destroyed my former bungalow on the beach
Pakse, Laos, is a small city in the south, on the Mekong close to a coffee growing area. It is a place you should visit if you visit Laos. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakse)
This 10,000 Kip note shows the bridge and hills in the photo above this one.Visit the Buddha on the hill giving you the view.Near sunset.Kannon is found in many places.as Igor said, “walk this way”Lotus is ediblesubtle tasteyou need energy for this onethe countryside from a viewpointdinner timefancy coffee shop this was actually taken in Buda park in Vientiane areagoat meat restaurant. We ate noodlesso delicious I forgot to take the photo before eating. Great Korean foodruins of a massive, unfinished templecrocodile is a rockelephant in a rock this is the ruler who created this expensive temple siteprotecting the temple from insectstypical Khmer style temple windowa view from the top of the temple complexKorean food in pakse was deliciousa friend’s former teachera simple farm lunch; chicken with veggies and spicy saucecome to see who is visiting the farmso many people, in their spare time, weave material or create baskets for storage and cooking.the raw materialsome of the finished product selling for less than US 10 cents to a wholesaler.farm working shed complete with dogs, chickens, pigs and ducksa rural farm community store
the road to this farm was all dirt but a lot of it was just a mass of holes filled with water, extremely difficult for a small motorcycle to travel through. It was quite a challenge getting here without falling off into the mud
a typical countryside home The land is very dry. Without the adequate infrastructure for irrigated farming it’s very uncommon to have two harvest seasons in this country which greatly hinders the economy. One reason Thailand is more successful agriculturally is the ability to harvest twice a yearHome, Home on the rangethe only way to travel. Play motorcycle side car
Lao bears kept here kids watching the fish food is obviously flowing down from the waterfall some plants like these are very expensive thing sold in the marketplace at the end of the day a nice buffalo ice cream
Visiting the Tsutsumis and family after the funeral of Eli’s mother
Kalasin, Thailand
The great Naga on the hillpeople put coins in the Naga’s scales for good luck not in any shape now to eat usfrom a pile of bones to thisprimitive in appearanceareas of Thailand with tons of bonesthe threat is realhope this is faster than the hotel’s internetgood noodles for lunchenjoying their nice house, out of the rainI receive a blessing from a Chinese monk for the offerings I gave the temple. I dedicated this blessing to a friendship
Luang Prabang
grand design, train station. no vehicles allowed at the vehicle access area. rice is on the way on the trainthe monks arrive.the lunch. noodles, of coursethey have avocado smoothies. delicious. about 80 cents (US)a Ruben sandwich for breakfastnice room in front of the morning marketa tour boat for the monkseverything on the ferry
an electric scooter, from china, of course.lookin’ out my backdoorNaga boat to carry the reveredI stop at temples often and stay quiet (meditate?) as a break from driving or during a walking daygood advise. know this before showing up on Southeast AsiaVientiane in KANJI is “ten thousand elephants”request on the left – be careful which finger you see doing this. I didn’t see at first but it is a finger raised to lips.
To “disrobe” is the process for a monk to leave monastic/temple life. In Laos a friend who was until recently a monk left temple life at the age of 25 after 10 years as a novice and 4 years as a monk. In some blog I will comment on why young men in Laos and Thailand become monks but this blog will focus on the “disrobing”.
I must explain there is a difference between the two ranks of those in temple life. Firstly someone joins the temple as a novice from the age of 12 onward. At the age of 20 or 21 a novice can be “ordained” as a MONK if he so chooses.
You might think it is a simple thing to just “leave” the temple and join the rest of society but in Laos the process is somewhat complicated.
This file photo taken in the town of Luang Prabang on February 21, 2007 shows women along a street in the early morning (around 6 am) offering food as alms to monks for merit and “compassion” since, traditionally, monks did not cook or prepare food). Receiving alms is the centrepiece of the strict daily routine undertaken by monks drawn to the ancient temples which fleck the UNESCO-listed town. / AFP PHOTO / Frank Zeller (this explanation came with the photo and i edited out the mistakes.)
First the monk must make up his own mind to “disrobe”. Normally he then consults with the family and discusses his decision. It could be the family persuades him to continue as a monk but in the end it is the monk’s decision to leave temple live.
Once the monk has made the final decision he will go to the Abbot of the temple and ask when the best day is for him to “disrobe”. Once the date is set the monk will fill out the document declaring his decision to “disrobe” and it will be “stamped” by the Abbot and the head of the temple district. This document is very important as I will explain.
A Monk’s activities
In Laos everyone is required to get an ID card. Monks can have a national ID card with a photo of them in robes or an ID issued by the temple. These documents are used to apply for a Passport which identifies the person as a monk. When the monk disrobes the document stamped by the Abbot and temple office is required to apply for a “layman” (regular citizen) ID card and passport. Once that ID card is issued the ID card and the family book indicating the name and address of the people in the family are used to apply for a passport. The monk is registered in the temple “family book”. Once he leaves the temple he needs to be re-registered with the family in the family book as the next step.
The application for the passport needs to be filled out with a photo of the applicant as well as a color copy of the ID card. That application form is then stamped by the village head to verify the details of the application form. The person then goes to the “Consular Office” to line up to get an appointment for an interview which only confirms the details in the application.
If the monk opens a bank account the name on the account has “monk” printed after the family name and is the account name. When the monk disrobes he needs to change the name on his bank accounts to delete “monk” in the name on the account. The disrobing document is necessary to make this change.
In short a monk is identified throughout society as a monk and receives sometimes special treatment while they are restricted by their rules and regulations regarding their monk-hood and vows. In Laos and Thailand, if a monk is not in their required monk’s robes (required at all times) and stopped by police, the police will normally ask to see the ID card. Seeing the ID card identifying the person as a “monk” the police will turn the person over to the temple for discipline which often results in banishment from temple life. So there is a strong relationship between the monk’s social requirements and the documents they have identifying them.
In Laos, as in Thailand, the prefixes before the names are often used in spoken language. “Tao” is generally used for men younger than 40 or so. If a man is named SOMPONE, he is addressed as “Tao Sompone”. If Sompone disrobes as a novice he is addressed as Xieng Sompone while a monk who disrobes is addressed as “Tid Sompone”. This change in prefix will go on for a certain period of time by those who know him as a former monk.
By the way, you can recognize a monk who has recently disrobed; short hair and shaved eyebrows.
Pha Daeng Peak ViewpointAfter stopping at a gas station’s finally one gas station has gas. There is a huge gas shortage in Laos right now.
Nong Kiau is a really nice place to visit but be prepared to be a hiker and hill climber.
Nope. Not enough gas for the van.A few Israelis and a monk.contemplating the quality of being, or bean (coffee bean)something wrong!pretty desolate thanks to covid.scooters are cement carrying workhorsesLocal KHAO SOIgood plant for making soup for pigs but it will cause you to itch if you touch it.TEAKat the restaurantSOMTAM, fried pork and a spicy pork dish. That burning sensation.It was a very tiring trek to the topview from the hotel balcony from the balcony viewing river commercevery nice texturethe bamboo bridge to the failed climb from hellleeches do some significant bloodletting. It was hard to stop.
did you know that Laos was at one time a colony of France? Laos is on the east side of Thailand and the British colony of Burma was on the west side of Thailand. Did you know that Thailand played off the British and the French to get more territory? Did you know that the Lao and Thai cultures are very much the same? Did you know that many of the streets in Vientiane are called “Rue”, french for “street”? Did you know that the Lao and Thai languages, written and spoken, are very similar?
This is about the age to start teaching kids to drive a motorcycleA village streetA local temple. This isn’t a wealthy community our transport to the hotel from the bus stationDelicious food everywhere looking pregnant inexpensive smoothies. We had avocado mixesZurich Cafe. Good bread. Make sure it is freshly baked.Jerky drying on the streetPeople buy these cages with birds in them and then let them go. By the way, new shoes. Aren’t they nice?A map of the town attractionsA view from the topPhousi OverlookKids on the playground most of the official building signage is in French as well as Lao. And of course you can understand this much French, right? After all, half of English is French.Making sugarcane juiceMany monks in this town and a great many of them have either orange or black umbrellas to keep the sun and rain off themWhat would a photo blog of a colonial town be like without the photo of an old car?!A Hill tribe restaurant an old stupah mostly due to Covid, no business for two years, you see the signs everywhere. People just could not afford to stay in business and yet they have to continue paying property taxes so they need to do something with the propertyThe attractions around the cityAt the Zurich Café we had an avocado salad and a ciabatta sandwich
Getting there means riding the new Lao/Chinese railway fast train which says it’s supposed to be running at 127 km/h. But getting on the train is a complete mess. First you have to line up to get all your documents checked including a vaccination certificate, ID card (passport) and ticket. Then you have to sit and wait one hour until they tell you to line up again to check tickets to get to the platform. Of course the tickets are checked again once you get to your seat. The system was developed by the Chinese and implemented by Lao authorities. The ride was nice.
Why not? Good place to eat actually very tasty rice soup for breakfast, while finding love at this portIs this a really good selling point for these sarong?Contemplating the meaning of cryptocurrencyA big boat for small fishA nice view of the Mekong (Nam Kong)Why not try out a Reuben sandwich made in Laos? It was very tasty my friend had a taco salad map of the temples on the other side of the riverOn the ferryKids playing by the ferry landingThe only way to get to this side of the river is by small ferrySomeone threatened to throw me in the riverNice view from the opposite side of the river looking at the townOld stupasDinner cruises on the riverOn the right you see Lao avocadosNighttime overlooking the night market and the royal templeKids riding an electric motorcycle on the left, made in China of courseThe founding king of modern Laos and a monk guideQuite a few western pastry shops in town our lunch restaurantlocal SOMTAM (spicy papaya salad) is delicious Takes me back to the late 60s
Leaving Thailand from Nong Khai was just a 10 minute taxi ride from the hotel. With a departure stamp and a bus ticket of $1US I rode to the Lao Immigration office to get my visa on arrival for 1,700 Baht (I understand there is a surcharge on this day I entered, Saturday). From there to the hotel and around town.
did you know that Thailand invaded Laos? Did you know that a large part of Laos was given by the French to Thailand? Did you know that Lao and Thai languages are very similar?
take a Duk Duk and remember to negotiate the price
The Emerald Buddha Museum
this museum really commemorates the emerald Buddha which was stolen by Siam (Thailand) and placed in wat PraKeou in Bangkok. Some of the artifacts here are those which went along with the temple which was destroyed.
friendly Naga original doors
Pra Bang
Wat Sisaket
this is the only temple which was not burned by the invading Siam army.
That Dam
Michai
Wat Phra That Luang
WAT = Temple PHRA = monk or buddha image (in Lao language PHRA also is KUBA) THAT = stupah LUANG = Grand
ordination hall (PATA SIMA)DHAMMA assembly hallTHiS STUPA THE ORIGINAL WAS BUILT IN THE 3 RD CENTURY AND ESTABLISHED THE MUANG VIENTIANE IN THE SAME TIME. THE STUPA FOR THE CONTAINS SOME BONE OF THE LORD BUDDHA. THE ORIGINAL WAS A SMAIL STUPA MADE BY STONE DURING THE REIN OF THE CREAT KING XAYSETHATHIRATH IN 16 CENTURY AFTER THE KINGDOM WAS MOVED FROM LUANGPHRABANG TO VENTIANE IN 1560 A D. AND IN 1566 A D THE KING ENLARGED THE PHRATHA LUANG AS WE SEE NOW.KING XAYSETHATHIRATHMain Hall for meeting and offering alms
Mukdahan is an interesting town on the Mekong river, a town I last visited last over 25 years ago. What really surprised me about the town is good food available of many nationalities. If you’re interested to know more about the town I’m including the Wikipedia link explaining everything.
every town needs it modern tower. Why? I don’t knowHere at the Indochina market next to the river you can find a lot of stuff you might need. Not everything is inexpensive enough to justify shopping here instead at an inexpensive shopping center. But there are some good deals. Here you might want an umbrellaMany might want this T-shirtthe indochina marketLots of food available. Most of it seems to be sugarDefinitely stuff for tourists to buyHow about pharmaceuticals?Clothing occupies a large number of the stallsIf you need garlic I guess this is the place to comeAnd of course every “important” town needs to Bill a big Buddha on the hill. This one is still under constructionand here are some of the constructors having breakfast
Kwan Yin (KANNON) is a popular image
Every temple needs a temple dog. This one is very old, blind and has very long toenails probably from not moving around enough and wearing them down what it looks like from downtownCity from the top of the statue banana leaves decorated to bring blessingsMore popular banana leaf blessing decorationsThis is something I don’t remember at temples, giant Naga. And it seems this is a popular thing to build now.Someone has parked his tuk tuk on the street, maybe his parking lot?Belonging to someone in this house?This clock tower looks fairly new but I can’t say was one here before this was created. This seems to be an increasingly popular thing to buildAnd a Japanese restaurant with mixed reviews. I didn’t try itThe temple downtown
