Laos
First Impressions of Laos
From a country with over 80 million people to one with a population of 8 million and the poorest in southeast Asia Arrived safely in Laos at 7 pm last night, the temperature was still a pleasant 26 degrees. The flight here was in a proper plane with propellers, though John was concerned that there were only two of them! Woken by the alarm at 5.30 this morning so we could get up and watch the Buddhist monks walk from their monasteries down the main street where the people were waiting to give them offerings of rice and fruit.
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After breakfast we were taken for a walk through the local Market which was full of interesting and unusual things for sale. From there we went to get a boat for a cruise on the Mekong river which was very beautiful. We stopped at several small villages along the way for a little insight into the way some of the local people live. We also visited some caves which over the centuries have been filled with thousands of statues and representations of Buddha. After lunch we had a short visit to a village to see paper being made from wood pulp which was followed by a trip to see two splendid Buddhist temples.
The tour finished with us being blessed by the local shaman and seeing a display by local musicians and dancers. It’s now 10pm and we are sitting by the hotel swimming pool with a final beer to round off the day. This is a beautiful country with the friendliest of people and we wish we could stay longer, possibly the best day of the trip so far.
Walking and Swimming
Another hot and sunny day – we could get used to this! Started the day with a climb of the hill which overlooks the city of Luang Prabang, stopping to visit a few temples along the way. Then we went on to see the museum which was the former royal palace. A light lunch today of cakes and iced coffee. The highlight of the afternoon was a visit to some spectacular waterfalls where there was a brief chance for us to have a swim. For the younger and more adventurous of us there was a chance to relive his boyhood days with a rope swing out over the water and a drop into the water. It was a spectacular performance and gained a well deserved Cheer from the onlookers. Tonight we will explore the nighttime Market in the main street. At last, a lie in tomorrow morning before our flight southwards where it’s warmer (31 degrees here today, 2 degrees warmer where we are tomorrow).
Laos to Cambodia
Our flight to Vientiane was on another propeller driven plane. It was only a brief flight, about an hour, but because it was in the early afternoon it reduced the time for sightseeing in the capital city. We still managed to see the main sights- the former royal temple and the great stupa (a massive sized buddhist shrine, which was impressive) and the Patouxay, an Arc de Triomphe replica which we climbed for a view of the city. To be honest the city was modern and not so interesting. We only had time for a meal in the hotel because we needed an early night for our departure from the airport at 4am for our flight to Cambodia. An odd flight because half way through we landed, disembarked to go through the exit formalities to leave Laos and then get back on the same plane to complete the flight.
Images
Videos
No videos clips for this trip, probably because our old camcorder packed in.
Map