Category Archives: Laos
Don Khone
How wonderful it was to wake up and amble out onto the balcony of Pan’s Guesthouse. I took a look around “town”. It was a lovely day today not in the sense of beautiful sunny weather but in the sense of cool weather that made it easy and comfortable to pedal around the island. I headed out of the little village, pedalling slowly and enjoying the panorama. It was a rough road and on either side were banana trees, bamboo trees, frangipani trees, chickens, water buffalo, rice paddies, and all manner of thick tropical vegetation. It was gorgeous and tranquil: laid back Laos at its best. I first went to see the Li Phi waterfalls around which was a park and viewing station. I found it comical that they were in the process of constructing a rotunda which evidently was going to house cafes and maybe a souvenir shop but to access the waterfall viewing station there was only a narrow plank slapped down across a ditch. The Mekong was browner that I expected but, as it was the end of rainy season, the swollen river gushed frantically over the rocks. A path followed the river downstream for a bit. … Continue reading →
From Don Khone to Champasak
It poured rain in buckets last night and the streets were still wet today. The skies were grey and overcast with a dubious forecast so I decided to pack up and leave. Janna, my Danish neighbor raved about the beauties of Champasak.”So nice”, she kept saying. Why not check it out? The Laotian Way? I bought a ticket that was to take me straight through to Champasak. The plan was to board a boat to go to Nakasong whereupon a minibus would take us to Muang whereupon we would board another small boat that would take us to Champasak. Things started off well. The boat ride along the Mekong was gorgeous and lasted for a good half-hour which gave us time to appreciate the lush greenery of the 4000 or so islands and islets. When we got to Nakasong, a ramshackle village on the river, there was some confusion and negotiation about the minivans. We waited for it all to be sorted out and I was placed into one minivan that already had some people in it while the rest of the small group was placed in another. We traveled along for about an hour and a half and … Continue reading →
Champasak
Today I was able to fully appreciate what a magical place Champasak is. In the morning I took a tuk-tuk to the temple Vat Phou, spectacularly situated against the backdrop of high mountains. The Vat Phou Temple is older than Angkor Wat. In fact it was the earliest of the Khmer temples and was dedicated to the god Shiva. As noted by UNESCO: Wat Phu “was shaped to express the Hindu vision of the relationship between nature and humanity, using an axis from mountain top to river bank to lay out a geometric pattern of temples, shrines and waterworks extending over some 10 km.” The setting is extraordinary. The crumbling stone structures are tucked between the mountain and a vast plain that stretches off to the horizon. There were far fewer tourists than Angkor Wat but I would not say that it was deserted. It was a steep climb to get to the inner sanctuary. The steps were narrow and high. This is the easy part: Everyone was huffing and puffing, plus it was sunny and hot. I’m glad that I did not follow the hotel’s advice which was to take a bike for the 10 km. I would not … Continue reading →
Pakse
Today was a day of ups and downs. I was really sorry to leave Champasak this morning, particularly as the day started off with such a beautiful tableau of monks receiving alms from the villagers. I especially liked that the dogs were there first, waiting for the monks to appear. Right outside my window! I got a minivan at 8:45 which took me directly to the Hotel Pakse in Pakse. It was a pleasure just walking into the hotel, graced with a spacious and stylish Art Deco Lobby. I was also pleased with my room with a view. Finding something interesting to do in Pakse however, turned out to be a challenge. Since the hotel was next to the river, I headed down there first thinking that there would be a walk or something to see but no luck. There was nothing there. Buy now of course it was getting hot so I decided to take a tuk-tuk to go to the Don Huang Market. Compared to busy town such as Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, Pakse is relatively quiet. It was an important port town during the French Colonial period And there are a number of crumbling colonial buildings … Continue reading →
Pakse to Luang Prabang
I decided not to take the excursion to the Bolaven plateau because it seemed like too much time on the road and a very foreshortened trip since I had to be back to take the plane. Instead the plan was to rent a bike get started early in the morning bike around a little bit, come back for lunch and a shower and to cool off and then relax in the afternoon before heading to the airport at 3. It didn’t work out that way. I got on the bike that I rented from the hotel and peddled happily for about 20 minutes along the river before I noticed that it was not just a flat tire but the whole rear wheel had basically come apart. Boy was I angry. I had to drag the bike back to the hotel in the sun all of which took about a half an hour out of the morning. I gave the hotel rental agency hell about the whole thing but I didn’t really feel like renting another bike. Number one I no longer trusted them to rent me a bike that wasn’t going to fall apart and number to losing that much … Continue reading →
Luang Prabang
The aggravation of the day before soon dissipated and I fell under the spell of Luang Prabang. My first stop was the morning Market which I actually liked a lot more than the night market previously. This was much more local. They were practically no tourists whatsoever. Women sat next to their tables displaying spices, teas, fish, fresh vegetables, herbs, jungle honey. It was really laid-back. Now I naturally gravitate to the river. The stroll along the river was peaceful and relaxing. There were very few cars. The road was lined with a lot of guest houses on one side and a few people selling local snacks and fruit drinks on the other . The banks of the river were lush and it was easy to walk even though there was no Promenade. I walked along for a while past boat docks where boats leave on various excursions including a Sunset Cruise that I intend to do at some point. I was considering whether I should take the slow boat to Pakbeng. The problem was that it takes 7 hours to get there and 7 hours to get back. So essentially I would lose two days out of the trip … Continue reading →
Luang Prabang Waterfalls
Whether Asian or Western the breakfast here is terrible. No matter. I set out early for Wat Xieng Thong, the richest and most elaborate temple in Luang Prabang. It took a half an hour to get there not the 10 minutes that the hotel manager, Kim assured me. It didn’t matter. It was a pleasant walk along the riverfront. The the main Temple was begun in the 16th century but other parts of the temple complex were built later. It was every bit a royal Temple. In addition to the gilded wood on the exterior I was also amazed by the mosaic in Japanese glass. It was the style that I had seen yesterday in the Royal Palace but never anywhere else. The temple is still very much a place of worship. In the chapel of the sleeping Buddha, also called the red Chapel, there were gifts of Buddhas from the villagers in addition to the ancient sleeping Buddha. There was also the Chapel of the Sacred Buddha that had a mosaic with a tree outside which represented the tree of Illumination. On the inside there was a long trough that serve to bring the grand Buddha out on the … Continue reading →
Luang Prabang: Of Monks and Caves
The day started at 5 a.m. which of course is not my preferred time to start anything. But the procession of the monks is one of the highlights of Luang Prabang and the monks start it early. It was dark and quiet as I made my way to the night market which was of course closed but that’s where the monks make their procession. It’s a tradition here and elsewhere that bumps leave the temple at dawn and local worshippers give them alms, mainly sticky rice. The only people out that early were people who sold sticky rice that you could give to the monks as well as a few other treats. Little plastic stools were placed along the route so worshipers could sit down and wait for the monks to come along. It was nice being out on the cool, dark, quiet streets. Soon the streets begin to fill up, mostly with tourists. Unfortunately the procession although a local tradition has become kind of a tourist spectacle. I noticed outside of a number of temples there were signs posted asking people to please respect the tradition and to not make noise and should not use flash. It is permitted … Continue reading →
Luang Prabang: Back to School
Cooking school, that is. 12 of us gathered at Bamboo Tree restaurant at 9 this morning. Over coffee and tea we scanned the little recipe book that the restaurant had provided us. We were all happy and excited to begin learning how to make these wonderful Laotian dishes. We selected a total of 6 dishes including spring rolls fried and fresh, fish in banana leaves, stuffed bamboo shoots, stuffed lemongrass, and of course sticky rice. After the selection we all piled into minivans and a tuk-tuk and headed for the local market. Linda, our teacher and Chef for the day, was a delightful and personable young woman with excellent English. Going through the market was a revelation. We discovered baby eggplant In two sizes, one no larger than peas. We learned that Thai Basil and Laotian basil are two completely different herbs! There was also a vegetable called water grass which was not in any of our dishes but which I had seen on various menus. We we saw a number of items that were not to be used in our dishes such as dried fish, and dried rat. After the market we headed back to the restaurant where the … Continue reading →