First Vietnam Pictures ...

Panic attack ...

It seems to happen every trip ...

Had a lovley sleep in this morning ... till 10:00 ... leisurly shower etc ... and went to head out the room in search of a good Vietnamese coffee. I went to get my shoulder bag ... the one I keep my passports, camera, notebook, tickets etc ... nowhere to be found ...

Panic .. think back ...

I recall I stopped at an internet cafe just down the street ... a bit of a grungy hole in the wall place ... and recalled I'd taken my bag off my shoulder while checking my email and placed it behind the monitor .. out of reach for someone to grab it ...

I rushed down the street ... which place was it?? they all look the same... except maybe a little grungier in the day light ... I finally I found the place .. checked the computer I was at .. and it wasn't there!!! I looked around ... and there it was .. sitting on a shelf!!! I pointed to it .. and the guy gave it to me with a shrug. Everything was there ... including 100,000 dong ... which I gave the guy ... who seemed rather stunned ... but which changed quickly into a big smile and a handshake ...

... and just in case you are stunned by my genorosity ... $1.00 cdn is about 13,562.o5 dong ... ( but a good days wages in Hanoi!)

So off I went in search of my coffee.

I'm off tomorrow to Halong bay on a two day/one night trip on a Junk .... should be fun .. then I think it's get out of town time to some place a little less frenetic that Ha Noi ...

Today I think I'll go pay my respects to Uncle Ho ... so revered here ... he's on display at his mausoleum ....

Till next ime friends ...

...and more pictures

Pictures from Luang Prabang

It's a hot and steamy night here in Pakse, Southern Laos, unfortuantly I'm talking about the weather and not my social life ....

I got back to Pakse this morning after a couple of nights up on the Bolovan Highlands on my rented motorbike. (not up to Thai standards, sounds like a threshing machine) The first night I spent at Tad Lo .... found a lovley guesthouse overlooking the falls. The lady who ran the place was an older Laotian woman who had studied in France and we were able to have quite a delightful conversation. She ran the place with her children, and had the sweetest pet monkey which seemed to live on her shoulder .. no chain or anything ... It was a quiet evening .. but the food was good and the garden setting delightful.The cicadas chirping in the trees were almost deafaning!

The next day I hired a local guide "Pep" for a "trek" ... a walkabout to visit some villages back in the bush ... he didn't speak much English, but we got along well ... and it was fascinating ... in the space of five or six hours we walked about15 kms and visitd three villages, each speaking a different dialect. It felt ok to be there with someone who know the folks we were visiting rather than being part of a group traipsing thru and gawking. All had a ceremonial hut in the middle for buffalo sacrifices held on the full moon. I managed to get some lovley pictures .. but didn't take them of the people .. didn't feel right ...

Unfortuantly I'm having problems getting the file size of my pictures reduced so I can post them here .... maybe I'll have more luck in Vietnam.

That evening ... exhausted .. it is really hot here ... I rode to Saravan ... the end of the road so as to speak. It's a provincial capital .. but really just a dusty bush town. The red earth and general state of develpment really reminded me of my days in Lesotho in the early seventies. There were no falangs in town, except a few involved in aid agencies ... CARE, OXFAM and the UXO people ...

UXO (unexploded ordinance left over from the war) is such a huge problem in Laos, even today. Many are killed each year. If you'd like to know more, here's an interesting link
and here too

It's hard to believe how heavily bombed this country was, it seems so peaceful, as villagers go about thier agrarian lives ... my experiance of Laotians has been that of some of the most peaceful and respectful people I've ever met. I knew the US adventures in South East Asia were wrong in the sixties ... but it is hitting me hard how diabolically insane the bombing and fighting was, and how little responsibility is being taken for the mess left behind, which is still killing men, women and children.

I was the only one in the Hotel in Salavan ... a bit of a dreary place, and rode back to Pakse quite early this morning to escape the heat ... it was a great ride ... lot's of folks are out and about early morning ... the road was full of people, tuk tuks, bikes, geese, pigs, monks gathering alms, water buffalo and even the odd elephant.

Well it's off to Vientiene tomorrow on the "VIP" bus .. woo hoo .... an overnight a/c bus service that advertises movies, water and dinner ... we will see ... please no karaoke!!

After that it's on to Hanoi, where I'm told to expect a complete change of pace ....

So that's all for this post folks ....

It seems they came out in reverse order ....

Hurtling down the Mekong ....

I'm now in Luang Prabang, Laos .... Arrived here last night from having purchased a package deal from Chaing Mai, which included minibus to Chiang Khong - 5 hours north, Hotel, Visa help, transport across the Mekong to Laos and a six hour speed boat trip down the Mekong to Luang Prabang. Everything worked out as promised, but i began to get a little concerned when I saw the speedboat ... and then they handed out crash helmets and life jackets, and offered to sell us earplugs for $2.00! These things are the most uncomfortable conveyance I have ever ridden in .. or on .. They travel at 100kmh .. thru rapids, shoals .. what have you. The picture above is of one arriving at the spot we stopped for lunch ... They are powered by souped up 1400cc toyota engines .. with no muffler.


Anyways .. Luang Prabang is delightful ... it's a UNESCO world heritage site ... and no wonder .. one of the most atmospheric places I've been to .. surronded by jungle clad hills .. on the banks of the Mekong .... it has French Architecture in the old town, plus many Buddhist Wats and some great restaurants ... I got up early this morning to witness the monks doing their alms rounds ... quite a site.

Pictures are not going where i want them on this blog .. so I'll stop writing and post some more pictures ... They should be .. in order ... some market pictures, including an amazing fondue (for 2.50) in Chaing Mai ... a picture of an elephant and anither one from an elephants back ... and a picture of a Wat

Off on another motorcycle tour from Chiang Mai while I wait for my Vietnam visa to be processed.

Yesterday I stopped at the Elephant Conservation Centre enroute to the provincial capital, Lampang. Felt like a real tourist ... but it was great .. I got mixed in with a school group of 70 or so giggling 6or 7 year olds for the tour. There is something qute special about these huge beasts ... I went for a ride on one for about an hour in the jungle ... the mahout sat on his neck, I in the seat strapped onto it's back, holding an umbrella as we lumbered thru the jungle - very much the great white toursit - but it was a good experience ... very peaceful ... the mahout sang and talked to the elephant all the way ... stopping occasionally for it to drink or grab some begetation to eat.

I visited the elephant hospital .. very touching .. where sick and ageing elephants are taken care of, then watched the show .. a demonstration of 20 or so elephants at work. I must admit I found the whole visit quite an emotional experience .. there is something quite special about these large peaceful animals ... and the extremly close relationship with their mahouts ...

Lampang is a pleasant change after Chaing Mai, smaller .. and very few falangs (westerners) The first night I spent in the Asia Lampang hotel ... a modern 70's style hotel ... lot's of teak panelling ... a grand lobby .. full facilities ... I was so hot after riding in, I splurged on a deluxe room - air conditioned, huge, kinbg sized bed ... etc ... for the grand sum of $16.00 I slept in and was woked by drumming .... I went down for breakfast about 9:00 to be confronted with a wedding procession proceeding thru the lobby complete with giant drum pounding... quite a sight!

Lampang is quite charming ... lot's of horse drawn carriages, parks, on the banks of a river, with a great night market.

Today I rode 75kms north to a National Park with hot springs ... quite lovley .. you can swim in the pools .. a bit murky though ... or rent a private jacuzzi thing with the healing waters ... I had lunch, chose the latter .. . and followed it up with a Thai Massage. Good day.

I'm staying tonight at the Riverside Guesthouse ... much more funky than the Asia Hotel ... totally charming.

It's getting hotter ... up to almost 40 in the heat of the afternoon ... I try to ride in the morning or late afternoon ... and hole up between 1:00 and 4:00 in the afternoons ... In the evenings the night markets come to life .. amazing places .. all kinds of food ... you can buy anything at them!

Getting hungry here ... so that's where I'm off to ...