During our October break we went to Laos, the lush,
mountainous, landlocked country surrounded by
Myanmar, Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
We made three stops: Vientiane (capital),
Xieng Khuang, and Luang Prabang.
 |
| The Golden Stupa, Vientiane. Even at sunset it shimmers. |
|
There are hundreds of monks in Laos.
 |
| The Patuxai (a.k.a. Arc du Triumph of Vientiane) was finished in 1968 to symbolize independence from France. |
 |
We climbed up 400 steps to the top of the ginormous, concrete monument and had a great view of the city.
|
 |
| After exploring the night market in Vientiane, we flew to Xieng Khuang the next morning. We opted for the 40-minute flight because driving would have taken over 10 hours! |
 |
"Why go to Xieng Kuang?" you ask?
Well, this is where you can find the Plain of Jars.
There are hundreds of 2,000-year-old stone jars and millions of unexploded ordinance from bombings in the 1970s. I felt a strange mix of awe and sadness while doing a quick watercolor sketch...and yes, I'm sitting on a broken jar. |
 |
| It's not often that you get to launch rocks with a borrowed sling shot on a mysterious archeological site. |
 |
| Despite all the bombing and looting, some ancient relics remain, like this 17th century seated Buddha in Muang Khoun. |
 |
| These children are taking straw to the fields to feed the water buffalo. |
 |
This stupa, called That Chomsi, was built in 1576 and is nearly 100 feet tall.
Ten minutes before this picture was taken, it was stormy and gray.
|
 |
| When you ask people in Laos if the food they are serving is spicy, they will say "No." However, what they probably should say is, "I grew up eating these red hot chili peppers my whole life and they are not spicy to me, but to Westerners like you, it might be an excruciating culinary experience." But I guess it's just easier to say no. |
 |
| There's nothing like sampling a red hot chili pepper that is drying on the roof of a thatched-roof house in the Laotian mountains. |
 |
| During the 8-hour drive from Xieng Khuang to Luang Prabang, we stopped for a brief rest at this mountainside cafe. Imagine the sound of chickens and their chicks, wind rustling through the trees, and birds chirping a sweet song. |
 |
| This modern temple fresco in Luang Prabang represents the hundreds of Buddhist monks whose only means of eating is to collect alms from villagers and tourists. |
 |
| You won't see sports jerseys, Levi's jeans, or polo shirts hanging on laundry lines around here! |
 |
| You wouldn't know that Laos suffered through several decades of strife, war, and brutality because there is such a sense of tranquility both in the statues and people. |
 |
Kuang Si Falls features several cascading waterfalls. We were told that this is the "dry" season and that the falls we are standing under are small. Imagine getting sprayed by a thousand spray bottles every 5 seconds! There is also an Asiatic Black Bear sanctuary on this site.
|
 |
| I really admired the multi-tiered roof architecture of Laotian temples. |
 |
| When in Laos, one must travel along the Mekong River. We traveled north for two hours to see some Buddhist caves. |
 |
| Stunning. |
 |
| The Buddha images range from new plastic models, to bronze statues, to this termite-ridden wooden figure. Although damaged, it still has a beautiful, natural quality to it. (They probably should have called Terminex ages ago.) |
 |
| Deep inside one of the caves, the only available light was from this shrine candle. |
 |
| We decided to have lunch...prepared by us! So we joined a cooking class and visited the local market. |
 |
I didn't know there were so many varieties of rice.
|
 |
There is no styrofoam or plastic packaging used in this market.
|
 |
| Ahhhhh. Barbecuing a green chili while rice steams in a palm-woven basket. |
 |
| You won't find cans of Del Monte veggies here! |
 |
| This sweet concoction of sugar and coconut milk will go perfectly with my mangosteen and bananas. |
 |
| Fried lemon grass chicken. The bottom of the lemon grass is thinly sliced to create a basket to hold minced chicken. Try ordering that at KFC. |
 |
| Minced water buffalo, steamed fish mok, chicken satay, sticky rice, and Laotian salsa. |
 |
| Remember the temple fresco earlier? Here's the live version at dawn. |
The night market, temple tours, mountain views, fresh food, Plain of Jars, and Mekong River were just a few of the highlights of this trip. I added another country to my haircutting checklist, finished my watercolor sketchbook, took many pictures, and saw several more incredible sunsets. Another fantastic October break!
