Friday, December 30, 2011

A Relaxing Day

Yesterday was our last day in Vientiene and since we decided not to take a river trip we had an easy day.
We went to a silk weaving shop where we watched women work silk from raw silk to dying, setting up the loom and finally to hand weaving on wooden frames one row at a time. It was fascinating to see how each traditional pattern is created. Easy to see why real patterned silk is so expensive.
We sort of took the afternoon off reading and drinking coffee before heading out to the traditional dinner and dance performance for which we had reservations.
Greg, all of those traditional foods we had for lunch that day were part of the set menu but in this case they were all delicious! They presented us with soup, seven different dishes plus fruit and it was all really great. Laotian food is redeemed. The dance performances were interesting to watch- a great finale to our stay here.
Off to Luang Prabang.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Party Day

Yesterday was the 29th and the day that several restaurants and organizations held their holiday parties. Even the National Museum has only one person on duty while a staff party was going on in the backyard. So, our hotel notified us that any room cleaning would be done by 10:30Am and that all guests were encouraged to join the staff for their holiday party from 1:30 PM on.
In the AM we went to a national symbol in Laos. Phra That Luang is supposed to contain a piece of the Buddha's breastbone. After a quick sugar fix at a french bakery ( check the face in Gary's mocha), we went to the National Museum. It was interesting and a little uncomfortable to be referred to as the Imperialist Aggressors.
We went back to the hotel to check out the party only to find a happening event going on! Delicious food, lots of beer, and staff who appeared to be genuinely glad to have us, especially Greg, there. This soup with the little quail eggs was out of this world! We stayed for about 11/2 hours and when we returned at 9 PM the party was smaller but still going. We, however went to bed.
In the afternoon we went to a national prosthetic and orthotic clinic and
Rehabilitation center. This was the main center (there are four nationally) and it specializes in treatment of injuries from unexploded cluster bombs. It was a sobering experience to have cluster bombs explained and to see the documentary about these children who collect scrap metal from from the war for a living. There are still hundreds of injuries and deaths every year from bomb accidents. The sculpture is made from scrap metal.
Still too full for food, we walked along the river until Greg left for the airport.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

A Great Day in Vientiane!

Breakfasts at our hotel are a great start to each day. By contrast we have had some interesting meals at some of the tour book recommended restaurants.
In the morning we went to the large central market and then the large shopping mall next door. The asian version of shopping is always interesting to observe. How the vendors survive is beyond us!
We had lunch at a really attractive outdoor cafe, and then went to the amazing Buddha Park. Now mind you, going there means an hour Tuk-Tuk ride partly on unpaved roads- all part of the experience and really fun.
Starting in the 1950s a priest named Luang Pu began decades of creating the most amazing concrete sculptures. Luang Pu was obsessed with The Buddha and so the statues are all of Buddha and Hindu images. The huge pumpkin shaped one represents the world. It's interior is three levels representing levels of existence from the horrible underworld up to achieving nirvana at the top. The scary ones are in a chamber in the middle.
We made it back to the Mekong river for sunset. We then spent happy hour at a rooftop riverside bar. We stayed for an unremarkable dinner.
Walking back to our hotel we came upon the Beer Lao outdoor block party going strong just like last night. For a weeknight Vientiane is a rocking town!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Hello from Vientiane!

Vientiane, Laos is a wonderfully easy going town. No too much traffic, wide sidewalks on main streets, and very courteous pedestrians and drivers.
When the Laotians defeated the colonial French, they built a Laotian Arch d'triumph at the entry to downtown in 1962. We did a walking tour of the city and saw lots of temples and monasteries, some dating back to the 1400s.
We had great lunches and a traditional Laotian beverage. We decided to name Gary's lunch "open heart surgery eggs".. by the way it was very tasty.
The exchange rate for money is almost 8,000 kip per dollar so when we went to the ATM for cash we received an impressive pile of bills! The picture here is about $60 US.
After we completed the walking tour we found ourselves along the banks of the Mekong. We came across this statue of a famous Laotian king ( ok can't remember his name). As we wandered along the river we noticed that they were setting up for a night market. After we enjoyed a drink and snack at a riverside restaurant, we wandered back to find a large and active market in progress. Here is a picture of kids painting ceramics at the night market..
We ate dinner at a Korean restaurant! (there is no explaining what Americans do when they travel)
We miss you all. Thanks for reading!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Ko Samet---Island Paradise

Christmas Day on Ko Samet is not like Christmas in New England, but we did have a wonderful time!
We rented ATVs and cruised the island sampling beach after beach. Each more beautiful than the last. (pictures not in order)
Notice the rigors of this type of travel--- a stop for coffee and pastries, lunch at the end of the island, swinging over the surf, a scenic overlook.
We had dinner at a restaurant on the beach. Teams of youths who all looked about 8-10 years old performed with fire batons. People,as well as us, sent chinese lanterns aloft with a wish.
We ended the day closing first the pizza restaurant at which we had dinner then the bar we went to for after dinner drinks. These guys know how to celebrate!
Gary and Greg surprised us ladies with beautiful necklaces that are the tai equivalent of our initials. Really beautiful.
Today we had a leisurely morning and then took at the ferry back to the car for the ride home. We stopped at a rest stop for coffee and shared a courteous bow with Ronald McDonald. Here is a picture of the ferry boat we traveled back on.
On to Laos tomorrow.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas from Thailand!

We miss you all and hope you are having a Merry Christmas!

Joy, Gary, Bonnye, and Greg

Friday, December 23, 2011

Christmas weekend at an Island Resort

Yesterday Greg and Bonnye picked us up from the airport and we drove to the shore to pick up a boat to this beautiful island of Ko Samet for Christmas weekend. Ko Samet feels similar to the Caribbean and we are right on the beach. Last night we had a gourmet meal served right on the beach and then retired for the night. Looking forward to some nice relaxing time with the kids.

Elephant Day

OK, so not every tour company is as organized as some others. We had a fun day including some real laughs about what some Thai tour companies think tourists are looking for.
First we picked up the other 10 people in our group and piled into a song-they ( remember the pickup with facing seats in the back??). Cozy
When we got to the elephant camp they were short some elephants so we had to ride 2 to a seat and one on the elephant's neck. Not enough volunteers, so this poor Korean girl traveling alone got conscripted to ride ours. The path the elephants took was REALLY steep and she was scared so the mahout finally allowed her to fit in with us. Riding an elephant is fun cause you are quite high up. It's fun even when the elephant stands at the edge of a drop off and tries to reach for some tasty leaves.
Afterwards, We had lunch of fried rice and fresh pineapple and began our jungle hike. This time the jungle was dry, so even though it was steep, it wasn't slippery. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the flora and stopped frequently to show us different plants and explain how they are used for cooking and medicine. We tasted all of them- mostly very bitter.
Then came the RAFT RIDE. In the states, if you go white water rafting you have to sign all sorts of disclaimers and the river drivers are all about protecting you and protecting the raft from damage. Well, it was a bit different here. We launched the raft directly into white water and off we went! We got stuck on rocks, twirled around , went through rapids sideways and backwards, Wheee!
Towards the end we reached shallow quiet waters. We got out of the river rafts and they brought over these rafts made of about eight large bamboo stems held together with wire. It submerged under the cold water when we got on. We shot up onto our knees on the thing which was tipping and twisting all over the place but it couldn't hold the weight of the 6 people on our raft. Two people got back into the rubber raft and the rest of us floated down the now quiet waters kneeling on these "rafts" submerged up to our waist in water. No photos because we could not protect the camera from the water.
Then it was back in the truck for the ride home. All part of the adventure!