Lounging in Laos

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  Luang Prabang, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Hi Everyone,

Sorry about the 're-send' on the last few blogs, but the computer we had used in Hanoi had been acting up so we thought we'd best send them again. If you saw them once - great - if you saw them twice - lucky you!

Here is some new stuff to view...

We arrived in Luang Prabang, Laos on Saturday evening and we are loving it.
This is a great little town. Nothing at all like Vietnam or Cambodia. Here the people are laid back, relaxed and don't hassle you at all. They will ask, but if you say no they accept it and move on.

A Monk Receives His Morning Alms

We found a great little guest house right in the middle of town called Villa Champa. Champa is the national flower of Laos. It has only been open since February 2008 and is run by a very nice young family (and a few hired and friendly staff). The night clerk is called "Charlie" and he is training another young man, who we have named "Jerry" - as he asked us to give him an English name like his friend (Charlie). They are both good hard working young fellows who go to school during the day and work at night. But never complain as they are happy to have a good job and also happy to be learning in school (teacher training and English).

Every morning at 6:30 AM there is a procession of Monks that goes right by our Guest House, so we get up in the morning and watch it as they walk by and the onlookers give Alms (food donation) to them. They believe that if they give to the Monks they in turn will be blessed and it will bring them luck and prosperity. The procession usually lasts about 1/2 hour and there are probably about 100 Monks or more. We have taken some pictures, but try to be respectful and give them their space as well.

The other day we went for a boat ride on the Mekong River for a couple of hours and visited Tam Ting Caves which were just re-discovered in 1975 by a French explorer

Big Chef - Little Apron

. When he discovered the inside of the caves, he found that there were over 4000 Buddhas of all shapes and sizes inside that local people had been leaving in the caves for about 500 years.

On Tuesday we decided to go back to school, cooking school that is. Tamnak Restaurant (Three Elephant Restaurant) also runs a cooking school so off we went. First thing we did was go to the Phousi Market to learn about all of the different Laos ingredients that we see, but don't know what they are. It is good to learn about the different vegetables and spices and what we can replace them with if we cannot get them at home. In the morning session we watched as the 2 instructors created 2 dishes and then we had to re-create them. In the afternoon our instructors showed us 5 dishes and we re-created our choice of 3 of them. Of course we got to eat all the different things we made, and our left-overs we took back to Charlie and Jerry to have for their dinner. They were both very appreciative. As part of the package we receive a small cookbook with about 15 or 20 recipes, so look out when we get back you may be eating Water Buffalo or something else.

Today we had a very full day as we were picked up at 7:45 by a mini-van to take us to the "Elephant Project and Camp" where we watched the elephants eat, saw a doctor (vet) treating "our" elephant (whose name is Bonsue) who has an infection in his cheek

Breathtaking Waterfall by Luang Prabang

. Bonsue is the largest of the elephants at the center and is 45 years old, but he was a gentle old soul. He was very calm and sure footed as he took us on our journey through the jungle and across the river for about an 1- 1/2 hour. After this we took a van further up the road and got onto a bamboo raft for a gentle ride down the river back to the center. It was nice and relaxing and we enjoyed our ride as Suk and Muen, our guides guided us down stream.

Had lunch at the center and then it was off to Kuangxi Waterfall to look at the wonderful views and of course have a swim. The water was quite cool, but it was very refreshing. Also at the falls area they had a tiger and bear rescue center. The bears are called Moon Bears and they are black with a white patch on their throat. Like back in Canada, people are encroaching on their space and they are losing more and more of their environment. The tiger area was not open so not sure what this was all about. It was a very busy day, but definitely worth while as we got to see and do so much.

The owners of the Guest House have asked us if we could take some pictures of their new establishment, and help them with some ideas for their website that they want to create. While I am typing this Sharon is helping with the content portion and tomorrow we will take some pictures for them and put them on their P.C. so they can use them in the future.

As we keep saying, we always look forward to hearing from everyone back home so keep those emails coming. Stay in touch,

Norm and Sharon.

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Colourful Monks Take to the Streets	Construction - Laos Style	Crunch-a-Munch Some Lunch	Elephant Trekking in the Jungle
Market Selection in Luang Prabang	Sabai-Dee (Hello in Laos)	SMILE!!!	Street Eats - Cheap and Tasty
The Morning Monk Alm Procession	Village Vendors Start Early - Perhaps Age 6 or 7	We Bought a Bracelet off the Little Girl - Not Mom

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