Lazy Laos

After an extremely lazy stint in Southern Laos, we write from Ubon Ratchitani, a large city in NE Thailand. We've been in some remote places, hence the lack of blogging, but are catching up now. Unfortunately, all the photos on this post and from now on will be from Colin's camera, as Amanda's was stolen in Pakse, which wasn't our favorite of places. We will be home soon, and are looking forward to seeing everyone. We'll be making our way to the South of Thailand to get some beach time in before having to go back to the real world. Till then. . .


Rice sausage. And 7 Eleven. We must be back in Thailand!
Yet another waterfall in the Bolevan for your viewing pleasure.
This sunset was particularly relaxing after driving for 150km in the Bolaven. The area that we stayed in was very remote and beautiful, with jungle covered hills all around the rice fields in the valleys.
Amanda zipping down a dirt road on the Bolaven. We rented a motorbike for three days from Pakse, the provincal capital, and drove about 350km around the highlands here. This is where the majority of Laos' coffee comes from, which is in turn where most of the coffee in SE Asia originates.
Amanda fashioned an umbrella out of a leaf to hide from the spray of a waterfall on the Bolaven Plateau. There were many waterfalls in this area, but this one was particularly breathtaking, with a huge drop into a churning pool below. We climbed down to the water's edge and scrambled through a cave there, where we could see a perfectly circular rainbow.
A local girl leads a water buffalo from his wallowing grounds in the Mekong. The point that they are heading from is supposedly a favorite haunt of Irriwaddy Dolphins, which are extremely endangered. We tried our luck at getting a peak, but instead spent about 40 minutes gazing at Cambodia in the distance.
Li Phi falls on Don Khon in 4,000 Islands. This massive waterfall was lined with fishing weirs at every rapid that the locals use to gather up tons of fish. This waterfall and many others around Si Phan Don were also an important historical factor in the region. The French couldn't get their ships past them to get at the many resources in Laos. To get around this, the French did build a short railway line in Don Khon (the only tracks they ever laid in Laos), which is now defunct.
Fabled Si Phan Don, or 4,000 islands, set in the widest stretch of the Mekong which spans 14KM at this point. The community here is still reliant on fishing, although tourism is booming and has been prevelant for many years. Rickety bungalows line the river front for bargian prices (we paid $1.90/night) although many of them aren't that stable. Ours was lofted about 25 feet over the water and shook when you walked around.
Temple gaurdian at Wat Phu Champasak. The site was a pre-Angkorian temple dedicated to Shivalinga worship. The site was chosen because it was at the base of a mountain shaped like a shivalinga (aka "Penis Mountain") which is the headwater of a sacred stream. The temple itself housed a shivalinga that was constantly bathed in the sacred water. Now, like most Hindu temples, it houses a large Buddha.
Ruins at Wat Phu Champasak. Note the naga and frangipani tree overtaking a wall, a classic SE Asian archealogical site. The site was less reconstructed than many other sites we've seen, which left more to the imagination and excited Colin.
Our Mekong river ferry on the way to Champasak. It was actually three boats held together by a bamboo platform that fit about 8 cars, several ladies selling noodles and of course hungry passengers.
Tad Lo waterfall, the second waterfall up the stream from our bungalow. There was a great water hole for swimming near here where the locals jumped in the current, almost getting swept away but always catching themselves before the next tier.
A particularly majestic water buffalo in a perfect water buffalo stance. There were usually cows grazing here, but one day there were only water buffalo to be seen on the banks of the river. Observing things like this occupied our time in Tad Lo. That and reading, napping, playing "Kineto" with some French people and going for walks. We also became friends with Mama Pap and her family, who ran a restaurant in the small village and cooked very large portions of food.
The view from our bamboo bungalow's balcony in Tad Lo, Laos. From here we could see the waterfall, the cows graze, the water buffalow wallow, women washing clothes and men fishing. It was perfect, we stayed over a week.

Karst Fest: Halong Bay and the North

Outside of Ninh Binh, Vietnam we found "Halong Bay in the rice paddies." We explored the area by motorbike and ended up on some back roads that kept on going forever. We stopped off at a small village (maybe 10 houses) for an ice cream and what looked like a home-brewed fruit spritzer from a nice lady that probably rarely sees white (devils) people.
Cat Ba National Park, Halong Bay. Our guide was a freaking monkey, he would run up the steep and slippery trail, wait for everyone to pass and then run ahead again. He climbed this rickety tower which was only supposed to hold 5 people at a time (which we saw after all 15 of us came down) and posed for photos. The park is beautiful and the climb steep, but the views amazing at the top. It looked like Jurassic Park, minus the dinosaurs of course. We spent the night on the island for the second night of our Halong Bay tour.

Colin, kayak steerer and power paddaler, stops for a photo in the early morning.
Kayaks lined up at a stop over in Halong Bay. We were told that there weren't enough for everyone on the boat to go at the same time (which was obviously not the case), so we went early in the morning for a little cruise around the karsts.
Amazing Halong Bay, Vietnam's redeeming beauty, with thousands of karst formations jutting out of the sea. We took a three day tour through the bay, cruising the karst and visiting a cave on the first day, then swimming in the bath-like waters and sleeping on the boat in the evening. The following morning we woke up early for kayaking, more cruising, and headed to Cat Ba Island, one of the largest in the bay. We almost didn't make the trip out here because of the hords of tourists, but it was one of the best places we saw in Vietnam.
Just some of the tourist boats that were lined up outside of the cave waiting for their passengers to be hustled through. We slept on one of these in the bay during our first night out.
A cave that we visited during our trip to Halong Bay. There were were at least 700 people in this cave at any given time, but it was really huge and even with all the other tourists was the best cave that we have seen on the trip. They also had these cool lights illuminating the stalagtites that added to the eerie and striking view.
Taken at the Temple of Literature which was the first University in Vietnam in Hanoi. On the backs of the turtles are lists of all the people that earned PhDs in a given year. The King proctored the exams himself, showing how important education has always been in Vietnam. Within the grounds there was a temple to Confucious, whose teachings were the basis of an old school Vietnamese education.
Amanda strikes a pose in the shade of an entrance gate to a Nguyen Dynasty King's country retreat which is now his burial monument. This particular building housed his many concubines. We rode here from Hue in the stifiling heat on bicycles and passed an open art gallery that was part of the festivities while we were there.

Vietnam's Skinny Waist

In a few hours we will be off to Hanoi on a night bus. Instead of sweating our shirts wet and scrambling through the crowds of people that are in Hue at the moment, we decided to update our blog for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Motorbikes zooming over the bridge in Hue city towards the festivities.

We were soooo lucky to stumble upon The Hue Festival when we arrived in Hue. Too bad the communication on what was going on was non-existent, so we didn't actually see anything special aside from the hords of people and motorbikes out for our blood. This photo is Amanda standing in front of the old Citadel. Hue was once the Imperial Capitol. Note Uncle Ho in the background, who is pretty much big brother. He is everywhere.

Included in our over-priced city tour ticket was a cultural performance hosted at the craft center in Hoi An. The traditional dancing was the best part since we lost at the "bingo" game, which was a tradional folk game where two singers would draw wooden sticks with words that they would make up songs about. If you had the stick with the word they sang, then you won (a lantern in this case).

China Beach, in Danang. Sound familiar? This was the nicest stretch we found motorbiking from Hoi An to Danang. Most of it was scrub dunes with lots of construction. We wondered what it looked like in the 60's and 70's.

Colin with fat Buddha at yet another temple in the Marble Mountains. Other SE Asian Buddhas are very serious and graceful, but in Vietnam with the Chinese influence you get happy, fat, lucky Buddha who brings you money money money! Much like Santa Claus.

A large pagoda on the side of Marble Mountain. We didn't know what it was built or used for, but it was very striking. We met a woman from the US on our climb who was a seafood quality inspector for the US government that was extremely friendly, something we are not used to with the stand-offish locals and arrogant Europeans.

Some intricate details on a temple on Marble Mountian, near Danang. All the ornamentation is made out of broken pottery, like an old school collage.

Eggs, eggs and more eggs. Take your pick at the Hoi An market. The ones on the bottom left are quail eggs, delicious. You can also get fertilized duck egg, a very popular snack for the locals. It looks like you're eating a fetus, we have yet to try it.

The Japanese Bridge, built in the 1500's. Hoi An had strong trading ties with the Japanese and Chinese which was displayed in the architecture. There was a small temple in the center of the bridge and was gaurded on either side by dogs and monkeys (it was started in the year of the dog and finished in the year of the monkey).

Taken from the small peninsula across the river in Hoi An (also where we got some clothes tailored) this photo shows some of the crumbling historical buildings of this once major trading port. There were about 300 tailor shops in town, distracting Amanda and making Colin bored.

Cham ruins on a hill outside of Nha Trang. The Chams were once part of the Angkorian Empire from Cambodia. This ruin was pretty well reconstructed and had three praangs which once held shiva-lingas (Hindu phallic symbols).

Taking a moment to cool off after riding our bikes along the coast in Nha Trang. A small harbor with mountains surrounding the bay.

A paraglider whiping through the wind on Nha Trang Beach. The island across the way was a Vietnamese style adventure park/resort with a cable car connecting it to the mainland. The city ran right up to the beach and was crowded with locals in the evening when the locals would go for a swim fully clothed (the electricity here has been on and off because of the drought and many people look for a different way to cool off). During the heat of the day the beach is pretty much deserted, except for trash.

'Nam: From Bustling Cities to Cool Highlands

Sinh Chao! from Vietnam. We are writing you from Dalat, in the central highlands where we have stayed for the cool breeze, steaming soy milk and the beautiful countryside. We have seen the south of Vietnam pretty well, starting off in the Mekong Delta and staying in Can Tho and Vinh Long. We then made our way to bustling Saigon, an extremely modern and friendly city where we met some nice locals and soaked up the culture. On to beach bumming, we spent two busy days in Mui Ne, touring the long stretch of beach on two wheels and searching for the famous sand dunes. The cloudy and windy beach reminded us of home with waves crashing into the sand, churning up the shells. Which brings us to where we are now. Tomorrow we will loop back to the coast to the city of Nha Trang. For now, we leave you with photos of Vietnam so far, heavy on the food for our biggest fan (you know who you are).


Our favorite after-dinner treat found near the market of Dalat. This woman sells three types of soy milks: cocoa, green bean and regular. You can get a steaming cup of soy milk with any of these delicious pastries for about $.50. We have made friends with the young boy on the left and tell him that we will "see him tomorrow" everynight. Our loyalty has kept us in Dalat for about 4 days now, tonight we will have to say goodbye for good (so sad!).

A well deserved bowl of stew after our 5 hour hike which ended in cool rain showers and clouds. We're not sure what its called, but it came with fresh shredded lettuce, mung beans and basil to add and was pretty tasty.

Colin on the peak. At 6,600ft it was a little chilly, a fact compounded by the ominous rain clouds that lurk in the background. The views from up here were still amazing and well worth the sometimes grueling climb through the jungle to get here.

A view of the trail through the pines on Lang Bian Mountain. We took a couple of detours from the "trail" (it was a paved road with jeeps zooming past for most of the way) to wander through the woods.

A view from the base of Lang Bian Mountain outside of Dalat. We rented a motorbike and rode out here, where we hiked to the peak (the tallest peak that is).

Colin stops for a treat in Dalat. This one is flattened rice with sesame seeds covered with a quail egg and spring onions and grilled to perfection.

Amanda poses for a photo, Asian style in the "Crazy House" in Dalat. It is a hotel that was built by an artistic local woman who studied in Russia. Each room has a different theme and small and curcuitious passageways connect them.

The city of Dalat in the cool central highlands of Vietnam. It was a treat to sleep with a blanket and wear long sleeves in the cool evenings! Finally we can eat pho without sweating into our bowl. We have found a little piece of the northwest here with a mountain to climb, wine to drink, and tandem bicycles to rent. This photo is of the bustling city center, where in the foreground a construction worker pounds some cement.

On our last day in Mui Ne we found the Sahara, or at least something looking like it. There were many kids at the base of the dunes offering to rent little sleds to bomb down them. We, being lame-os, opted out and just appreciated the views of the sand and sea beyond.

Amanda enjoying the cool breeze atop one of the many famous sand dunes around Mui Ne. We rode some rented bikes in search of the Sahara-like dunes we had heard about, but found only these. Impressive none the less.

A line of fishing boats on the beach in Mui Ne. Many boats here in Vietnam have eyes painted on the fronts of them. We don't really know why, but possibly to guide them safely home. Mui Ne beach stretches for 20km and has many sea walls instead of sand to protect the land from the powerful waves of the South China Sea.

On our last day in Saigon we visited a Fine Arts Museum housed in an old French colonial building. This statue was called "Villagers, learn to hate your enemy". There were many propaganistic paintings of valiant Viet Minh soldiers fighting the aggressors, much like in the War Remanants Museum that we saw the day before. It has been interesting to learn more about the Vietnam War (called the American War here) through the eyes of the Vietnamese people.

The city streets of Saigon were clogged with hundreds of motorbikes. Zebra stripes aren't a safe haven, ever.

One of the many large governmental buildings in Saigon. Saigon is a suprisingly clean and modern city, comprable to Kuala Lumpur. We spent three days here, museum hopping, urban hiking and visiting the zoo. We also drank our fare share of bia hoi and met some friendly locals in the process.

After the market we took the boat around a small island to see the production of tapioca based noodles. Then we crept through some mangroves. The boat captian took a break to make us some flowers out of palm fronds and teach Amanda how to do it too. Colin stepped up and rowed the boat for a while.

A market seller at a floating market surveying the area. The pajamas that she is wearing are ubiquitious in Vietnam, they look amazingly comfortable in the heat. The market had many large boats full of fresh fruits and veggies, as well as smaller ones hawking soup and coffee. It was quite a sight just to see a bustling market floating by as our guide stood in the back of the boat rowing us along.

Sunrise over the Mekong as we wake bright and early for a tour of one of the largest floating markets in the delta. From the description in our guide book we expected the delta to be covered with rice paddies and small towns. What we saw was one nearly continuous city from the border with Cambodia to Saigon. This tour on the Mekong was the one exception.

Bia hoi, quite possibly the cheapest beer in the world. Bia hoi, literally meaning fresh beer, is brewed for immediate consumption and can pack a punch at 5% alcohol for a minimal $.40 a liter. Not too shabby and pretty ngon (Vietnamese for delicious).

Colin oddly nearly gets bit by a penguin while discarding some trash in the Mekong Delta, Can Tho. A lot of the trash cans in Vietnam are shaped like animals, a touch of cute city planning we haven't seen for a while (trash cans alone being the city planning, penguin shaped ones being cute).

Our first bowl of steaming hot pho bo. We have searched near and far, eating pho every day to find the perfect bowl. This first one still takes the cake as the best (in Can Tho, Mekong Delta area).

Crossing over (by foot) from Cambodia to Vietnam we see paved roads and our first taste of triumphant Communist architecture. The border post leaving Cambodia was a wooden shack, the one for Vietnam a large, modern looking building. Lurking in that building was our first Vietnamese con-man, taking us to "catch a bus" where he tried to charge us $30 for a two hour ride which we knew only cost $2. We blew him off and found our way back into town, obviously.