Saturday, April 16, 2011

Laos: Turquoise waterfalls and morning alms


Laos is a truly unique country.  It has a pace, and way of life that is distinctly different from its neighbors.   When compared to Vietnam or Cambodia or Thailand, life in Laos is so much more tranquil and laid back.  The cities aren’t anywhere near as crowded and you can actually find a small piece of riverfront where you can relax without having to tune out the constant din of honking horns and other urban noise.  You can cross the street in Laos without having to dodge a gaggle of motorbikes.  Me and chantra really enjoyed our time in Laos.  We only had about 10 days in country, but we tried to make the most of it.  We crossed the border from Thailand, at Udon Thani, without much trouble and spent our first few days in the Vientiane, the capital. 


Vientiane is considerably smaller than the other major cities of Southeast Asia and just like the rest of the country; the best word to describe it is sleepy.  Luckily it was small enough that we were able to walk to all the major attractions.  We climbed Paxuthai (the Victory Gate), visited the Buddha Park, and hung out on the shores of the mighty Mekong.  The locals were kind, and helped us find our way more than once.  I am however surprised to find that Laotians looked much more like Vietnamese people than Cambodians or Thai.  Their skin is lighter and their features were very much like my own.  Also, there is a very large number of Vietnamese living in Laos.  In fact, Vietnamese, along with Thai, is widely spoken in Laos.  This definitely made getting around a bit easier. 
 After our brief visit to the capital we hopped on a local bus and headed for the holy city of Luang Prabang. The bus ride was very comfortable when compared to the buses in Nepal but it was still a 10 hour ride. That part was terrible but in the end it was totally worth it because Luang Prabang is an incredibly charming and beautiful city. It’s filled with monks and temples and retains a heavy HEAVY French colonial influence. I can see why UNESCO awarded it the status of being a world heritage site. Me and Chantra witnessed the daily morning alms ceremony where the locals kneel by the roadside and offer little bits of rice and food to a procession of over 400 monks. There was a simple yet sublime beauty to this ancient ritual. Afterwards, we also took a 72 km bike ride to Kuang Si where we ate lunch next to an incredibly beautiful waterfall. Its clear turquoise green waters flow over lush mountainous jungle where it finally comes to rest in three beautiful pools. 10 days was definitely not enough time in Laos. I look forward to visiting the country again, hopefully, when I have more time. Next, its time to go home...Vietnam.

Grilled fish stuffed with lemon grass, papaya salad, rice, beer.  $5

Buddhist temple built as a joint effort between Vietnam and Laos.


Female monk performing morning prayers.



Vientiane from top of Paxuthai.

Local girl selling skewers.

Two young monks on the way home.


The Laotian portion of the Mekong river.

Koh Soy.  Spicy rice noodles with minced pork.



Kuang Si Waterfall

What can I say?  I love dogs.

On the way to Kuang Si.




Rice Porridge.  Laotian style with a stewed egg.

Raw minced beef salad.




Can we all say spicy?





Morning Alms procession.





The crepe lady.  We got coconut and chocolate.  MMmmmmm!



Some classics rides on the streets of Luang Prabang.















No comments:

Post a Comment