Big, slow, long boat down the Mekong River.
All the happy passengers. I spent some time with the three people in the front right after arriving to Luang Prabang. What you can't see is that the boat has nearly double this many passengers; they are either in the very back or in front of where I am standing.
A good morning: a good book, an OK cup of Nescafe instant, but excellent scenery.
Sights along the river.
Long boat and rising moon.
Sights.
And sunsets.
Boats, boats, everywhere.
Fishing the Mekong.
Limestone cliffs upon nearing Luang Prabang.
Pak Ou Caves as seen from the river, 25km outside of Luang Prabang. The caves are filled with many images of Buddha.
Arriving in Luang Prabang. It is time for everyone to exit, including monks and...
...roosters, bicycles, tables, chairs, bags of rice, etc...
French colonial style wall with flowering tree in Luang Prabang.
At the monastery, the monks' clean robes out to dry.
Sticky rice drying in the sun. After drying they are fried and like deep-fried rice krispie crackers.
I couldn't have a photo album of Laos without a picture of beer Laos paraphernalia. Beer Laos is pretty much the only domestic beer in Laos, with no real competition. For a mass-brewed beer, it is pretty OK.
Kuang Si pools and waterfalls about 35km outside of Luang Prabang. The water really is that color...it was beautiful.
It might seem strange to us westerners, but pretty much everywhere you go in South East Asia there is a "no shoe inside"policy. Can you guess where this sign is? Yep, you got to take your shoes off to enter the Internet cafe.
Setting up for the night market in Luang Prabang.
Kids playing with tire outside a house on the way from Luang Prabang east to Phonsavan.
The Plain of Jars outside of Phonsavan. Archaeologists believe that the jars were used 1,500–2,000 years ago, but they aren't certain. Experts also have theorized that the jars may have been used as funeral urns or perhaps storage for food, but again, no one knows...it's a mystery.
Jar with a lid. If only it was a cookie jar...
A bomb crater amidst the Plain of Jars from the Vietnam War era.
From 1964 to 1973 Laos was saturated with bombs during the Vietnam War. Per capita, Laos is the most heavily bombed country in the world. Even today, the threat of unexploded ordinances (UXO's). Where is this picture? The Plain of Jars. Why the red X? Yes, you are correct. You cannot walk that way because the area is still not 100% UXO free... "Lao PDR has the unwanted distinction of being per capita the most heavily bombed nation in the world. Between the years 1964 and 1973, the United States flew more than half a million bombing missions, delivering more than two million tons of explosive ordnance, in an attempt to block the flow of North Vietnamese arms and troops through Laotian territory. The ordnance dropped include more than 266 million submunitions (known as “bombies” in Lao) released from cluster bombs...is estimated that up to 30% of all ordnance did not explode. Such unexploded ordnance (UXO) continues to remain in the ground, maiming and killing people..." http://www.uxolao.gov.la/
While in Phonsovan, it was the "courting time" for the Hmong youngsters, since they just finished bringing in the harvest from the field. They play a game of sorts, more just a mean for small talk and hanging out. The game consists of throwing a tennis ball back and forth. It is a chance for the young men and women to converse and get to know each other more.
Heels? Oh yes.
At another Plain of Jars site. In this field next to the Jars, the only place that is definitely UXO free is if you walk between the white markers...
It was very sobering to be in this beautiful, quiet place and reflect that 30 plus years ago this was a war zone. While the war may have ended, the negative effects still inhibit the Laos people to this day. Farming a new field, plowing, digging a hole...all of these activities carry with them the possibility of hitting a UXO and either dying or becoming seriously injured. In this field, again, the only truly safe place to walk is between the white lines...how long will it take to clean an entire country?
Fields for cultivation.
In my guest house in Phonsavan...leftovers from the war are a daily reminder in this living room.
Inside my guesthouse.
Different bombies (already exploded of course). However, these are the type of UXO's that harm children most frequently because they seem on initial impression more like a toy than a deadly weapon.
Outside a restaurant in Phonsovan.
