Vientiane...Day 4

This morning we went to the Temple of The Heavy Buddha which houses a bronze Buddha image which is several tonnes. The monks were really friendly there and they were reading magazines inside.

In the afternoon we went to the Lao National Museum which is in the former French Governor's mansion. There were many displays related to the French colonialists and the American imperialists. Also on display was the former President's exercise equipment. Towards the end there was a special display of confiscated heroin and amphetamines in a glass case as well as tools used by "bad elements" to steal motorcycles.

Tonight we are taking the overnight bus to Pakse.

Vientiane...Day 3

Today we got a tuk tuk 24 km out of town to the Buddha Park. It was a beautiful park on the banks of the Mekong, opposite Thailand. It was full of Buddhist and Hindu sculpture by a man who merged the two philosophies. There was a huge reclining Buddha and a pumpkin shaped monument which you could go inside of. Inside you could walk through earth, heaven and hell on different levels and on the top there were great views of the entire park.

Vang Vieng to Vientiane

The day before yesterday we went tubing down the Nam Song River. It was 4km and took about 3 hours. It was so relaxing!!! There were lots of little places to stop along the way and the Laos would throw out a stick to pull you to shore. Towards the finish little kids ran out to help us get to the end by using our thongs as paddles.


Yesterday we got a real 'VIP' bus to the captial, Vientiane. The bus had air-conditioning so its top speed was only 30 km per hour but it got us here. We found a nice place to stay and found a really lovely restaurant built in an old French colonial mansion.

Today we rented bicycles and rode out to Patuxai first. It is similar to the Arc de Triomphe but referred to as "a monster of concrete" but it did have nice views from the top. It was built from American cement which was donated for a new airport so the locals call it "the vertical runway".



Next stop was Pha That Luang, the Lao national momument. It was beautiful and completly covered with gilt gold.


Next we went to Wat Si Saket, an amazing temple with 1000 niches containing a 1000 pairs of Buddha images. The inside of the main Wat had painted murals on the walls which were nearly 200 years old. There was a storage area for broken and melted Buddha images from the 1828 war with Thailand.

Finally we went to Wat Si Muang which houses the city pillar and is therefore the home of the City Guardian Spirit. On a little pillow there was a stone Buddha and we watched people lift it off the pillow as they asked it questions.

Vang Vieng

The guesthouse in Phonsavan offered to take a group of us back to the bus terminal in a van. We were in a rush and they pointed to an old van with a flat battery. "If you push, it will start". We were staying outside an old Russian airstrip and everyone joined in pusing this van around the strip. A Dutchman finally said these vans won't turn over on a push. A jeep was pointed out. "Go in that!" We piled in but all couldn't fit. Lorna took off running to the main street to track down a tuk tuk. Those remaining decided to take over the jeep. We could get it started but no one could drive it so back to pushing the van. Suddenly they could take us in a real van if we paid an exorbidant amount. No! So the man who orignally was going to take us ran away and hid. Luckily Lorna came back with a tuk tuk. We piled in and made it to the terminal with a minute to spare. A "VIP" bus turned out to be an old crappy bus with rice bags and boxes down the isle and live chickens on the seats. Only 5 hours of driving through the mountains and locals being sick and we were in Vang Vieng, one of the most beautiful places we've ever been. We are right on the river and will go tubing down the river this afternoon.

Phonsavan

Left Luang Prabang yesterday morning after seeing 300+ monks recieving their morning alms. We got a tuk tuk to the bus station and got on the oldest and crappiest bus in the station. We knew we were in trouble when we saw plastic seats in the isle. When they finished overloading the bus and rechecked everyone's tickets 3 times we were off. It wasn't a good sign when we were handed plastic sick bags because we were sitting in the back. It was bad!!! Driving through the mountains for 8 hours. Many of the locals got sick along the way and we were SO happy to get to Phonsavan. Today we went out on a day tour from our guesthouse. We stopped at The Plain of Jars first. It was amazing!There were 343 huge stone jars scattered across the hills. Nobody knows why they are there but they are 2500-3000 years old. One had a figure of a person carved into it and there was only 1 with a lid. From there we went to see a hill that was covered with bomb craters from the secret US bombing during the Vietnam War and our guide showed us a live bomb in the middle of the field! From there we went to a Hmong village where are guide was from. Many of the houses were built with the shells of huge bombs. We saw how they make Lao Lao, a distilled rice whisky (45% alcohol). Our guide's uncle invited us to his house to celebrate the Hmong New Year. We walked in and there was a huge pig hanging from the ceiling. We sat down and they passed around Lao Lao and explained the ritual of drinking it. When that was finished they gave us all this food! There was sticky rice, pork, pumpkin soup and vegetables. We were each offered a piece of pork fat and by eating it would bring good luck to the village for the year. The meal ended with more shots of Lao Lao. Everyone was so friendly and I'm sure they saw us as the local entertainment.

Luang Prabang...Day 3

Started the day at Wat Wisunarat, the city's oldest temple. It is famous for its 'watermelon' stupa. The temple had several gilded wooden Buddhas inside. Next door was Wat Aham which was covered in 100 murals inside. From there we walked to Wat Thammothayalan, a monastery which was at the top of the hill overlooking the city. There was a cave shrine, a Russian anti-aircraft cannon and a Buddha footprint. Next to the Wat was a huge golden stupa that is lit up at night. There were amazing views from the top.
This afternoon we got a bus to Tat Kuang Si waterfalls. It was so beautiful and the water was light blue. The main waterfall was huge and there were several swimming areas below. In the area there is a rescued tiger and Asiatic moon bears.
Decided to splurge on a nice restaurant tonight. Had 4 waiters looking after us, more food than we could eat and our glasses we refilled every 5 minutes. Total bill... $11.10.

Luang Prabang...Day 2

Last night we checked out half of the night markets which starts just outside our guesthouse. They have some really beautiful Hmong handicrafts and the typical tourist t-shirts as well. Today we went to the Royal Palace Museum where the Royal family lived until they were taken away and sent to a cave prison by the Pathet Lao (Lao Communists) in 1977. They all died within 4 years. The grounds were beautiful! There were reception halls with murals painted on the walls and the King and Queen's bedrooms were left in their original state. There was a room full of diplomatic gifts from foreign countries, including a boomerang from Australia and a moon rock from the US (cheap compared to the gifts from countries like Burma and Cambodia). Outside they are building a temple which was planned by the monarchy but not started until after their deaths. When it is finished it will hold the country's most important Buddha image. Tonight we are going to see a performance by the Royal Ballet Theatre.

Luang Prabang, Laos

We FINALLY made it to Luang Prabang after 3 days since leaving Chiang Mai. We took a bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong where we crossed the border to Huay Xai. The next morning we got on a boat to Pak Beng. The boat was CRAP!!! The boat was only 5 1/2 hours but we had to get on 1 1/2 hours earlier to reserve a plank of wood to sit on. We arrived in Pak Beng (aka Rat Town) at dusk and found a crap shack to stay. We knew it was going to be bad... but it was much worse!!! The bed had fleas but we were lucky there were no rats! Lorna was really sick during the night and it was even worse because there was no electricity. The next morning we got back on the boat 1 1/2 hours earlier, again. This boat was more up market because it had a few mini van seats. The scenery was nice and shortly after we left we saw a wild elephant on the beach that had come down from the mountains. 8 hours later we arrived in Luang Prabang. We have never been so glad to get some where! We found a cute place called the Luang Prabang Bakery Guesthouse with the night markets just outside. Today we walked to Wat Xieng Thong, the most beautiful Wat in town. It had a royal funerary carriage house with funeral urns for members of the royal family. There was an ordination hall and a rare reclining Buddha. The outside of the building was covered in glass mosaics of village life.

Chiang Mai...Day 3

Had an easy day today. Got a Sawngthaew (pick-up truck with 2 benches in the back) 16km up the mountian to Doi Suthep. We walked up the 307 steps to the top where there is a beautiful temple and amazing views of Chiang Mai. In one of the temples we were blessed by a monk with holy water and the monk's assistant (monks can't touch women) tied a white bracelet around our left wrists for good luck. An elephant carrying a relic of Buddha picked the site and there is an amazing gold stupa there with 5 tiered umbrellas. It is one of the holiest temples in the North.

Chiang Mai

We caught a bus from Ayuthaya to Chiang Mai on Tuesday night. It was the King's birthday that day so the bus couldn't come into town so we were picked up by 2 motos and driven to a cafe where we got a tuk tuk back past where we started out and to the highway. The bus met us on the other side of 4 lanes of traffic so we had to run to the other side with all our bags. The bus was crap!!! Mum said the bus she took to Chiang Mai 25 years ago was alot better because it had shock absorbers and a gear box. We arrived 10 hours later and found a little guesthouse after 4 attempts, not many vacancies in town. Had a rest then walked to the night bazaar (700 metres long and on both sides of the street). So many stalls and interesting things for sale.

Hand carved soaps


Hairclips


Today we walked around town to see some Wats. The first was Wat Chiang Man, the oldest Wat in town with crystal and marble Buddhas.




Then we walked past the Three Kings Monument.



From there we walked to Wat Phan Tao, a beautiful teak building with a big golden Buddha.


Next stop was Wat Chedi Luang, built in 1441 with a huge stupa restored by UNESCO with full sized elephants and a replica of the Emerald Buddha.



Then we went to see Wat Phra Singh, the most visited temple in Chiang Mai. As we were leaving we passed a parade with a school marching band and monks!


The last stop was Wat Prasat, the oldest unreconstructed temple in Chiang Mai. It was beautiful with gold stencils of Buddha's life painted on the walls.



Tomorrow we are going to Doi Suthep, a temple on a hillside just out of town. Then we are taking a bus to the Thailand/Laos boarder the following day.