

temples with embossed gold shutters, gold stencils on black or scarlet walls, fanciful roof details and cut glass mosaics of charming scenes,









wats large and small, relevant to both ancient practices and modern life



gold cloaked monks up to collect alms at dawn and then eager to practice English with those willing


food choices that run the gamut between spicy Laos lapp to spaghetti bolognaise to croissants and lattes to schnitzel au gratin, a night market that fills the main street for tourists and a day market that clears the nasal passages for locals, boat trips and trekking trips and elephant trips, hills and waterfalls and caves, and more guesthouses than you can shake a stick at, all located at the confluence of two rivers and the base of several hills.



We drifted around trying to get information (just because there's a sign up that indicates they sell tickets down't mean they actually sell tickets or know where and when the boat/bus goes or even if it goes - we learned that you just do your own thing and hope it works out) and cash (one bank closed often and two ATMs that break down often) and tried not to get frustrated. The Lao people are lovely, sweet, friendly, happy people to engage in conversation and blank, uninformed, disorganized, incommunicative people to engage in business.
As in Siem Reap there are travellers of every description here, as there are hotels and guesthouses of every level. We met a delightful couple (well we actally met them on a long walk we took in Vangvieng) and had a thoroughly enjoyable meal (Laos style BBQ and a lot of Lao beer) at a locals sorts of place at a rickety table overlooking one of the rivers, and we also had an equally lovely meal at a French restaurant that took credit cards and featured local music and dance to reward ourselves for surviving a frustrating 'chores' day.
The Presidential palace





1 comment:
love the picture with martin in converation and the phrasing about the "day market that clears the nasal passages for locals".
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