Laos
Given that we only had a 15 day visa and were pressed for time, our tour through Laos was short and sweet. We split our time between Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane.
Luang Prabang (Great Prabang) was originally called Muang Xieng Thong (City of Gold) and was an important capital city until the capital was changed to Vientiane in 1545. The city of Luang Prabang has only been open to tourists since 1989 after the fall of the USSR and has been deemed a Unesco World Heritage site since 1995 due to its magnificent temples and archeological finds in the surrounding area. It is a unique mix of Asian & French culture & design due to its former status as a French Colony. Here is a picture of the Sala Pha Bang, a pavilion on the Royal Palace grounds. Wade was lucky enough to see the arrival of the King of Cambodia to the Royal Palace. Unfortunately, we do not have a picture as it was a chance encounter and he was without a camera.
Walking down the streets of Luang Prabang is a curious experience. French bakeries, art galleries, tourist companies & tribal people are all intermixed in a collage of old and new alike. Tales of a grand city of long ago are lurking around every corner. Here is a look down one of the city streets.
On our second day in Luang Prabang Shari, Eamon & I went mountain biking (Wade stayed back to nurse an unpleasant reaction to the Laos cuisine). We visited a nearby local village. This was the bridge to the local village and is a “typical” Laos bridge. Every year it gets wiped out in the rainy season when the river swells. The locals all pitch in and rebuild the bamboo bridge in a matter of 5 days!
We also visited the village school. This is the local school yard…a little different from how I remember my elementary educational experience!
We had a very long & windy bus trip from Luang Prabang southward to Vang Vieng on March 16, 2006. The scenery along the way was fantastic, as we wound though high passes in the mountains and then through local villages in the valleys. Here is a picture of the scenery.
The best way to describe Vang Vieng is rustic & bizarre. There are no paved roads in the city and everything is under construction. Water trucks are continually bumping down the roads spraying water in order to reduce the dust and loose gravel on the roads. Here is a look at some of the local vehicles you often see making their way through the city.
On the bizarre side of things almost every restaurant in the city has sleeper type tables where people can fully recline and enjoy continual episodes of The Simpsons, Friends or other popular American TV shows. We soon discovered the reason behind this is that most tourists in this town are high from the “Happy” Shakes offered on the menus. Here is a picture of Shari & I enjoying a Shake. Happy or not???? If you can’t tell...neither will we!
Besides getting high, Vang Vieng’s claim to fame is tubing down the Nam Song river in a tractor tire. Of course we had to partake in this and I must say this is the real deal “Lazy River” and not the Disney like version that exists at Atlantis in the Bahamas. Best part is that there are a multitude of vendors selling BeerLao at all points on the river. When you get thirsty, make your way to the shore and a barmaid or man will hand you a long bamboo stick to pull you into their bar. Most of them also offer a jump off of some sort of trapeze back into the river. Peter, this picture is for you…eat your heart out!
And here is a Vang Vieng sunset.
After a lazy day in Vang Vieng, we pulled ourselves together and made a 3 hour bus ride further south to the capital city of Vientiane. Unfortunately, we could only rush around and see some of the highlights due to a lack of time. We did manage to cover a lot of ground in one day. Here is a picture of the Patuxai, a monument resembling the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It has 4 archways, rather than its Paris counterpart that has only 2. Although it looks like it Parisian counterpart, when you get close up it reveals a lot of Lao features.
After a dose of culture…Wade and I wandered into the jungle to turn a scary beast into stone.
Just kidding…we actually visited the Xieng Khuan (Buddha Park) that is a park full of unconventional Buddhist and Hindu sculptures. I think this would be a scary place at night!
I also think Tomb Raider may have been inspired by this place.
Very strange indeed …
Okay….this is the last one.
Next stop...Vietnam!
Luang Prabang (Great Prabang) was originally called Muang Xieng Thong (City of Gold) and was an important capital city until the capital was changed to Vientiane in 1545. The city of Luang Prabang has only been open to tourists since 1989 after the fall of the USSR and has been deemed a Unesco World Heritage site since 1995 due to its magnificent temples and archeological finds in the surrounding area. It is a unique mix of Asian & French culture & design due to its former status as a French Colony. Here is a picture of the Sala Pha Bang, a pavilion on the Royal Palace grounds. Wade was lucky enough to see the arrival of the King of Cambodia to the Royal Palace. Unfortunately, we do not have a picture as it was a chance encounter and he was without a camera.
Walking down the streets of Luang Prabang is a curious experience. French bakeries, art galleries, tourist companies & tribal people are all intermixed in a collage of old and new alike. Tales of a grand city of long ago are lurking around every corner. Here is a look down one of the city streets.
On our second day in Luang Prabang Shari, Eamon & I went mountain biking (Wade stayed back to nurse an unpleasant reaction to the Laos cuisine). We visited a nearby local village. This was the bridge to the local village and is a “typical” Laos bridge. Every year it gets wiped out in the rainy season when the river swells. The locals all pitch in and rebuild the bamboo bridge in a matter of 5 days!
We also visited the village school. This is the local school yard…a little different from how I remember my elementary educational experience!
We had a very long & windy bus trip from Luang Prabang southward to Vang Vieng on March 16, 2006. The scenery along the way was fantastic, as we wound though high passes in the mountains and then through local villages in the valleys. Here is a picture of the scenery. 
The best way to describe Vang Vieng is rustic & bizarre. There are no paved roads in the city and everything is under construction. Water trucks are continually bumping down the roads spraying water in order to reduce the dust and loose gravel on the roads. Here is a look at some of the local vehicles you often see making their way through the city.
On the bizarre side of things almost every restaurant in the city has sleeper type tables where people can fully recline and enjoy continual episodes of The Simpsons, Friends or other popular American TV shows. We soon discovered the reason behind this is that most tourists in this town are high from the “Happy” Shakes offered on the menus. Here is a picture of Shari & I enjoying a Shake. Happy or not???? If you can’t tell...neither will we!
Besides getting high, Vang Vieng’s claim to fame is tubing down the Nam Song river in a tractor tire. Of course we had to partake in this and I must say this is the real deal “Lazy River” and not the Disney like version that exists at Atlantis in the Bahamas. Best part is that there are a multitude of vendors selling BeerLao at all points on the river. When you get thirsty, make your way to the shore and a barmaid or man will hand you a long bamboo stick to pull you into their bar. Most of them also offer a jump off of some sort of trapeze back into the river. Peter, this picture is for you…eat your heart out! 
And here is a Vang Vieng sunset.
After a lazy day in Vang Vieng, we pulled ourselves together and made a 3 hour bus ride further south to the capital city of Vientiane. Unfortunately, we could only rush around and see some of the highlights due to a lack of time. We did manage to cover a lot of ground in one day. Here is a picture of the Patuxai, a monument resembling the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It has 4 archways, rather than its Paris counterpart that has only 2. Although it looks like it Parisian counterpart, when you get close up it reveals a lot of Lao features.
After a dose of culture…Wade and I wandered into the jungle to turn a scary beast into stone.
Just kidding…we actually visited the Xieng Khuan (Buddha Park) that is a park full of unconventional Buddhist and Hindu sculptures. I think this would be a scary place at night! 
I also think Tomb Raider may have been inspired by this place.
Very strange indeed …
Okay….this is the last one.Next stop...Vietnam!
posted by The Adventures of Rena & Wade | 11:19 PM
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