10. February 2018 07:03
by Rene Pallesen
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On the last day in Luang Prabang we went to the local ten pin bowling alley.
We had heard and read that this is the place where things are happening in Laos. When we got there the place was totally deserted apart from a few staff members.
We did play bowling and it is a bit surreal to play by ourselves in this fairly modern centre in Laos.
They didn't have any support rails for the kids, but Aiden especially did really well and the kids managed to beat Kim on points.
9. February 2018 07:03
by Rene Pallesen
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8. February 2018 22:03
by Rene Pallesen
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8. February 2018 22:03
by Rene Pallesen
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7. February 2018 21:03
by Rene Pallesen
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For getting around the towns in Laos we mainly used Tuk-Tuks. These are small motorbike powered minibuses and the experience can be very mixed. Most of them are generally good, but some have bad brakes have a plume of smelly two stroke engine smoke trailing behind them. We could easily fit our two families into one and I'd joke that there would even be room for another couple of adults.
The kids loved the tuk-tuks and have the fresh air blowing in their hair while riding.
The only downside is that you'd never quite know what the fare would be until you started bargaining and from town to town the fares seemed to be very different. Even though I believe I am reasonable proficient at bargaining, I'm still confident that we paid more that the locals would be paying for the same trips.
For the longer trips we would catch either local buses (mini vans) or in some instances it was worthwhile us hiring a private bus as we were enough people to fill it.
From Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang we hired a private van taking us across the mountain pass at Kasi. Last time I went through here it was in an open bus and at the pass it was raining and really cold. This time round we had a beautiful clear day with a great view of the valley below from the top.
The week before they had a lot of rain and a landslide had taken out large parts of the last section of road (I read in the local newspaper a few days earlier that the road was closed). Our little van was struggling getting enough grip and our driver had to reverse to get enough of a run-up in the next attempt to make it through the steep and muddy section.
The larger trucks were really struggling getting through.
6. February 2018 16:03
by Rene Pallesen
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The morning markets are interesting. This is where the locals still go to buy their fresh produce and all kinds of specialties are being sold here. It would be easy to go here and get the ingredients for some really delicious food.
There are also some unusual things that we don't see in our western kitchens. such as:
Dried Squids:
Fresh fish - of cause, but this have sharp teeth.
A protein and herb table that would make most chefs (and diners) salivate:
The Chillies in Lao are more hot than in Thailand - We loved the heat.
A pig:
River crabs:
Beetles:
Dried rats:
Caterpillar - these are yummi when fried:
Frogs:
River snails:
Dried squid, shrimps and fish:
5. February 2018 16:03
by Rene Pallesen
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5. February 2018 16:03
by Rene Pallesen
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4. February 2018 22:02
by Rene Pallesen
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A two hour boat ride north of Luang Prabang is the Pak Ou cave. Since we were traveling two families the best way to get there was to hire a slow boat just for us.
The flow boats are long narrow boats that are ideal for navigating the Mekong River. This part of the river is full of underwater rocks but the boats seem to navigate these treacherous waters with ease.
Having the boat for ourselves gave us more flexibility with regards to how long we wanted to spend at the cane and also meant that we have more room to move around.
The front of the boar is where the captain sits and steers the boat. After this there is a section for the passengers followed by a small pump toilet and then the living quarters for the captain and his family. Out the back there is a small kitchen for them to do the cooking.
The cave is upstream into an area full of limestone mountains.
The many boats moor at a long and wobbly floating bamboo bridge that takes you to the cave itself.
The cave itself is not big but it is full of small Buddhas that have been put there over hundreds of years. You can tell that this used to be an important place of worship.
Now however the place is so crowded with tourists (guilty here too) coming in on boats that it is hard to move around. I could not stop myself from taking this photo of Buddha holding up his hands to stop more boats arriving.
At the top of the hill the hill there is what I think is a more 'pleasant' cave. It is equally interesting and much less crowded because most tourists don's make it up the many steps to the top.
4. February 2018 16:03
by Rene Pallesen
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