Luang Prabang, Laos
Arieh here. As I wrote we arrived here a few days ago--me and my two wives (see picture of previous post). Our good friend, Sue R., joined us in Vientiane (only 24 hours late). If I thought travelling with only one wife was a challenge, I should have known better. Trying to get two women to do what I want is far more difficult than pulling the wool over one set of eyes. The Lao people think this is really quite funny--me travelling with two wives. Some have offered me a third wife from Laos; some look sorry for me. Sue has been quick to point out to one and all that she is not Wife Number Two (WNT). Val (WNO) is quite serene and secure in her demeanor and position and I keep milking this for all it is worth.
Whatever Sue's status it has been a lot of fun travelling with her. She has provided a fresh set of eyes to our two pair of well-travelled eyes. We set off one day on a walking tour of LP and, by golly, we were going to see every pagoda and stupa listed or the day would be a failure. Val's wanting to stop for a coffee break after only one hour of walking was met with a look of astonishment and disbelief on the part of WNT. Thankfully, WNO prevailed for I was ready to stop as well.
We have successfully recovered from our unexpected itinerary change and have had a lot of fun here in LP. Two full days of trips on the Mekong have compensated us for missing out on the two days we would have had from the Thai border. In fact, the two days on the Mekong around LP were probably better--we were able to stop at sights around town and the 3 of us were in control of our boat. (see picture) We also met some people who did the trip we missed. There were more than 40 on the boat and one woman gave birth on one of the days. Life on the Mekong is very different here than in the Delta (Vietnam). Much less populated, quite mountainous (albeit hazy from the "slash and burn" rice field-clearing technique), and more kids and adults playing or washing by the riverside.
We even stopped for a photo-op with some kids bringing the water buffalo back home. The kids were standing ("look, mom, no hands") on the back of the water buffalo as the water buffalo walked.
One of our stops was at a pottery making village. We were able to walk around, visit (albeit not able to communicate) with the locals and try our hand at some potter making. The whole family is involved in whatever a particular family does. Kids mush the clay, parents do the real big jobs, kids help show the tourists and then try to earn a little pocket money by selling some of their own little creations.
The sunsets are really quite different here at this time of year and in this part of Laos. We have been sitting at restaurants about 30 metres above the level of the Mekong and watching the sun set. Around 5:30 (both here and in Vientiane) the sun is a red ball and then disappears into the haze not to be seen until the next morning. The odd part is that it disappears about 60 minutes worth of time ABOVE the horizon. The sunrises are the reverse. The sun finally breaks through the haze around 8 AM, well after sunrise.
Finally, Luang Prabang has a great outdoor night market. Everything produced in the area is brought in every night and sold to anyone willing to walk up and down the main street. With the warm weather, it is quite a nice idea.
No comments:
Post a Comment