Our Entourage

Because it was Sunday, our driver had his kids with him for the day (three girls and their friend in purple) and asked if we minded if they came along. Not only did they hang out with us for the ride but he let them walk around with us for the day while he hung out in the parking lot with the tuk tuk. They spoke very little English but we had a blast with them and got some great photos. This one is early on when they were still being shy.

Angkor Day 2!

Today Angie and I hired a tuk tuk to take us to a few more ruins around Angkor Wat. Below is my favorite one. I actually liked this one better than the actual Ankgor temple because this one had no tourists! (yes there are a few in the picture but they showed up as we were leaving).

Vientiane to Siem Reap

On our way from Vang Viang to Cambodia, Angie and I spent a day in Vientiane and while I don't think you would need more time than that, it's actually quite a nice little city. We found JoMa Cafe and had lunch then walked to COPE, a rehabilitation and visitor centre for victims of UXO's (or bombies). What an amazing place! They provide medical care, artificial limbs, rehabilitation services and help people to not only learn to survive but get back to their daily lives. Really cool experience! After that we took a tuk tuk out to That Louang and I have to say it is probably the most beautiful temple I've seen yet. Unfortunately, I was too engrossed in taking pictures with my camera I didn't take one with my phone. But take my word for it, they were beautiful. Solid gold, elaborate temples with manicured gardens and a massive lying down Buddha. The best part as we arrived right at sunset and got some amazing photos. Really good day.

The next day we hopped an early flight to Siem Reap, haggled a good deal from a nice van driver who helped us find a good guesthouse and then biked to Angkor. This city is so full of contrast. There are $300 a night hotels lining the streets and palm trees and paved roads so that while biking to Ankgor you feel like you're in LA. And then there is the extreme poverty - the beggars on the streets asking for food, the children carrying babies asking you to buy them milk. Last night I saw a tourist grab a little boy because she'd for some reason given him $15 USD (I believe she thought she was buying milk for the baby?) and then he tried to run off. She'd grabbed him and was shouting at him, threatening to call the police if he didn't give her money back. She was shaking him and he was crying. Some other tourists intervened and made her let go of him and the kid ran off. All this over $15 - something that woman would have spent easily on one meal yet half a months wages for someone here.

Ankgor was pretty (an amazing architectural feat, very beautiful) but full of tourists - a little like disneyland without the rides. I ended up having to buy a t-shirt to go up to the third level of the temple (apparantly my scarf wasn't good enough) I was a bit choked, and felt like I was just being conned into spending money, but on the way out of the temple we passed a woman who was clearly down and out, begging. I offered her my t-shirt and she almost cried she was so happy. It made buying the shirt worth it. We'll go back tomorrow to check out some more temples and i'll get some pictures.

After Ankgor, Angie and I found the Children's Hospital and I gave blood for the first time. Another awesome day.

I survived Vang Viang- with only a few bruises and a lot of great memories to show for it.

I spent a total of three days in Vang Viang and I have to say it's been a blast, due in full to the great group of people I was with (same group from Luang Prabang). A tiny little town along the river, Vang Viang is full of bars, restaurants, internet cafes and drunken rowdy 20sthgs wandering around with dazed looks on their faces. Though we tried twice, each time we got talked out of tubing (the river was really low because it's dry season and so apparently tubing isn't much fun) so instead us oldies spent our mornings eating at the Friends/Family Guy/Southpark restaurants (comfy little restaurants that show endless episodes of one of the above series) and the evenings at the bars at the start of tubing playing beer pong (with whiskey), collecting bracelets, dancing and jumping off the platforms. I had my best valentines day yet in Vang Viang, bonded with then said goodbye to my kiwi and auzzie friends and then began my journey with Angie (who brought me a stack of Lara bars from home, yay!) Vientiane today then on to Cambodia tomorrow!

Best breakfast ever!!

This morning I woke up at 5:45am, showered, got dressed and then realized it was 6am, not 7am, went back to sleep for an hour and got up feeling knackered. I was in serious need of a coffee. Charlotte and Kyle found this amazon place and I got a proper big cup of coffee with coconut milk, an omlette for breaky and gluten free brownies for desert. Off to Vang Viang!

Oh Luang Prabang....

In the past three days I: got up early to watch the monks collect their alms, pedaled around the city (two people on a single, three on a double), visited temples, went to the national museum, had a Lao massage, ate gelato, partied with some locals, kayaked on the Nam Ou and Mekong rivers, went through rapids and learned peanuts grow in the ground, visited Pak Au caves, had a waterfight with some village kids, learned how whiskey was made, saw sunset #2 up Phu Si, watched a movie (Drive) in the top of an artsy cafe, got up early to teach English to local Lao people, discovered a place that made me an iced coconut latte, got a new book (Shantarm) to learn more about India and booked my flight from Bangkok to Delhi. Sigh. I love this place.

The Alms Giving