March 4 & 5  Vientiane, Laos                                                                                                                  

Leaving Bangkok at 9AM March 4 we took a 55 minute flight to Vientiane, Laos.  Even with such a short flight we were given a lunch on the plane. (I never got one on the 8 hour flight to Hawaii but this was Bangkok Airways not a US airlines.)  We hardly had time to eat it before we heard the cutting back and getting ready to land.

Going through customs was interesting and long lines.  We had a couple of papers to fill out and then go through line to get a visitor's visa and then through customs.  The American influence was noticed when I received American money for change when I gave them Thai bahts.  There are many Americans here visiting.  Looks like Vietnam era men are bringing their wife back to see the country. 

We then hired a taxi to take us to the AV Hotel. 

My first impression of Laos was dirty and not as pleasant as Thailand.  This was a wrong impression.  Later when walking around I found it is actually cleaner and more modern.  (I have not seen an eastern toilet here and hard to find a western one in Thailand.)

Took a long nap.  Batty and Brian went out to take a view of the surroundings.  We went to a nice Cafe about a half mile from the hotel.  No pictures today.  Found out Batty likes a dessert as she wanted to go to a bakery and got a piece of choclate cake.  I got an almond cookie.  They are to be known for their bakery items.

 

A very nice hotel.

A buffet breakfast and a small menu lunch

 

My queen sized bed

 

Western toilet

 

They have a different key system both here and Thailand.

You use a regular key to unlock the door and then put

the door number part into a holder on the wall and that

turns on the electrical in the room.  When you leave just

pull it out of the box and in a couple of minutes the lights

and AC go off.

 

 

 

March 5

The cafe where we ate with the workers

and David and Viola Hermanson

 

After lunch we were going for a walk but Brian

decided it was nap time.  After his nap we did go

for about a 2 mile walk.

 

 

Cars do drive on the right side of the road as in

America but they do not know how to park.

Where ever there is a parking place just pull in if

it is the direction you are going or not.  If no parking

place just use the sidewalk.

 

Banyon tree and exercise equipment in the park

 

Taxis waiting for a passenger

 

Park on the Laos side of the Mekong River

 

Evening market booths

Anything is sold here, mostly clothing

and tourist items

 

Laos and Communist Flags

 

Sunset over the walkway and Mekong River

As it is not the rainy season and has been no rain

for a long time, the river is about dry.  Can walk

quite a ways on dry river bottom.

 

Brian and I on the walkway by the river

 

Different temple roof

March 3 - Back to Bangkok                                                                                                        


Up early for a 7 AM taxi ride to where we boarded a plane for Bangkok.  We took the hotel shuttle to our hotel where we met Batty's college friend and her friend for a day in the city.

We first went to a cafe on the river and had a very fresh lunch.  They actually took the fish out of a trap in the river and fixed it for us along with shrimp in various dishes.  The best was the grilled shrimp. 

The city was very hot but on the river it was very nice, could have sat their all afternoon with a good book.

 

 

Our table on the river

 

Towards the shore from our table

 

Looking over the river

Lots of traffic on the bridge

 

Our lunch

 

Brian got tired of more sitting so we put his

monkey leash on him to keep him out of the river.

 

 

It stated to rain HARD.

First rain since I arrived

I had already come up to the land before it started.

The staff brought unbrellas to help the others come up.

 

 

The girls found a rubber bouncing rabbit for Brian to

play on.  The leash again helped keep him out of the

river.

 

It rained hard for about 15 minutes but not long or hard

enough for the flooded streets.

Their roads are flat across with no drainage along

the edges so it just gets deeper on the roads and

looks and feels like flooding.

 

 

 

Vegatation along our route to mountain - March 2                                                                                   

As we were driving to the mountains we were in the orchard area of Thailand.  As it is winter here (you'd never guess it) most of the trees are just leafed out not in bloom or with fruit.  Toon told me the names of these trees but since I do not know the language the names did not stick in my brain.  She was very happy when she did see some fruit on a tree.  Many of the trees were some type of tree.  If I know the name of the fruit I will add that information.

 

It is sweet potato harvest time.

These sticks are the way sweet potatoes are planted.

The sticks are full of buds and are layed in the ground.

I saw truck loads of sweet potatoes going to market.

They are really nice and large.

 

Lotus

We stopped at on of Bee's friends homes.

This is in a large ern in her front yard.

 

Bee, Toon with me

 

papaya tree

 

durian fruit

Neat little place to have lunch - March 2                                                                                            

 

There were several places around this little pond

that you could sit and eat your lunch.

They came to the tables for our order and went to

a central kitchen to fix the meal and sereve it here.

 

Where we ate

 

 

These are the flowers Hawaiians make leis from

Bird of Paradise

 

Orchids

 

 

Fountains across from where we ate

 

Cambodia,  March 2
                                                                                                                                                     

No I have not gone into Cambodia but have looked into it.  We went to the mountains and looked across the valley into Cambodia.  Very hazy that day.  The 3 I was with were so anxious to show me that view.

 

 

A lake where fishing and lotus growing is done

 

 

Lotus farming

 

 

Fishing in the lotus

 

Temple in the middle of a city

 

Khao Phra Wihan National Park 

Entrance into the National Park

They have parks like we do where you have to pay

an entrance fee. 

 

Cambodia

 

hazy hot humid day

 

Toon and Bee with me

 

 

Bee and her husband with me

 

 

 

 

Mushroom Farming                                                                                                                                 

Many mushrooms are eaten in Thailand.  I had heard that they grow many different kinds and wanted to see a mushroom "farm".  The high school near where I sleep and the lady of the house teaches, invited me to come and see their mushroom growing operation.  It is still very small and has only one kind of mushrooms.

 

The teacher who teaches the mushroom class.

I lucked out as she is married to a man from

California so she speaks English very well.

He teaches is Sisaket.

 

 

The building where the mushrooms grow.

The room is darkened with the black mesh.

The mushrooms need to be watered several times

a day.  Here one of the girl students is watering them.

They can not be watered from the front as no water is to

get inside of the bags.

 

 

There are 1,000 of these white bags in this room.

They had just been harvested a couple of days

before so there are only few growing out at this time.

 

 

Some  are growing out of one bag and are started

in a couple other bags.

 

 

New mushrooms

 

Next to the mushroom house are 6 cement tanks where fish had been raised.  That teacher went to another school and now they are looking for someone to take her place.  When the fish got so big they were put into ponds down the hill from the tanks.  When the floods came a couple of years ago they lost all their fish.

 

Both the mushroom and fish projects are what they call the king's project.

He is working to better the country in many ways.