Upstream on the Mekong

On the boat

Please see previous post, Luang Prabang, if you want to read about this trip in chronological order.  If not, have at it!  At 6:45am a tuk-tuk transported us to the charter dock in Luang Prabang to board our Luang Say long boat up the Mekong.  We hustled on board, trying to find the best place to camp out on the large "slow" boat, which could hold up to 40 tourists..... and found out that we were the only customers for that trip.  It's good to travel in the off-season!  So, this was a commercial-sized Mekong touring boat outfitted with comfy wicker chairs and sofa, and a dining table where our meals were served to us.  REALLY GOOD meals.  Probably haven't mentioned that I gained about 5 pounds on this trip...  A short distance upstream were the Pak Ou Caves, a centuries-old repository of hundreds of buddha statues that are too damaged or disfigured to warrant a temple altar.  It was an amazing vision, climbing up ladders inside limestone walls with black streaks of oxidation to find rock shelves lined with hundreds of tiny buddhas and some larger standing buddhas as well.  Further upstream, we visited a village where they made textiles from cotton and silk, and whiskey from rice.  That night, we stayed at the Luang Say Lodge, a beautiful open structure with about 16 bungalows set on the river bank.  It was a lovely spot that we had to ourselves - a glass of wine on the veranda and an incredible Laotian meal in the open-air dining room.  It seemed criminal to spend so little time there, as we arrived at dinner time on the first day and left after an early breakfast the next morning.  The next day we visited another village and then passed the point where the left bank of the Mekong became Thailand (previously, we were wholly in Laos).  We arrived at Houei Sai on the Laos side, went through Laos customs, took a ferry across to Thailand - the "ferry" was a small long boat for the four of us plus the pilot - then were processed through Thai customs on the other side, in Chiang Khong.  After a harrowing ride in a mini-van, we arrived at our hotel in Chiang Rai - stay tuned for the next posting...

Pak Ou Caves

View from Luang Say Lodge

Pak Ou Caves

Village and rice paddy

Buddies

Textiles woven in the village

The Luang Say boat

Luang Say Lodge

Who's on first?

Storm brewing

Luang Prabang

This is the first of three posts of our recent trip to Laos and Thailand - we just got back last week.  Chris' brother and sister-in-law, Pete and Mary, decided to make a trip to Southeast Asia, so we joined them in Luang Prabang, Laos, took a trip up the Mekong to the Golden Triangle, spent a few days in Thailand around Chiang Rai and made a quick excursion into Myanmar.  Covered alot of ground in a week!

View from Phousi

At Wat Xieng Thong

Luang Prabang is enchanting.  Chris and I had been there once before, with our dear friend, Joni, but when the opportunity arose to visit again, we jumped at the chance.  The town was at the heart of a thriving kingdom of Lane Xang Hom Khao, the Land of a Million Elephants and the White Parasol, around the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and at one point, was a vassal state of the Siamese kingdom of Sukhothai.

Wat Xieng Thong

Situated where the Khan River dumps into the Mekong, it is surrounded by green mountains and exudes serenity, culture and the spirituality of the temples and monasteries there.  It is a magical place and in 1995 was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so although it is gaining popularity with tourists, hotel development is strictly limited.  It still has a slow feel to it, with many cafes to sit with a Lao beer or a coffee (Lao coffee is awesome), and tuk tuks as the principle means of transportation.

Ringing the afternoon bell

We arrived on a Thursday afternoon, spent all-day Friday, and left early on a Saturday morning to catch a boat up to Thailand.  So, the one full day, we all made the most of it.  While Pete and Mary visited an elephant sanctuary, the All Lao Elephant Camp, Chris and I strolled around town, visiting temples, cafes and markets that we had missed during our previous visit.  As markets go, the night market was amazing, as it had grown considerably since we had been there 5 years ago, and now covers 5 blocks down the main road which is cut off from traffic from 4:30pm on.  Items for sale were essentially handicrafts, including textiles, carvings and silver, mostly made in Lao, Vietnam and China.  A day and a half in this town was not nearly enough..... might have to go again....

Naga, protector of the Lao

Around Town

In Chinatown
outside temple

Singapore Botanical Gardens

Tire-size lily pads in 
Singapore Botanical Gardens

It's been a while since the last post.  August has been busy, with travel and family, so wanted to inject a quick posting with some interesting pics.  A little over a week ago, Chris' brother, Pete, and his wife, Mary, arrived, so we have been revisiting some of our favorite haunts in Singapore with them.  For the long holiday weekend (end of Ramadan), we had a car, so went many places with Lucy Blue, including some new locations - we don't seem to run out of new discoveries here! 

We really covered some ground, so these few pictures don't really do it justice.  During the week, we went to Chinatown, Arab Street, Tekka Market in Little India a couple of times.  And of course with every visit, we sampled the local cuisine.  Once again, we had an incredible lunch at Eight Treasures Vegetarian Restaurant in Chinatown, including Black Pepper "Chicken" that really wasn't chicken...

Over the weekend, since we had wheels, it was mostly about what we could do with Lucy Blue, and there is plenty.  We went to Tanjong Beach at Sentosa, which was blissfully uncrowded, especially amazing on a holiday weekend.  We visited the Botanical Gardens, which WAS crowded, but still gorgeous.  Pete, Mary and I visited the National Orchid Garden inside the the park, while Chris waited outside with Lucy (that is one of several sections where dogs aren't allowed).  Later that day, we went to Bukit Brown, a large tract of undeveloped land that contains an old Singaporean cemetery and many walking trails.  It was a beautiful spot with many imposing and very old headstones.  Unfortunately, a highway will intersect the park in the future, so believe it or not, we saw a trailer for families to register for "exhumation", for those whose ancestor's grave sites are affected.  Progress....

At the Botanical Gardens

One evening, we went to the hawker stands at East Coast Lagoon where we indulged in Chili Crab, bbq'd stingray and a few other dishes.  I think the Chili Crab was mostly consumed by Chris and Pete.  A bit too messy for me.  And it was so good, we went again two evenings later.  That was Sunday night... on a holiday weekend... it was a zoo.

Bukit Brown

Are we going to eat all that?
  At East Coast Lagoon Food Centre

Gardens by the Bay

Lucy with her Uncle Pete at Sentosa

Monday morning was the day allocated for the observance of the end of Ramadan, Eid al Fitr, so Chris didn't have to work.  We drove out to the new Gardens by the Bay, a large park next to the Central Business District where conservatories house orchids and forest greenery, and "super trees" are being cultivated to hold thousands of plants (see pic) - these trees are hundreds of feet tall, and we believe the structures double as supports and irrigation systems.  This is one more new modernistic site in Singapore that is intended to add to the city's unique landscape.  We wondered what the city's plan is for 50 years down the road, and knowing Singapore, there probably is one already...

When are we going to play ball again?

Lucy's birthday party

Lucy's birthday was actually a week ago, but the Mountbatten Pet Carnival was held this past Sunday in Katong Park, so we thought it was a good excuse for Lucy's friends and their humans to get together.  In true Singapore style, there was plenty of retail, a guy with a mike and goofy pet contests, but it was kind of a fun afternoon.  Lucy and her buddies participated in an agility course, but mostly we stood around, chatted and ate cupcakes.  There were baked goodies for the dogs too.

Yes, a dog stroller.....

And a cat with a wig on....

Doogie made some friends

Cafe Melba

We think we found a new hangout today!  The place is called Cafe Melba, and it is a 15-minute walk from our condo, kind of near our local 7-Eleven.  The food looks good, nice selection of wine, beer, cocktails, and they serve breakfast - and they have a large, covered deck where dogs are welcome.  We asked the host if dogs were OK, and he said, "Yup, we are dog- and kid-friendly... in that order!  Can it get any better?!?!?!  

Happy birthday, Lucy!

Fishing

"I know there's a fish in there somewhere..."

Soon after Lucy made that last trip to Starbuck's, I went to the US for a couple of weeks, to visit moms (Chris' and mine), and to check on the house in Colorado, which seemed more urgent with the fires raging in our beautiful state.  Everything is fine, by the way.  I went on a few glorious hikes, including our usual Spruce Creek Loop with Larry and Elaine, Bosco and Maxx.  Maxx is Lucy's sweetie from back home.  He could care less about retrieving a ball - he IS a lab, after all.  But he LOVES to fish, and on the Spruce Creek Loop is one of his favorite fishing holes.  Don't think I've ever seen him catch a fish, and if he did catch a fish, I'm not sure what he'd do with it...