Short Trip to Lao

Luang Prabang Lao Waterfalls

This beautiful waterfall is just outside Luang Prabang Lao

I just returned very late last night from a trip to Lao.

I have been many times to Lao, I love the country, it is a safe quiet little Buddhist country based between Myanmar, China, Thailand, and Cambodia. I would highly recommend it to anyone that already visiting a neighboring country, although it is beautiful, most of the country is inaccessible, and there is not really that much you can easily see.

The best way to view this country is by taking river boats up and down the Mekong river. There are some one or two week trips available you can book at the travel agents in Vientiane, you can usually get away with only spending about $20-$30 USD per day for food, travel and accommodation.

I visited the capital city, Vientiane, this week which is right on the Mekong river. Vientiane is beautiful, it is often referred to as Asia’s Paris. It has lots of large green trees all around the city, tons of beautiful Temples, and a lot of french architecture. The food is excellent,  and the people are very friendly. There are virtually no cars making the air fresh and the city quiet enough to listen to the birds.

If you ever go to Vientiane I would highly recommend visiting the Buddhist sculpture gardens just outside of the city, most people overlook this treasure, the monk that created this garden later went over the river to Nong Khai in Thailand and created a second sculpture garden.

There is also a nice little hippy community on a beach on a bend in a nearby river from Vientiane, I have not been there yet  but it does seem like my kind of place.

Nong Kai Thailand Sculpture Garden

Nong Kai Thailand Sculpture Garden Across the Bridge from Vientiane

I have added some images from the Thai version of the sculpture gardens, the Lao one is very much the same, ufortunatly I do not have my pictures with me from the Lao version, same artist anyhow and they are only about two KM apart as the crow flies.

Anyhow this is just a quick post, I am still very tired from the trip, I will likely talk more about it later. Though more about the people I met while traveling this time.

The New Alpha On the Block

I am currently staying in a typical South East Asian Suburb, on a long road of small, European inspired concrete townhouses. The road appears quite green, with many small trees and plants lining the narrow little one way street, many of the trees grow fruits such as mangoes, oranges, bananas,  jack fruit,  and others I cant remember the name to. Most nights there is a tropical rain storm and, the road will  fill with frogs, who all seem to enjoy  hopping around happily on the wet pavement. After the roads have dried, many  cats will venture out from the dry  safety of their house gates, and go out to attend to their feline business. Many of the houses also have dogs, who stay within the house gates most of the day, with one exception, a particular dog who roams freely,  named Gong.

Gong

Gong is a fairly large dog, and was the king of the road until at least today. Today something happened, and Gong seemed to have  lost some of his turf.

Now when I say Gong is King of the Road, or as my son and I like to call this large dog, King Gong. It is because absolutely no one that Gong does not approve of is alowed to go down our road.

Our road is fairly busy with a lot of various types of traffic, we have guys on motorbikes who sell twelve different types of soup, there are guys  with full charcoal barbecue driving around, that will serve up five different types of  sausages, squid, or chicken with papaya salad there are guys that cut up fresh  fruits for you, guys with  coffee tea, hot chocolate, iced coffees , there are guys with shaved ice and all sorts of candy and flavorings,  as well as three or so ice cream visits each day. We have the flower sellers that sing with their great voices as they  walk down the road selling flowers that smell fantastic, even from up to twenty or so feet away. Pickup trucks full of organized fruit, vegetables, meat and fish driving down the road twice a day, post  men on their motorbikes, and people installing satellites and Internet connections, servicing air conditioners, or painting houses. There are also lots of residents on the little road, who walk to its end for food each day, or back and forward from school , or the bus, or maybe running to work and back in their motorcycles, cars or SUVs, each day.

Its a long busy road, and Gong is King.

If he doesn’t like you he will bark a few times to tell you to go away, if you don’t go away he will bark louder and all the other dogs will join in. On my road, mostly in the gates, there is a dog about every sixty feet or so. If you continue down the road gong will get off his lazy behind and do his work, barking loud with forty or so other excited dogs joining in. Some are little dogs like chihuahuas, and some are quite large, but Gong is their king.

Most new people just turn tail and leave when Gong decides they aren’t welcome, and steps into their path. I am sure if Gong wasn’t here we would have even more traffic. Thank goodness he lets in all the people he does, all the good food sellers that I love so much and the post man, and of course my son and me.

There is a German writer named Hans that visits family on this street every few months or so, he mentioned to me that he had written a piece about Gong in German travel book, something about how he knew the bad guys from the good guys by the sound of their walk down the road. Yes, tales of this dog have actually been published in print.

Gong is getting old now, he used to control about three square kilometers of turf, besides controlling our entire kilometer long street, he controls the one right of it, as well as across the overpass, and around a street or two there.

The other day I saw Gong going down the overpass, and there was another larger dog following him. It looked completely calm. Gong would stop now and then and bear his teeth to growl as the other dog, but would not attack, he walked about four feet at a time stopping to growl, but the other dog just followed like he didn’t care. All the way back to Gongs house, where Gong went inside and lay down, as the other dog walked past and down the road. Peeing all over Gongs Turf.

A week or so has passed since then, and today all the dogs were going nuts as this dog was again peeing right in front of Gongs house, as well as all the other dogs gates on that part of the road.

It looks like my road may have a new King. Too bad Gong is old, he sure kept us all safe. Maybe Gong will decide to show the other dog why he has lead for so many years, if not, I hope this new dog king is good hearted also.

Nothing to Write Home About.

Since the age of 22 I have spent most of the last 15 years of my life  overseas. I am on holidays sometimes, and work sometimes, its about a fifty- fifty split.

It is nice to work in a place like japan for $100 + US per hour then go to tropical beaches in places like Sri Lanka where you can live quite well on twently dollars per day. Obviously saving is a very big part of this lifestyle. So I cant afford to go out every night, but I still manage to a fair bit.

It is always hard being away from my family for so long.

This is a song that has been ringing around im my head for the last 15 years or so.

Soul Asylum – Nothing to Write Home About

Dear mother, what can I say
It’s been so long since I went away
And yes, I miss the comforts of home
But I guess I’m better off on my own

No one told me people could be so cruel
Nobody told me about any of this in school
Still nobody understands the things that I don’t understand

I’ve nothing to write home about
Nothing I have figured out
Still I have the same old doubts
Nothing to write home about

Dear John, that ain’t my name
I’m just hangin’ ’round to take the blame
I’m filled with guilt, I’m filled with shame
Too much or not enough it’s all the same

And no one wants to talk about the loss
No one wants to talk about the cost
Every one just looks away, just like any other day

I’ve nothing to write home about
Nothing I have figured out
Still I have the same old doubts
Nothing to write home about

Who can teach me how to change my ways
Who will come and save the day
Who will tell me what to say
When there’s nothing left to say

Nobody told me about any of this in school
No one told me I’d be taken for a fool
And everyone just looks away, and tries to make it through the day

I’ve nothing to write home about
Nothing I have figured out
Still I have the same old doubts
Nothing to write home about

The Birds and The Bees

I wrote this a long time ago when I was 23 on Kovalam Beach in Kerela India, as I sat on the edge of a beautiful beach and my new girlfriend had just gone to the store.

I used to try and find it once,
now I wait for it to come.
I used to go out seeking it,
which wasn’t very fun.

When a bird does come alone,
Who sings a friendly song,
I tend to buzz towards their claws,
Then parts of me are gone.

But If for once I find a bird,
who’s heart is made of gold.
May the passion never leave us,
and our love forever told.

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