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Reflections on our trip to Laos

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Laos is an intriguing and wonderful place to visit. Whilst tourists are very welcome, and there is a lot of enthusiasm for increasing tourist numbers, we were glad to be here at a time when it is not a tourist paradise overwhelmed with foreigners. The tragic history of Laos reflects the history of many Asian countries; strong royal families lose power after many centuries of rule to local and foreign countries intent on profiting from the resources within. Everchanging country borders add to the disruption. But Laos has more recently been the victim of war - the 'Secret War' - the repercussions of which continue today in the form of thousands of unexploded bombs distributed along the Ho Chi Minh trail. The ethics and morality of bombing a small insignificant country (popn. 1970: 2.7m) was not considered by the Americans as they were intent on preventing the expansion of communism. An unsuccessful endeavour that resulted in loss of life for many Americans ....and Australians...
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Day Sixteen (26/10/2024) Heading for home (Vientiane - Singapore - Melbourne )

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Jan and I rose early for another look at Vientiane on foot. As we left the Hotel headed for the side streets and some city exploring, we saw a barefoot monk dressed in maroon robes with a large alms bowl. Having travelled through a few Asian countries we knew that robes this colour indicated that the monk was probably from Myanmar. He was on his own which was unusual so we followed him for a distance to see where he was going. At the risk of being accused of stalking a monk we turned off to see what else we could find. We came across an interesting small park with a rather peculiar shrine: we were intrigued by the animals on it but even more intrigued by the gold sequinned clad figures inside it dancing!!Seemed to be a Hindu shrine but it was a mystery! Within a short distance we came across a couple of temples starring huge elephants at their entrances. The opening hours were interesting: there’s not many places where the opening hours start at 4.30am. Back to the Hotel for a last m...
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Day Fifteen (25/10/2024): Food, monks and massages - what a day! (Vientiane)

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Our last full day in Laos was jam-packed with some lovely experiences. Jan and I did our usual walk early in the morning and decided to walk along the Mekong to check out Thailand on the other side of the river. There was a lot of mud and a large muddy bank before the River itself so there wasn't a lot to see apart from lots of huge hotels. Souk came to collect us and we set off for a special House and garden about 20 kms out of Vientiane. It was great to escape the noisy city and enjoy the countryside. Much of the area had been bombed during 'The Secret War' and there was evidence of that when we saw some gateposts made of large bomb cases outside a house. We arrived at an oasis: lush garden, airy wooden buildings and locally-made decorations swinging in the breeze. This was the Manichan Garden House and Cooking School run by a very enthusiastic older lady - Mrs. Manichan - and some wonderful patient staff. She calls it the Authentic Lao Cuisine Learning Centre and she...
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