Wats, River and Mountains... Oh My!!

The Mekong River

Florida Girl and Boy and the Mekong River

CK on top of Mt Phousi

View of Northern part of Luang Prabang and mountains from Mt Phousi


Where to start... Luang Prabang is everything I hoped it would be and more. I am still struggling with the right words to capture the unique feel of this unfamiliar world. Being further away from home than ever before with nothing to compare every new sight, smell , sound... I keep going on about the senses because I don't know how else to put it!
We found a great guest house near the northern tip of town just a few blocks from Wat Xieng Thong. Once again we set out to explore in the hottest part of the day! However, within a few minutes we were watching as Laotian people washed a special Buddha with water, flowers and perfume. The host at our guest house explained that the ritual which ends tonight is part of the new year celebration... sort of like washing away the past year to make way for the next. It was so touching to watch as people, young and old, said their prayers. I wonder what it must feel like to the people who live here to have us watching them go about their normal lives? We are doing our best to be apart of it all without being in the way!

After we left the Wat we headed down to the Mekong and more importantly to a little bit of shade! Once again... no complaints just observations about the weather... it is hot and humid like I have only felt a few times before and when it is not raining we want it to but once it starts we just want it to stop! Our shady spot by the river offered a chance to take the two first pictures. We eventually wondered to the main street just in time to see the local school letting out for the day... Just to put this in context: Everyone in LP rides a scooter. They ride with and without helmets, with and without shoes, occasionally they even ride with an umbrella for shade or protection from rain. However, you haven't lived until you have seen an entire family of five on a single scooter. With mom driving and little ones (smaller than Trey!) perched in the front and the rest of the gang hanging on in the rear with school bags, dinner, laundry and the rest nestled in between the passengers! It is a sight to behold and makes me admire the ability of these people to teach their children how to be still from such a young age!

We found a nice little cafe across from the school to continue our silent observations over a bowl of beef pho... a delicious soup with rice noddles, beef, fresh vegetables, cilantro and broth. After eating we headed to the top of Mt Phousi and snapped the last two pictures. The views were amazing but a bit hazy as they are currently burning the forests to make room for more farm land... I won't get started on this but I will say we are staying at the most ecologically friendly guesthouse in LP. While taking in the views and enjoying the temple, the wind started to blow and before we could make to the bottom of the 300+ steps it was pouring down rain! We made a dash for the guesthouse only to make it about half way before dodging the worst of the down pour in a cafe... I guess it isn't a really trip until you get rained on!

The guesthouse is closing up the lobby so I can't write much more but will try again tomorrow... We are heading on a trek through the jungle that ends in a waterfall! Until next time...

de plane de plane...

On a prop plane to Luang Prabang!

Haven't been on plane this small since I went to Montgomery to meet up with CK! And that plane wasn't painted with palm trees and fish! On the agenda for LP are the Pak Ou caves where Buddha statues are taken when they are broken as it is against the religion to destroy them. There is also a waterfall about 45 minutes out of town. And CK will be hunting down any opportunity to take a boat on the Mekong... I think he was a little old fisherman in a former life!
However, the first order of business is to find a guest house! How odd it feels to be flying into a foreign country with no language understanding and no where to lay our heads!! Like nothing we've ever done.
Have a list ready of what to do when we come back through Bangkok. Mainly involves markets and photography. I am finding it tough to describe the scenery. Everything is so different yet also the same... I guess that explains the Thai saying "same same" but different. I have been hesitant to get my camera out for fear of offending people. So I will be trying some covert photography methods... report to follow ;-)
Will try to find a WiFi spot once we land and post this... until next time!

The Emerald Buddha is not...

I am typing this entire entry on my phone with one finger so please forgive spelling errors. I am also sitting outside listening to the sounds of Thai people. From what we have seen in 2 short days this is a city that lives on the sidewalks. Cooking, eating, washing up and socializing even sleeping...on the front steps. It makes for an interesting combination of smells and sounds. There are stray dogs and cats everywhere as well. CK is constantly reminding me that we cannot bring them home... mean ol'Chris ;-) Needless to say between the people, the animals and us there is not much room for walking.
Last night we found our way to Khaosan Road... it was a people watching smorgasboard! This is the go to spot for backpackers and since we are backpackers we had to go... right? Found a bar with a Thai guy playing the guitar and singing. He played songs from the 90's and knew most of the words. Californication lyrics were particularly entertaining. We tipped generously and encouraged him to play more but he ended his set and was replaced by a guy in a Sex Pistols shirt. God Save the Queen... played a kazoo and we have video!  We eventually made our way to Upstairs Bar... yep, it was upstairs! Listened to more top 40s and enjoyed the local beverages... a good night in deed which end with a pad thai chicken pitta and a rather wild tuktuk ride back to the guest house. We had to ring the bell to get in and realised it was about 2am! Felt like we were back in high school about to get busted for missing curfew!
After sleeping in and enjoying the AC and hot shower, we went down to the Grand Palace. Wow! Not sure what I expected but this blew those expectations out of the water. I think we could have wondered for hours. However, being there in the hottest part of the day was not the best option! Please note that is not a complaint, just an observation. And here is another... it is hot as h e double l! I love it!! The Emerald Buddha sits atop a massive shrine of gold. As you eyes travel up to the top there is a itty bitty Buddha smiling down... okay he is about 2 or 3 feet tall. Originally found in 1434 covered in plaster until a monk noticed the green beneath a chip. Thinking it was emerald he dubbed it the Emerald Buddha but it is in fact carved from a single block of jade!
So much more to say but I am going blind staring at this phone and my typing finger has a cramp! Will look for an internet cafe. Until then...

Pictures are not always worth a thousand words...

This time of year in London is amazing. Each morning when I open the windows to see blue sky and bright sunshine I am giddy with excitement. My path to the office takes me through St John's Wood Church Gardens, a place that I often photograph. However, I am nearly always disappointed with the photos... something is always missing but I can never figure out what 'it' is that is missing.  I've tried various compositions, angles, view points and nothing seems to fill the void. As I walked lazily along the flower petaled path yesterday trying to delay my arrival to work it dawned on me... Photos fail to capture the sounds of traffic in the background, of birds signing morning sounds, of children squealing on the playground. They don't capture the cool breeze or the warmth of the sun as you step out from the oaky shaded pathway. And they don't capture the scent of the slightly past their prime tulips that are spreading their pollen or the freshly mown lawn. Pictures can capture the color and the look but they can't capture the feel, the smell or the sounds of this peaceful oasis in the midst of morning rush hour. Days like yesterday it takes all the will power in world for me to not kick off my shoes and ignore the signs warning to 'stay off the grass' as all I want to do is feel the cool blades of grass between my toes and spend the day soaking up all that a photo can never capture.

Conflict of Heart and Mind

Since before Christmas we have been plotting the Florida Girl take over of South East Asia. Months of preparation have gone into the trip and we all know what I am like when it is time to plan. I initially told Chris, "let's just go for a few weeks and let the tide take us where it will. No need to plan or stress... just pack a bag and set off." He doubted my ability to give up control... he was right. It started with a few Internet searches and then I insisted on a few trips to various book stores around London. Now I have a calender, it has destinations, I have notes... pages and pages of notes, and I even bought an old school folding map of Laos and Cambodia. I have asked everyone and their friends about where to go and what to do... I plan like a germ-a-phobe washes their hands, without regard for our relaxed 'go with the flow' holiday. Alas, I am who I am and I am a planner. In 8 days, we are off to Bangkok and then to Laos and finally to Cambodia. That gives me 7 days to create daily itineraries, plan out every meal and ensure no stone goes unturned... just kidding, I am not THAT bad ;-)

A Quintessential English Weekend at the Shore

A few months ago a friend posted pictures of a weekend in Winchelsea near Rye. A quick look at the pictures and I was on the phone getting details about where it was and how I could go there! Chris's birthday seemed liked a perfect excuse to rent a car and hit the road for a quintessential English weekend at the shore... coats, gloves and all! Lucky for us the sun decided to make it's long awaited spring debut! Not so lucky for us the heat in the house wasn't working. C'est la vie!

The front gate to Pebbles Beach House

  

    

Pebbles... our home if only for a few days!

        

        

Gnewa likes it... caught him out in the yard picking flowers to refresh his basket!

        

The beach... no sandy white beaches here. The water makes a hypnotising sound as it washes against the pebbles. I could have stretched out on the beach in the sun and listened to it for hours without getting any sand in my pants!

The house sits beside a nature preserve. We set off on Saturday morning for a short walk... a few hours and 7ish miles later we had walked along the beach, through the nature preserves, through the middle of some random campsites, hung out in a field with a horse, walked through a field of sheep, stormed a castle, bird watched, drank a pint in a harbour with the locals and explored the shale ridge. A productive morning to say the least!

The best part of the weekend was being disconnected from technology. We had no Internet, spotty cell phone reception and a tv out of 1978 that wasn't worth the effort that turn on. We listened to music, read, talked and just enjoyed being together... something that we don't do nearly as often as we would like!

We finished off the weekend with a drive to Dungeness... a uniquely odd but breathtaking beach in Kent. The beach is dotted with old rail cars once used to carry the shale but once the railway was abandoned they were turned into fishing huts. There is an eclectic mix of architecture and people but the most striking site is the massive nuclear power station and it's pervasive hum. And did I mention the miniature railway?

I was limited to only 50 or so pictures as I grabbed an old memory card but I think I managed a few good shots of the weekend. Have a look here.