We explored a bit more of Vientiane on Monday afternoon and walked the 3km to Pha That Luang "World Precious Stupa", which is Lao's most important national monument and a symbol of Lao sovereignty and Buddhism (see photo). The Stupa was originally built in 1566 by King Setthathirath after he moved the capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. It was rebuilt in 1953. It doesn't look anything as spectacular as some of the temples we have seen but each level of the Stupa represents different Buddhuist doctrines (unfortunately we did not have a guide nor a guidebook to give us any more information). The shrine is the focus of the annual That Luang festival, which is Ventiane's biggest festival - celebrated for 7 nights during the twelth full moon of the Buddhist calendar (usually in early November. Monks are presented with flower offerings and residents enjoy traditional cultural performances.
I also bought myself a lovely silk weaved wall hanging (I couldn't resist!) from Carol Cassidy Lao Textiles, which has some of the finest weavings and textiles in the country and has been attributable to reviving the Lao weaving industry through the efforts of its owner, an American lady. You can also see the local women weaving at the back of the shop and it is pretty impressive. At least I am doing my bit for the local economy!
On Tuesday 5 February, we had an early morning departure by bus to our homestay in a village in Hin Boun, on the banks of the Theun River (see photos). Unfortunately I must have eaten something dodgy at lunchtime, as I started to feel quite sick, to the extent that I had to ask the driver to stop the bus to throw up in full view of everyone! I seemed to get worse after that and we took a ride up the river to get to the village on a B52 boat (the boats are made from fuel casings from B52 bombers - see photo) and I looked like death. I had to go straight to one of the huts to lie down. About an hour later, an announcement came over the tannoy to say that someone was ill in the village and that they should go and visit. A little old lady came to visit me and sent me some good wishes in Lao - bless!
The village people were really friendly. There are about 45 families in the village and 370 people in total, of which about 60 are children. There is a primary school on the premises and the village is pretty self-sufficient. They grow their own rice and vegetables but they must earn some money doing other things, as the house I was staying in had their own TV and a massive satellite dish. The families don't seem to have much evening entertainment other than watching tele. I stayed with three of the other girls in the group in a house where a couple lived with their teenage kids (two girls and two boys), so 6 in total. The house wasn't big at all! We slept on mats on the floor but they very kindly left the light on so we could go to the toilet in the middle of the night (a squat job).
We left the village at 7am this morning for a long drive to the Vietnam border - the scenery was really stunning with lots of mountais in the distance. The border at Nam Pha is up in the mountains, so we arrived to mist, drizzle and freezing temperatures. It took us over an hour for all our passports to be stamped, during which time one of the border guards took a shine to one of the Norwegian girls and declared his undying love for her. It meant that she didn't have to pay the US$1 administration fee (aka a bribe) to have her passport stamped as we all had to. The bus journey continued for another couple of hours when we stopped for lunch. It was Lunar New Year's Eve here, so most places had shut down. We did manage to find a noodle stall though. My first experience of Vietnamese food is that it is not spicy at all (not to my liking, but only my first try, so we will see).
We arrived at our hotel in Ninh Binh at 7pm after being in the bus for 12 hours! Ninh Binh is located to the South of the Northern Delta between the Red and Ma River. The population is made up of 23 ethnic communities, among which the Kinh account for more than 98%. The rest of the population consists of the Muong, Tay, Nung, Tai, Hoa and Dao ethnic groups. The old city of Ninh Binh is one of many well known historical sights in Vietnam.
Tomorrow we are taking another boat journey around Halong Bay, where the scenery is supposed to be stunning.
I also bought myself a lovely silk weaved wall hanging (I couldn't resist!) from Carol Cassidy Lao Textiles, which has some of the finest weavings and textiles in the country and has been attributable to reviving the Lao weaving industry through the efforts of its owner, an American lady. You can also see the local women weaving at the back of the shop and it is pretty impressive. At least I am doing my bit for the local economy!
On Tuesday 5 February, we had an early morning departure by bus to our homestay in a village in Hin Boun, on the banks of the Theun River (see photos). Unfortunately I must have eaten something dodgy at lunchtime, as I started to feel quite sick, to the extent that I had to ask the driver to stop the bus to throw up in full view of everyone! I seemed to get worse after that and we took a ride up the river to get to the village on a B52 boat (the boats are made from fuel casings from B52 bombers - see photo) and I looked like death. I had to go straight to one of the huts to lie down. About an hour later, an announcement came over the tannoy to say that someone was ill in the village and that they should go and visit. A little old lady came to visit me and sent me some good wishes in Lao - bless!
The village people were really friendly. There are about 45 families in the village and 370 people in total, of which about 60 are children. There is a primary school on the premises and the village is pretty self-sufficient. They grow their own rice and vegetables but they must earn some money doing other things, as the house I was staying in had their own TV and a massive satellite dish. The families don't seem to have much evening entertainment other than watching tele. I stayed with three of the other girls in the group in a house where a couple lived with their teenage kids (two girls and two boys), so 6 in total. The house wasn't big at all! We slept on mats on the floor but they very kindly left the light on so we could go to the toilet in the middle of the night (a squat job).
We left the village at 7am this morning for a long drive to the Vietnam border - the scenery was really stunning with lots of mountais in the distance. The border at Nam Pha is up in the mountains, so we arrived to mist, drizzle and freezing temperatures. It took us over an hour for all our passports to be stamped, during which time one of the border guards took a shine to one of the Norwegian girls and declared his undying love for her. It meant that she didn't have to pay the US$1 administration fee (aka a bribe) to have her passport stamped as we all had to. The bus journey continued for another couple of hours when we stopped for lunch. It was Lunar New Year's Eve here, so most places had shut down. We did manage to find a noodle stall though. My first experience of Vietnamese food is that it is not spicy at all (not to my liking, but only my first try, so we will see).
We arrived at our hotel in Ninh Binh at 7pm after being in the bus for 12 hours! Ninh Binh is located to the South of the Northern Delta between the Red and Ma River. The population is made up of 23 ethnic communities, among which the Kinh account for more than 98%. The rest of the population consists of the Muong, Tay, Nung, Tai, Hoa and Dao ethnic groups. The old city of Ninh Binh is one of many well known historical sights in Vietnam.
Tomorrow we are taking another boat journey around Halong Bay, where the scenery is supposed to be stunning.
No comments:
Post a Comment