My eBid Cap Trip to Laos & Cambodia!

[Oldandintheway]

What's Wat in Vientiane

Again Bros blog comes to the rescue!

No special plans today - our first full day in town.
After a nice breakfast in the Hotel we went out walking and sight-seeing.
This involves looking at a lot of Wats - they're all over the place.
We also walked over to Don Chan, this being a large sandy (sometimes) island adjacent to the main part of Vientiane, on a bend in the Mekong.
The land across the river is actually Thailand.
Thinking ahead a bit we also sought out and arranged for the next leg of this trip - to Siem Reap in Cambodia.
We will leave Vientiane on the 18th, fly to Pakse in southern Laos - where additional passengers will be picked up - and then on to Siem Reap, where we should be able to get Visas at the Airport.
A few random notes about Laos:
Vehicles drive on the right hand side of the road;
The currency is called the Kip;
Roughly, 6,500 Kip = AUD$1;
The roads are festooned with Scooters and the traffic generally moves fairly slowly. When it rains the riders travel with one hand on the throttle and the other holding up an umbrella;
Probably not an actual Law but the driver behind is responsible for avoiding accidents. This means - and we have seen this time and time again - that a scooter rider can pull out of a side street into a main road without so much as a glance at the cars coming along the road, who are expected to anticipate this and avoid hitting him or her;
Female scooter passengers often ride side-saddle behind the rider. In the wet she will not be holding onto anything except an umbrella;
There is only one strip at the Luang Prabang Airport and once your plane has landed it turns around and trundles back up the strip to the Terminal.
That's it for now.
Cheers.

"Wat" a Door!

To your rear march/run - as the case may be!

Fancy window screen

Breakfast or Prayer meeting?




That's some door!




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[Oldandintheway]

More What's Wat






The Lao Jacqui Lambie (Oz Pollie)

Current digs

The Ghosts of Don Chan Island

Yes, the Mekong is wide!

That's Thailand over there!


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[Oldandintheway]

Yet More Wat's What

Meanwhile - back in Watland


Herbs or chillies?

Street food - salted Mekong fish

Our hire car

Rubber rubbish bins

Foo was here!

Close up of Foo

Prayers finish

Carvers must do well


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[Oldandintheway]

Still more Wats



The unknown warrior perhaps???

An antique shop & electricians nightmare


That's your Wat (for today)

[meebo1]

That was a nice start of the day for me. Thank you

[sucadot]

Good to see they've got the blue skies and sunshine back.

[suesjools]

Wow, just gorgeous! Those carvers have some amazing skills.

Best wishes for many sales to all,

[Oldandintheway]

Xieng Khuan (Buddhist Park) Vientiane

Today we visited the Buddha Park outside of Vientaine.
Here is a quote from the Lonely Planet:-
"About 25 klm southeast of Vientaine, eccentric Xieng Khuan thrills with other-worldly Buddhist and Hindu sculptures, and was designed & built in 1958 by Luang Pu, a yogi-priest-shaman who merged Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, mythology and iconography into a cryptic whole."
Sounded a bit odd so off we went.
Travel options were a return trip by Tuk Tuk for 200,000 Kip (about AUD $31) or take a local bus for 24,000 Kip return (about AUD $3.75).
Irrespective of the price difference, why would anyone bounce along in a Tuk Tuk for 50 klm when you could share a bus with the local people and gain a better insight into how things work in a foreign Country?
We hope you enjoy the photos.



Strange structure Bro & Sil dubbed "The Pumpkin"

Mouth entry & narrow steps to top

Inside halfway up!

Made it

A short rest

You can go further if you wish?

Bro passes on that

Back on solid ground


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[Oldandintheway]

Park Continued

On Top of Old Pumpkin


A huge reclining Buddha




Bros homage to Buddha sees daylight (upper arm)


The Busking Buddha (well if it's good enough for Bro)



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[Oldandintheway]

More Park

Very nice carving

Be careful of the wild life

Put that Croc back Sil

Hmmnnn!

That Elephant tried to go two ways!

Arrh! Nightmares

Ditto!


Whatever it is, it sure attracts a crowd

The Good Luck Buddha of eBid sales


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