Songkran in Northern Thailand

When we arrived in Thailand, we were so happy to see blue sky!  It was burning season in Laos which means that all the crops were being burnt to get ready for the upcoming rainy season. The sky was always hazy, with sometimes still-hot pieces of char falling from the sky.  We stayed our first few days in Chiang Rai where we saw children parading through the streets as it was the last day of school before Songkran (Thai New Year) and the start of their "summer" holidays. 

We visited the "white temple". This stunning temple is an ongoing art project - the artist has plans for a total of 9 buildings to be completed by 2070!  The paintings included images from pop culture - Star Wars, Minions, iPhones and Michael Jackson - I think these were supposed to be symbolic of the distractions that take us away from our spiritual lives. He also had some interesting paintings depicting Bush and Bin Laden destroying the earth together, and also about climate change. 

We arrived in Chiang Mai and stayed just outside the center at a modern AirBNB apartment. We were located in a hip section of the city (Niamennen Road) near the university, right next to a public square and shopping mall. This seemed to be a major destination for Thai's to celebrate Songkran. We watched the revelry build and bought water guns to take part. There were very few falangs (foreigners) around and it was lots of fun. 

Then we moved to the center of the city, a historic section surrounded by brick walls and a moat. This is the center for both culture and tourism - and the Songkran celebrations were crazy!  There was water everywhere - not just water guns but hoses and buckets (usually filled with ice water). We fully took part!

Danny getting doused with Zac looking on in the background:

The vibe on the street was so positive, a lot like Pride in Toronto. You would think that with all the water spraying there would be animosity but people seemed to keep things positive. It was also amazing to see a monk or a group of elders walk right through the chaos with hardly a drop of water on them. People were able to maintain their respect even amongst the revelry. 

After Songkran ended we were finally able to walk around and see the city. We found some amazing restaurants and I became addicted to Khao Soi, a curried noodle soup dish of northern Thailand - hoping I can find this back in Toronto. 

One of our favourite restaurants called Cooking Love that had excellent Khao Soi:

As a diversion and to see the jungle, we went zip lining!  It took some convincing to get Zac and Danny to try it but they both had lots of fun and were glad they did it - as was I!

Unfortunately it got really hot (40C+) and as we left Chiang Mai after 10 days it felt like there was lots of the city that we hadn't yet seen, (we were happy to have a pool and AC) but it was just too hot to walk around for much of the day. We were looking forward to Vietnam where the temperatures would be much more bearable. 

Chiang Mai street musicians:

We visited an optical illusion museum where you can interact with the paintings:

Up the Mekong - part 2

Over a three day journey, we travelled up the Mekong River from Luang Prabang to a Houay Xai, a border town with Thailand, and then a bus the next day to Chang Rai in Northern Thailand. 

We had heard many horror stories about this trip involving delays and broken boats but everything worked out fine. It was a long 2 days, 9 hours each, spent watching the countryside and Lao riverside life. 

We were on a boat like this:

And spent much of the day like this:

or reading, sleeping or chatting with other tourists. 

Occasionally there were some interesting sights with local people:

And lots of haze due to people burning their fields:

There are few ways in and out of Luang Prabang, and even fewer that are financially feasible for Lao people so we saw how important the river is for Lao people. 

China has proposed a plan to build a train from southern China (Yunnan) through Laos to Bangkok and eventually Singapore. While this would be an incredible engineering feat, reminding me of the train through the Copper Canyon in Mexico that I travelled with my Dad, it would be a poor deal for Laos people. 

On our last morning in Laos, our day started with a friendly chat with a monk and Zac helped him with his English lessons.  A good end to a great visit in Laos!

We eventually arrived in Chang Rai, Thailand and wont see the Mekong again until we are in Yunnan, China in about 3 months. 

Time travelling in Luang Prabang

I've been reading a series of books for months (Outlander by Gabaldon) about time travellers. Sometimes it feels like we must be time travelling. We often have conversations like, "I can't believe we only left Vang Vieng 2 days ago. It feels like we have been in Luang Prabang for a week already!"  Each day is filled with so many new experiences that 1 day feels like about 3 days. 

We are currently in Luang Prabang.   It is a peaceful, remote city nestled in the hills beside the Mekong River in Northern Laos. It is a quiet place but rich with visual, cultural and dining delights. 

Here are some photos capturing a typical day:

Monks collecting alms in the early morning:

The  morning market:

Temple visit:

Cross the Mekong River on a bamboo bridge to go for lunch:

Eating a delicious Lao hot pot lunch:

Listening to musical story telling in the evening:

It's going to be hard to return to the pace of normal life after this trip!

Up the Mekong

People often ask us how far we plan ahead for our travels. While we have a vague plan, we are usually only thinking a couple of weeks ahead, the rest of the plan is in flux. While this gives us some flexibility, sometimes hotels and plane tickets have to be booked ahead which results in less flexibility. 

While in Cambodia, we were considering going to Vietnam next. It made sense, the border was close and that was what many backpackers do. But we were concerned that this route might limit our time in Laos or Chiang Mai - or even eliminate them altogether - and we kept hearing everyone say what fantastic places these are. So with the help of some budget airlines, we decided fly to Vientiane, Laos instead. 

Arriving in Laos felt like a dream. It was cooler, calmer and green. There were sidewalks!  Our first day in Vientiane was spent with Marie-Do, a friend of my sister-in-law Julie. Marie-Do has a beautiful home and three nice kids and we enjoyed spending an afternoon with her and learning about expat life in Laos. Zac especially enjoyed swimming in the pool with her kids!

Eating street food in Vientiane:

After a few days exploring central Vientiane, we moved to an AirBNB that we call Mike's place (also known as The Jungle House). Mike and his Lao wife Xukiet were amazing hosts and provided much insight into Lao culture. Mike, who is a great storyteller, was the creator of the COPE center (center for prosthetics), and gave us a personal tour of the center as well as further information on the terrible ongoing impact on Laos of US bombing during the Vietnam. The food was excellent and the conversation even better - we loved our stay. 

Chilling on the patio at Mike's house:

From there to Vang Vieng in the mountains. While this city is known for crazy party life, we stayed at an organic farm on the outskirts of town in a mud hut. Zac and I loved this place (Danny had a different perspective) and wanted to stay longer, but we had already booked and paid for our next hotel so had to move on. 

Our mud house:

Zac made a new friend:

Danny emerging after an hour spelunking in nearby caves:

After a harrowing 7-hour bus ride through the mountains, we arrived in Luang Prabang, another city upstream on the Mekong River. (See my previous post for photos). As promised by many, it is a special place and worthy of its Unesco heritage status. Our last day here we visited, hiked and swam at the beautiful Kuang Si waterfall:

Beautiful natural pools for swimming:

From here we will continue our trip up the Mekong River on our way to Chang Mai - this time by boat. We considered taking a more comfortable tourist boat but decided to take the boat that Lao people take. It's going to be 2 hot days, unplugged, watching life on the riverbank from onboard a slow boat.  I am not sure if I am looking forward to this  or dreading it!  

But I will let you know how it goes as we continue our journey up the Mekong.