Read this blog: The one where we drank egg coffee for the first, and not the last, time Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd February 2025 Surprisingly Luang Prabang International Airport is just 4km out from the centre and so is considerably closer than the train station. It is vast but is currently obviously operating significantly under capacity. There was comparatively little to do once we passed through security and immigration but as we sat having a little liquid refreshment, Robert heard an announcement over the tannoy asking him to report back to check-in. Luckily people are attuned to hearing their own name, even when it is pronounced with an unusual foreign intonation as Matilda was totally oblivious. She allowed herself a little wry smile as he set off. Robert had to go back through security and passport control to the check-in desks and was directed to a back office which effectively opened onto the runway where they were scanning luggage and were holding his case back. It transpired that he had left his emergency telephone which he packs in case of loss or theft [without any SIM or the power on] in his hold luggage but on Vietnam Airlines all phones […]
Laos
Read this blog: The one where we walk with elephants Friday 21st February 2025 Robert had researched elephant experiences in Laos while he was planning this trip. He was adamant that we should not ride an elephant because of the training methods and MandaLao was one of the centres which people had recommended as an elephant sanctuary which was focused on rescue and conservation. Awareness about the mistreatment of elephants is growing and in India we had seen the long line of elephants standing in the scorching sun in the ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur waiting to take tourists up to the Amber Fort. We vowed then we would not be a part of exploiting these fabulous creatures. On the 14th November last year when Robert booked our visit to MandaLao some of the dates when we would be in Luang Prabang were already showing on the website as unavailable/fully booked so we were pleased that we had a confirmed booking. However, when we walked about Luang Prabang we noticed that most of the hostels and hotels, including the Sunrise Garden House Hotel where we were staying were offering elephant experiences. As we had already booked we didn’t enquire so cannot comment on […]
Read this blog: The one where we learn that Matilda’s grip doesn’t milk buffalo Thursday 20th February 2025 Many tourists visiting Luang Prabang make the 20 mile trip south west of the city to the Tat Kuang Si Waterfalls. You can hire a mo-ped and drive yourself; pay to go in an open cab on the back of a tuk tuk or you can hire a car with windows and air-con to take you there and back, allowing you to go at your own pace during the day. We asked at our hotel and a round trip to the waterfalls, including a visit to the bear sanctuary in the grounds and the Lao Buffalo Dairy en route would be $45 and take about five hours. The more rural roads in Laos are usually not wide enough to have road markings defining the two distinct sides. In addition, the edges of the roads have frequent pot holes so traffic travelling in both directions gravitates rather alarmingly towards the centre. We were very glad we had chosen to hire our own car and driver. There were works underway to widen the carriageway and these were creating a significant amount of dust in […]
Read this blog: The one where Robert doesn’t want to put his trousers on Wednesday 19th February 2025 Luang Prabang lies on a peninsula formed by the confluence of the Mekong River and its tributary the Nam Khan. It is the former royal capital of Laos. In 1545 the administrative capital was moved to Vientiane but the Lau royal family continued to live here until the communist takeover in 1975. Now the cultural Capital of Laos, Luang Prabang has a plethora of temples and colonial-style buildings along Sakkaline Road. We woke to torrential rain [see Video of the day] which was fortunately short-lived and cleared the air making the day seem slightly cooler. After breakfast we set off to see a few sites: Matilda dressed appropriately for any temple visits and Robert with his elephant temple trousers in his bumbag. The sky still looked threatening over the park where the statue of President Souphanouvong stands. He seems to have been something of a contradiction. Born a member of the Laos royal family in Luang Prabang, and originally known as Prince Souphanouvong he became the first President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic [Lao PDR] serving between 1975 and 1991. According to […]
Read this blog: The one where Matilda has her aerosols inspected Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th February 2025 Thinking it would be easiest to give our hotel as a pick up point for InDrive, we went to the branch of Starbucks which is directly in front of the Holiday Inn for a coffee and a snack before organising transport to the COPE Visitor Centre. However, many of the streets in Vientiane are one way and it took a little time for our InDrive driver to negotiate the traffic and the one way system to be able to pick us up. From there on the journey to COPE was straightforward. The visitor centre is located in the grounds of the Centre for Medical Rehabilitation [CMR]. COPE stands for the Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise and is the main provider of artificial limbs, walking aids and wheelchairs in Laos. Although many of those in need of a prosthetic are bomb blast victims, COPE also treats the victims of road traffic or other accidents and people with congenital conditions. Outside the building stands a striking sculpture made out of metal retrieved from bombs dropped by American forces. It almost seems as though the figures are running to […]
Read this blog: The one where we resisted the 80p trousers Sunday 16th February 2025 Matilda had identified somewhere she wanted to try for breakfast but unfortunately it wasn’t open on a Sunday so we returned to the Joma Bakery Café for baked morning goods. From here we booked an InDrive taxi to take us about 4km northeast of central Vientiane to Pha That Luang which translates literally as the “Great Stupa”. Its foundation dates back to the third century, when a shrine was built here to hold a relic of the Buddha. The current structure was built in 1566 after Vientiane became the capital of Laos although it has been renovated four times since then. A vast golden Buddha reclines near the entrance and the site incorporates many decorated graves. The central stupa stands in a vast compound flanked by two Buddhist temples and naga balustrades adorn many of the temple steps, guarding these holy buildings which . . . . . . feature the beautiful decorative painted carvings we have come to expect. Murals and paintings illustrating the life of Buddha also adorn some of the temple buildings. The roof of the central stupa was originally covered in gold […]
Read this blog: The one where Matilda gets to have her cake and eat it [twice] Friday 14th and Saturday 15th February 2025 Our flight to Wattay International Airport in Vientiane left from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok and we booked a taxi from the hotel to take us there. To our surprise, the driver seemed to be trying to tell us that it was expensive in Laos. As we stood in the queue to board, the man waiting behind us first complimented Robert on his Hawaiian shirt. This happens a lot. As the conversation progressed it transpired that he was an American athletics coach specialising in the pole-vault currently travelling on a year’s sabbatical. One of his students was a teenage girl from London. When Robert told him that he was also a pole-vaulter, the coach looked at his current girth and said good-naturedly, “a little while ago”. Some readers will be surprised to find out that Robert was an English schools level pole-vaulter and still in fact holds his school record for pole-vaulting, which he set over 40 years ago. He represented not only Warwickshire AAA but also the West Midland Schools at the English Schools Athletics […]