This is the view from a big bridge in Nong Kiew, Laos pretty early in the morning, click on it for an enlargementThursday, March 3, 2011
I like this image
This is the view from a big bridge in Nong Kiew, Laos pretty early in the morning, click on it for an enlargement
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Vite Nam and Laos, the summary
Fantastic trip.
Best foods - banana pancakes in the village with no power in Laos. Tasted like french toast - I'd eat these every day! No one will believe this one! When we asked Lee the guide what a sauce was he said "You don't have this one". Fermented water buffalo hide paste was delicious. Spicy, chipotle taste, excellent for dipping sticky rice. Lao people don't use utensils much. Roll up a ball of sticky rice in the left hand and pick off a small amount and grab whatever it is you're eating with the right hand. Into the mouth - yum!
Vietnamese food was all delicious and we know the Thai dishes quite well from back home. We REALLY liked the Laotian dishes.
We tried several versions of bamboo, peeled fresh shoots and 2 different salads. Rattan was very good cooked - a lot like the bamboo. Beef was a little tough to westerners. Chicken and pork in abundance although most Lao eat mostly vegetables (meat too expensive). All of the vegetable dishes were fresh and a visual delight.
Lao coffee is served with a creamy, sugary glop of condensed milk at the bottom of a glass. The coffee sits on top of the milk until you mix it in. VERY good - I had it every chance I could even though I'm not supposed to have coffee. Tasted too good to pass up.
Viet Nam was very modern compared to Laos. Standard of living way better there. And, when we crossed over the border into Thailand from Laos it was like the world had changed for the way better. Houses were all very nice and made with better materials than in Laos. The Lao people are very friendly but are suffering compared to the rest of the places we visited. Very primitive dwelling, mostly all made with materials from the jungle. The big cities have better buildings but still pretty dismal. If there is electricity almost everyone has a satellite dish. The big giant dishes we used to have here. So, thatched roof, bare dirt floor, one light bulb and satellite.
One last summary of trip home "yesterday". We flew from Chiang Rai, Thailand to Bangkok, Thailand - 1 hour 15 minutes. 4 hour layover in Bangkok. Flight to Singapore was just under 4 hours. Then, a 5 lour layover in Changi Airport (Singapore) where we slept a few hours. There were rest areas with leather "recliner" chairs to sleep on. A little too light and noisy - airport announcements, etc but a nice place to stay over. Off to Hong Kong (2 1/2 hour flight) and within the hour we were back on the plane for the 14 1/2 hour flight to O'Hare. If I add it up total travel time seems to be around 31 hours. I didn't think it was too bad - the last 5 hours or so got pretty old! Got to see The King's Speech - very good movie on the way from Hong Kong.
So, trip was great and we're glad to be back.
Best foods - banana pancakes in the village with no power in Laos. Tasted like french toast - I'd eat these every day! No one will believe this one! When we asked Lee the guide what a sauce was he said "You don't have this one". Fermented water buffalo hide paste was delicious. Spicy, chipotle taste, excellent for dipping sticky rice. Lao people don't use utensils much. Roll up a ball of sticky rice in the left hand and pick off a small amount and grab whatever it is you're eating with the right hand. Into the mouth - yum!
Vietnamese food was all delicious and we know the Thai dishes quite well from back home. We REALLY liked the Laotian dishes.
We tried several versions of bamboo, peeled fresh shoots and 2 different salads. Rattan was very good cooked - a lot like the bamboo. Beef was a little tough to westerners. Chicken and pork in abundance although most Lao eat mostly vegetables (meat too expensive). All of the vegetable dishes were fresh and a visual delight.
Lao coffee is served with a creamy, sugary glop of condensed milk at the bottom of a glass. The coffee sits on top of the milk until you mix it in. VERY good - I had it every chance I could even though I'm not supposed to have coffee. Tasted too good to pass up.
Viet Nam was very modern compared to Laos. Standard of living way better there. And, when we crossed over the border into Thailand from Laos it was like the world had changed for the way better. Houses were all very nice and made with better materials than in Laos. The Lao people are very friendly but are suffering compared to the rest of the places we visited. Very primitive dwelling, mostly all made with materials from the jungle. The big cities have better buildings but still pretty dismal. If there is electricity almost everyone has a satellite dish. The big giant dishes we used to have here. So, thatched roof, bare dirt floor, one light bulb and satellite.
One last summary of trip home "yesterday". We flew from Chiang Rai, Thailand to Bangkok, Thailand - 1 hour 15 minutes. 4 hour layover in Bangkok. Flight to Singapore was just under 4 hours. Then, a 5 lour layover in Changi Airport (Singapore) where we slept a few hours. There were rest areas with leather "recliner" chairs to sleep on. A little too light and noisy - airport announcements, etc but a nice place to stay over. Off to Hong Kong (2 1/2 hour flight) and within the hour we were back on the plane for the 14 1/2 hour flight to O'Hare. If I add it up total travel time seems to be around 31 hours. I didn't think it was too bad - the last 5 hours or so got pretty old! Got to see The King's Speech - very good movie on the way from Hong Kong.
So, trip was great and we're glad to be back.
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