|
From Siem Reap (Cambodia), we took a flight to Louang Prabang in the northern part of Laos. Initially we were supposed to cross the boarder by land and visit the south and center of Laos, too, but 8 months is just not enough... so we decided to concentrate our visit to the north and take the time it takes to visit this part well. We landed just in time for sunset! Flying over Louang Prabang, the first impression was how mountainous the region seemed. The second impression came when we stepped off the plane. Up until now we have been exposed to temperatures of over 30 degrees... and now it felt soo cold!! Ok, so the temperature after verification was 24 degrees, but it took us a few days to adjust and to stop wearing our coats!
My parents kept saying how much it looked like the villages in Switzerland. The streets were clean and the houses made of wood reminded them of the architecture of those in Switzerland. It was really beautiful and now I can't wait to visit Switzerland too! I also noticed that the Tuk Tuks were really different. They looked more like minivans. The passenger space was able to accomodate up to 10-12 people (as opposed to 2-4 in Cambodia). We saw seberal boudist pagodas and there were many monks walking in the streets.   We learned a bit about the life of monks. For example. monks can only eat after the sunrise and until noon. They fast the rest of the time but they can drink water at any time. It is incouraged for all boudist men to become monks at least once in their lifetime for an undertermined duration of their choice.
When someone becomes a monk, they give up all material possessions including money so they rely on donations for living. They also give up anything that represents beauty in order to concentrate on things that really matter. This is why 4 times a month, they shave their hair and eyebrows. They spend their days taking care of their pagoda and doing alot of mediation and praying, individually and in groups. This includes chanting which we had a chance to witness. It was a beautiful moment, I suggest you close your eyes and listen :)
The atmosphere in Louang Prabang was very serene. Just walking around and seeing their way of life was intriguing and peaceful. For example, here are corn paddies and hot chilies set out to dry in an alley. Also, have a look at the bamboo bridge. Every year they have to rebuild this bridge because during the rainy season it gets washed out!
 The other thing that was great about Lounag Prabang was the discovery of a roadside pancake and smoothy shop. Since my dad was able to negociate with the kind lady, a price that felt like a prize, we went back every morning! Hey… 1$ goes a long way here so we, the children, were not about to argu, besides why would we not enjoy fresh fruit smoothies (passion fruit, mango, pineapple, etc) and delicious nutella and fresh fruit (banana, pineapple) pancakes!! Also, the money in the different counrties is different. Here in Laos they use Kips... and we are millionnaires!! 
Finally, we went to visit some near by falls. They were gorgeous and it was great to jump in for the refreshement after the hike up!
0 Commentaires
They use the ladder to climb up and reach the palm flowers. There are male and female flowers, I thought that was interesting. The flowers don't really look like flowers though, they look more like green banches with little spikes about the size of my forearm. For about 2 weeks, they climb up every day and use a wooden tool to squeeze the flowers in order to soften them. After this, they cut the tip, a little more everyday, and collect the sap in small bamboo containers.
Did you ever wonder where silk comes from? We got a chance to visit a silk farm to see for ourselves. Here is a video to share what I learned!
On arrival, we scattered around the whole city looking for the best adventurous trek in the jungle. We decided to wait for our French friends Clement, Robin, Madelaine and Édouard to see if they would be interested in joining us in a 2 day trek during which we would have the chance to sleep into hamacs in the middle of the jungle! What a great adventure !! Gladly, everything work out and on the next morning we jumped into a tuk tuk and off we went... direction the jungle :-) We soon found out that both of our supposedly english speaking guides had quite limited english communication skills as the answer of any question was always “I do not know”!!!
We walked all morning through a dense forest until we reached a first waterfall. We had the chance to dip in and cool off. Soo great !! 
In the afternoon, the walk became a bit more difficult with quite a few rivers and streams to cross, sometimes on precarious bridges or rocks and sometimes simply walking through the stream. Removing our shoes and putting them back on was a bit long and annoying so all the children start using theirs dads shoulders as tuk tuks... until the guides decided to build little bridges with rocks in the shallower streams. At one point, we thought one of our guides went crazy! After helping 2 of the 4 children to cross on the rocks, he took a big rock and threw it on one side of the stream with a big “Hurgh” like sound. He then grabbed something by the tail and wacked it on a rock. At first, mom thought it was a fish, or a frog or a ... then we all realized it was a big lizard (iguana type of lizard). As if nothing happened, he then proceeded to help the other 2 children cross the stream. Once we were all on the other side, our guide simply grabbed it by the tail and carried it over his shoulder. He then said two new words “hum supper”. That promised to be interesting!  Arrived at our spot for the night, we hung out our hamacs and started a fire to cook the supper. The guides then cut some bambou to make glasses for the parents to drink rice whisky. Judging by their faces it must be quite strong. Our guides then cut 1 meter long bambou pieces in order to use them as pots over the fire. They sliced all the vegetables and pork, added a little bit of water and placed them on an angle over the fire. That made a delicious stew !! The lizard was cooked separately, boiled in a regular pot. Surprisingly, it was very good and had a sweet taste. Shortly after, it was time to sleep as we were all tired. We had one of our best night in this trip so far listening to all the jungle sounds was just amazing! Despite a quite difficult trek, the second day went by just as fast as the first, between walking and swimming under cascades and waterfalls, we had such a great time with our friends and family. I hope we will have the chance to see them again in Siem Riep!
|
AuteurOlivier: 10 ans Archives
Septembre 2022
|
Flux RSS