Last Day In Laos

This afternoon began our 34+ our slog home, but we still had a few hours left in Luang Prabang which we wanted to take advantage of.  First up was one more opportunity to photograph monks, this time as the crossed a bamboo bridge close to our hotel.  Class starts at 8:00 a.m. for them and typical of any group of students you have some that go early and some that barely make it.  This gave us a chance to set up our shots in between their crossing the bridge.

Next, we returned to our hotel for one last breakfast with our friends leaving this morning for NYC.  We returned to our room for a shower and packing which was a bit more of a challenge at this point.  We got every suitcase to shut before checking out.

With the few hours we had left we walked around the city one last time.  I had some places I had spotted during the week that I wanted to shop at before we left.  We also spotted a French bakery (remember this was a French colony before they left in 1953) which was a perfect place to enjoy one last lunch.

With everything packed in a van, we departed for our long journey home.  Our return trip would take us through Bangkok, Seoul, DFW before finally landing in Tulsa a little exhausted but glad to be home.

What a fantastic adventure.  We hope to have many more to come.

Cooking Laos Style

Several months ago when we were making plans for this trip, a couple we knew from the Mongolian trip (tlmmongolia.blogspot.com) suggested we take a cooking class after our workshop concluded.  They made the arrangements and all we had to do was show up.  It was through Tamarind restaurant which was a five minute walk from our hotel.

When all the participants arrived we piled into a van to head to the largest food market in Luang Prabang to see where all the food was purchased for our class.  This market is open from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and is a sprawling affair with sections for everything you could imagine for sale.  The fresh vegetables looked amazing and the variety was huge.  We stopped at a rice vendor where our instructor explained the various kinds and qualities of rice available.  Laos is known for its sticky rice.

Next we strolled through the meat market area.  All kinds of meat was available along with every kind of cut imaginable.  The women are the butchers because the men are out working during the day.  The last stop was at a snack vendor.  We got to try dried shaved bamboo that was very good along with dried mushroom chips which weren't quite as tasty to me.  We were given a few minutes to wonder around the market before heading on to the place the cooking class would be held.

The class was in a big open air pavilion with a serene lily pond on one side.  Cooking stations were set up at two long tables and a demo area was at the end.  We also had interesting little live coal cooking stations that were made from what appeared to be clay pots cemented inside metal buckets.  A variety of prep utensils such as knives, spoons and the very important mortar and pestle were available to each of us.

This class was really hands on with us prepping each dish and cooking it over the live coals.  We made fish steamed in banana leaves, buffalo laap salad, chicken stuffed in lemon grass and sticky coconut rice with fresh fruit.  It really was quite yummy and a fun way to spend a day learning about Laos food.  We met some nice adventuresome travelers too.  The one sort of disgusting thing we witnessed was one of the German tourists tasting his raw chicken mixture.  I was almost sick for him!

We returned to the hotel mid afternoon and enjoyed an hour manicure before taking a trip up Mount Phu Si to witness a spectacular sunset along with 1000 (maybe a few less) of our closest friends.  From this vantage point you could see the entire city and it was stunning.  We waited for the crowd to clear before descending to the night market and then on to dinner.  What a great way to spend the day.

Tomorrow: A Few More Monks 

Lazy Day in Luang Prabang

I barely left our hotel today since we had no real demands on our time.  Breakfast stretched into lunch with final goodbyes with some of our group.  Many had scheduled trip extensions to various Asian destinations like Bangkok and Vietnam.  This was our final stop however.

Our hotel was known for it's spa and we took full advantage of it.  We scheduled a two hour couple massage.  We started with foot washings before continuing onto our massage.  Gongs were sounded as we prepared for  a marvelous Thai style rubdown.  I think I even dozed off for a minutes I was so relaxed.  All of this for only $100 for the two of us.  What a bargain.

A group of us that remained in Luang Prabang gathered for dinner at a restaurant down the street we had sampled earlier in the week.  We continued to share stories over wine and food, wanting to extend our group experience as long as possible.

Tomorrow: Cooking Laos Style

Last Day of Workshop

Today was a last official day of our photography workshop.  It always sneaks up on me.  Everyone has become comfortable with each other and then we have to save goodbye.  Some of us will stay in contact and plan visits outside of future photography trips.  Others we’ll keep up with on social media getting to experience their future trips through their photography.  I’m always sad when we get to this point.

This morning we took tuk tuks to Kuangi Si Falls a short distance outside of Luang Prabang.  We parked in a village that was taking advantage of the tourists visiting this popular site.  Before arriving at the falls on the hiking trail, you pass through a bear preserve.  There are 38 bears housed in the facility which protects them from poachers that sell their bile to the Chinese for male virility.  The Australians helped fund the center.

The falls are different than others I’ve visited with blue pools at the base of progressively steeper falls.  It was hard not to get fixated on the first falls we came to they were so beautiful.  However, we did move up the trail to the next stopping spot.  Ira encouraged us to hurry up to the big falls before we had to depart.  Wow!  It was extremely wondrous and well worth the hike.  Liza extended our departure so we had the opportunity to get all the photos we wanted.

We had a few minutes in the village before our return trip.  There were lots of vendors preparing food for the lunchtime crowd soon to descend on the falls.  All sorts meats were being grilled over open fires and it really looked delicious.  The popcorn we bought for a snack on the ride back was every bit as good as anything we have at home.

We had time before our final class for lunch and picture picking.  I actually took the opportunity for a quick nap!  Our final class was back at the weaving center.  Ira was being brutally honest today, expecting us to have kicked up our game after a week of instruction.  He also encouraged us to keep challenging ourselves when we return home to keep our skills up.  I’m sure I have some camera gear I’ll need to purchase;)

After a couple of hours free, we returned to the weaving center for our final slideshow.  While we were in class with Liza and Ira, Ari worked with the kids at the Library.  They were invited to our class to watch our work and also to show off what they had learned.  There were some pretty great photographers in their group.  They also awarded the winners of a photo contest that Liza and Ari sponsor.  One girl won the novice category and received her own camera.  You would have thought she’d won an Academy Award the way her face was beaming.  What a wonderful program they are running for those kids.

We had our final dinner at 3 Nagas, a restaurant near our hotel.  Farewells were said since many will depart in the morning.  We still have a couple of nights before our departure.  Again, another wonderful workshop thanks to Liza and Ira.

Tomorrow: A day to relax 

Afternoon on the Mekong River

Having a better idea of ways to shoot the Monk alms processional, we slept in a little (until 6!) before heading to end of the route.  By this point, the sky is a little lighter and there's a nice long line of Monks coming up the street.  It made for a very nice shot.  We then headed over to the seasonal (it washes out during the rainy season) bamboo bridge to see if we could catch any monks crossing it to come over for classes.  We were in luck, find a couple of groups using it.

This morning was the 4th class of the trip.  By this point Ira expects everyone to bring their A game to class.  As he says, all of our pictures will impress our family and friends but he's expecting a little more from us and is not afraid to tell us (in a semi-kind way, of course).

After lunch, we walked to our next adventure, a cruise on the Mekong river.  Meaning 'the mother water', the Mekong is the 12th longest river in the world at 2,700 miles in length.  It has a very profound influence on the people that live within its watershed.  I would liken it to our Mississippi River.

Boats use the river for both transportation of goods and people, especially during the dry season when it's a little more navigable.  We had two boats taking our group plus the kids from the photography school we had met yesterday.  What a peaceful journey we had with nice breezes complimenting the beautiful, mountainous landscape.

Our first stop was at Whiskey Village where they make, you guessed it, whiskey.  Fifty gallon drums are used as stills to make the rice whiskey they are known for.  During the bottling, various forms of critters are placed in some of the bottles as a little added benefit.  I wasn't tempted, but someone from our group said the whiskey was slightly sweet and not too awful.  There were also little booths set up where women were selling their handcrafted scarves and clothing.  Cute little village.

Our next stop was at the caves of Pak Ou.  Two caves provide the resting place for  thousands of Buddha statutes of all shapes, sizes and materials.  This is one of the most sacred places in the Luang Prabang province and has thousands of visitors a year.  The lower cave has a lot of natural light and is an easy climb from the boat dock.  The upper cave is much more of a hike and the cave is quite dark inside.  It's really quite a sight.

The return trip was much faster since we were moving with the current.  We had a beautiful sunset on the river before docking.  We chose the sister restaurant to L'Elephant for dinner this evening.  It was delicious!

Tomorrow: Our final group day

Up with the Monks

Luang Prabang is a small town with lots of monk filled temples.  Monks awake at dawn to collect alms from the local citizens.  There is a set route where people set up their baskets containing food to give to the monks as they pass by.  This is quite a tourist attraction and vans pour in to bring visitors down to the square to watch the processional.  We were staying in walking distance, so we headed out at 5:30 to stake out our spots.  The monks start arriving predawn in groups starting around 6:00 a.m and concluding around 7:00 a.m.  We would have several opportunities to watch the parade of monks during our stay.

After breakfast we had the opportunity to visit a library that has been established by an American teacher.  This is more than a library however.  Carol is helping fill in the deficiencies of their education system for the local children.  English lessons are given as well as teaching critical and creative thinking skills.  A photography program as been established by her to help with the creative side with students being given cameras that have been donated to the facility.  Our group had brought all sorts of gear to add to her collection.  Carol is really giving back to the community in a big way.

Our classroom in Luang Prabang would be at a weaving center established to help teach weaving to the locals and also serve as a sales outlet for their goods.  A very good restaurant was onsite where we enjoyed lunch while preparing for our class.  The center has gone out to villages to teach weaving to allow the women to earn some income since most of the people live on what crops they can raise for both their own consumption and also for selling to restaurants in town.

Later in the afternoon, we visited a temple to watch the monks chanting prayers.   Chant books guide them in their prayers.  It was fun seeing the monks kid side, with iPhones coming out occasionally during the chants to check their texts.  They may be monks but they are also kids.

We were on our own for dinner and a group of us dined right up the street from our lodging.  We had yet another fine meal before turning in for the evening.

Tomorrow: Cruising on the Mekong

Cambodian Reflections

Today was a travel day for us, so we had some free time in the morning to sleep in, pack or just enjoy the resort.  We chose to have massages after breakfast to work out some kinks we had developed carrying around our equipment.  They really know how to give a massage here and it only cost $75 for both of us.  I would be doing this weekly if it was available at home.

For anyone thinking about traveling to Cambodia I say do it!  The people are very friendly and welcoming.  The US dollar is accepted everywhere so there's no need to mess with money conversion.  They even gave me change in dollars at many places.  There's lots of very nice hotels dotting the city and the tuk tuks make it very easy to get anywhere you want for not much money.  The temples are fabulous and the food is not bad either.

A word about Siem Reap traffic.  A native describe it like this: It's like a river with rocks in it, with everyone flowing around each other and a somewhat disorganized but organized fashion.  Traffic from all directions merges and exits without coming in contact each other in some kind of dance that only they really understand.  If you cross the street slowly, all the vehicles will find a way of avoiding you.  It's really pretty amazing.

Our next destination was a short plane flight into Laos.  We ran into a little issue on Laos Air with all the luggage we had with us.  I guess they are not used to having so many bags with camera equipment that needed to come onto the plane.  We finally wore them down and they let us direct the placement of our luggage to our satisfaction.

Coming into Luang Prabang, Laos was beautiful with mountains surround the town and the sun setting as a back drop.  Our hotel, the Burasari Heritage is a collection of buildings containing lovely guest rooms.  Some of the room layouts were a little different (our shower was in the corner of our bedroom) but the accommodations were more than adequate.

We walked to a group dinner at L'Elephant just up from our hotel.  Laos was a French colony at one point and it really shows in the quality of food available to us.  French bakeries line the streets along with both French and native restaurants.  The town has a very chill vibe which should be a great way to end our trip.

Tomorrow: Up at dawn with the monks

A Day at the Temples

We departed out hotel at 4:30 a.m. to try and beat the sunrise crowd at Angkor Wat.  We had our pick of spots along the lakes flanking the entrance to the temple, so we set up our tripods and waited for some light.  There was one American that thought she should have a clear view of the temple just because she had arrived early.  I politely informed her that she was living in some dream world if she thought the 10 foot open space in front of her was going to remain devoid of tourist as the throngs filled in.  I had my "I told you so" moment withing the next 30 minutes.

We had a little time in the temple after the sunrise, so we went back to look for things we might have missed during our first visit.  One mother had dressed her daughter up to have her pictures made inside, so I took advantage of getting her in action, leaping through the air, poising on the steps and getting to act like a kid.  She was cute and it was fun shooting her.

Our next stop was Ta Prohm, the temple I had visited a few days earlier when we first arrived.  Today I went a different way and was rewarded with some new spots to shoot.  The Chinese tourists were everywhere, so I had to be patient and let them move on before getting good clean photos.  This spot is so unique, I think I could visit it several days in a row and still find new pictures.

Right after lunch, we had our final class in Siem Reap.  They try to use the hottest part of the day for the critique sessions both to keep us out of the heat and to use the nice morning and afternoon light to our advantage.

Our final temple of the day was Bayan and Angkor Thom.  Because each of the temples around Siem Reap were built during different time periods they each have a very different style.  Bayan is know for the giant Buddha heads carved into the sides of stone pillars.  The temple is elevated which gives it an more imposing silhouette.  The late afternoon sun splashed soft light on the faces and showed off the beautiful carvings into the walls.

There's been a lot of development in Siem Reap since our last visit in 2011 including Pub Street, an area near downtown with bars, restaurants and shops and a general nightlife attitude to lure in visitors.  We ended up at a restaurant named Steak House which serves, wait for it, steaks!  They also had some more typical Asian dishes and some very delicious sides (garlic was in no shortage here).  The wait staff was attentive and very appreciative of both our praise and our tips.  I highly recommend it if you're visiting.

Next:  Day of Travel

Phare Circus

This morning we had our first critique session with our workshop photographer, Ira Block.  This group is pretty seasoned so there were some pretty fantastic images for the first day of class.  While we all have things to work on during the trip, Ira was pretty pleased with our starting point.

This afternoon Liza had arranged for us to spend some time with Phare Circus.  This organization was founded by 9 young Cambodians in 1994 returning from refuge camps at the fall of the Khmer Rouge.   They soon founded a K-12 school which provides arts training to their students while also providing an education. The circus is an offshoot from the school and provides funds for their educational mission.  I suggest you go visit their website to learn more about this amazing organization at http://pharecircus.org/about-us/our-social-mission/ .

We spent the afternoon watching the performers rehearse before the evening performance.  You might think of this a little like Cirque du Soleil with a story unique to Cambodia.  Each show is created by the performers to tell their story to the audience.  The show we'll see is about the differences between Cambodians and foreign visitors.

There's a restaurant onsite that we dined in prior to the performance which serves great Cambodian and western fare.  We had a chance to look through our shots from the afternoon before preceding into the tent for the main event.  This show was really amazing!  I highly recommend a visit if yo find yourself in the area.

Tomorrow: Temples, temples and more temples