Back to Reality

Well, that's it folks! The trip was really wonderful & I have many people to thank.

First & foremost, I want to thank all the dear friends & family who participated in my 60th birthday celebration four years ago. Without their generosity, this trip would not have been possible. I will be sending each one a proper note of thanks shortly.

The biggest thanks of all goes to Veronique & Pierre Poliansky, who opened their home in Bangkok to me & made me feel so welcomed. They went out of their way so many times to make sure that my stay in Bangkok was as rich and fulfilling as possible. I am truly grateful for their generosity and their friendship.

A special thanks is also due to my daughters, Cecile & Claire, for their continued encouragement. I now have fabulous Jim Thompson silk curtains in my living room in Bethesda because Cecile kept pressuring me to measure for curtains & "get them done"! Cecile also gave me the cooking class to The Blue Elephant, which was a real treat.

My dearest friends, Philippe & Elizabeth Lambert, arrived from France just before I left & then they left just after I came back. They stayed in my flat, took care of whatever was needed, kept me abreast of what was going on & they helped me - Philippe did all the work - hang the curtains before they left.



Thanks to all of you for your comments on my blog.

The Mekong River

The only excursion out of Luang Prabang that I made was to the Pak Ou caves, located 25 km upriver from the city. There are two caves "studded with wood & gold Buddha images - 2,500 in the lower cave & 1,500 in the upper". In the past, all the Buddhas were in gold or silver, but they have all been looted & replaced with wood, copper or stone or stone statues.










The trip to the caves took just over 2 hours by boat. I stopped at one small village on the way & bought a few things from the local market. Being on the Mekong was as more of a treat for me than visiting the caves. It is the "mother river of Southeast Asia". Its source is in Tibet & it flows down through China. It is 4500 km long (the 12th longest in the world) & goes through 6 countries.






The terrain from Luang Prabang to the caves was very mountainous & desolate, although in almost every flat space along the sides of the river, vegetable gardens had been planted. I did see a few water buffalo here & there. The river itself is very tricky & the boats were zigzagging up the river in order to avoid the sand bars, rock formations, islands, etc. The current also seemed quite strong which is why it took us 2+ hrs to get to the caves & only 1 hour to get back. It was a real pleasure being on the Mekong & glimpsing life on this famous river.

Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang was the former royal capital of Laos & since 1995 has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. UNESCO declared it the "best preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia". Don't be put off by the term "city", because there are less than 20,000 inhabitants & it feels more like a small town than a city.














It definitely oozes charm, with its stunning position on the Mekong River & surrounded by mountains. There are great restaurants, tons of cafes, over 30 intact wats, cobblestone streets, colonial architecture, day markets, a large night market and a very relaxed, laid-back feel.











Unfortunately, I spent only 3 nights in Luang Prabang & did not get to see as much as hoped.
I stayed at the most fabulous hotel, Residence Phao Vao, (www.residencephaovao) & I had two divine Lao massages at the hotel spa. The Lao massage is like the Japanese Shiatzu massage, i.e. pressure points. I have included some pics from the hotel.













The local currency is called the Kip & 10,000 kip = $1, so bargaining was weird. You think it's so expensive, but then you realize the 200K is only $20. I'm great at bargaining - from my days in Africa - but I did very little in Luang Prabang, 5000 kip at the most. The Laotian people are so nice & they don't have a lot & I did not want to bargain to in any way demean their goods.






I bought some lovely naturally-dyed silk scarves, two small silver votives so I would have examples of Lao silver & a great Humong jacket at the night market. There is also wonderful woodcarving, but since it was the end of the trip & the weight if my baggage a major concern, I had to forgo the woods.

I found the Lao people so nice. They have a ready smile that is genuine. They are not confrontational, they do not shout amongst themselves & I never saw one agressive driver (either cars, tuk-tuks or motorbikes). I always wanted to go to Laos, ever since my dear friend, Ricky, made an extensive trip in Southeast Asia in the early 1970's & told me that her favorite place/people was Laos. I never felt any negative energy. Is that because of Buddism?