Slow Boat up the Mekong River

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Our boat, a converted Mekong cargo boat, moving serenely up the great river. Passenger speed boat flashing down the river. The passengers all wear lifejackets and crash helmets.

Beautiful mountain scenery near the Pak Ou caves. Line of water buffalo walking along the sandy bank of the river. The water rises the sixteen metres up to the jungle during the wet season. 

Fisherman paddling past huge rocks which are submerged when the river rises. Hmong people panning for gold in the gravel banks exposed by low water.

Cargo boats moored at Pakbeng. Cargo boats moored against a sandbank.

Dawn as we move through a narrow gorge. Slash and burn operations near a Hmong village we visted.

Fisherman working from precarious rocks. Sunset on the Mekong near Hauy Xai, Laos

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Louang Phabang

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Early morning alms procession of the monks from the pagodas in Louang Phabang.  

People give a small amount of rice, bananas, fruit or other cooked food to each monk. Some tour groups arrange for tourists to be provided with baskets of rice so that they can take part in this daily cermony. It is particularly intersting for tourists from other Buddhist countries.

Wat Ho Pha Bang in the grounds of the Royal Palace Museum designed to house the Pha Bang, a sacred Buddha image cast in gold, silver and bronze reputed to be 2000 years old and cast in Sri Lanka.  The picture on the right is the front facade of the museum which houses royal regalia and jewels. The Laos monarchy was abolished in 1975 

Wat Xieng Thong built in 1560 it was one of the few pagodas in the town to survive the turmoils of the last few centuries.

Margaret descending the stairway on the sacred Phu si Hill. Detail of a reclining Buddha on Phu Si Hill.

Traders at the early morning market. Note the red squirrels being offered for sale.

Monitor lizards from the jungle around the Mekong River make a good family meal. There are also live frogs on offer at this stall.

These cuddly creatures look like guinnea pigs but some call them short tailed bamboo rats. They can be bought alive or already skinned ready for the pot.

An ambush at Laos New Year. Girls pounce on motorcyclists throwing water over them. People walking, cyclists, motorbikes and cars all get the same treatment.

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Flower pot in a Pagoda in Louang Phabang. Spent munitions used as decorations on a bridge in Vang Vieng.

Plain of Jars warning notice put up by the British Mines Advisory Group MAG. It warns visitors to keep within the white markers. This is the path that has been checked for unexploded ordnance buried in the soil. Margaret at site 2 about to embark on the safe path to site 3.

Bomblet from a cluster bomb still visible in an area not cleared of unexploded ordnance. Our guide points to a hole in a bomb crater dug by children looking for scrap metal to sell to get money for school books and pencils.   

Bomb craters on a hillside. Beside them is land ploughed for tree planting. All agricultural land must be checked for unexploded ordnance before it can be used. Bomb crater beside one of the stone jars at Site 1.  All of the jar sites have been checked for unexploded ordnance.

Old army helmet used as a water baler in a family garden. Margaret inspects a russian armoured personnel carrier, probably used by the Vietnamese army.  This has been kept in place as a tourist attraction, otherwise it would be used as scrap metal.