Visiting Laos...

[AznGyrl4o1]

Well, okay...I'll just start off with, I'm Sandy.
I took October off from school to go to Laos with My family. And FYI, I'm a Junior in highschool. I know taking a month off sounds crazy, but it was so worth it.
My Mom hadn't been to Laos for over 20 years. So she was excited. Shoot, being that it was the first time that I've ever gone to Laos or just leaving the U.S alone for that matter..Of course I was excited too.
Hmm.. Gotta tell you though, the trip there was loooong. It's a big hassle too. Especially when you have tons of baggage and stuff. So I'm suggesting that you bring like..a back pack. And buy your stuff once you get to Laos.
10 years is a long time too. My Mom said that a lot has changed. Laos is more up to date than before. But not so much that you'll forget it was Naturally Beautiful. It's just changed enough so that you'll notice.

Took these at the top of Tum Bafa

I didn't have to climb the ladder to get up there. I got lucky. When I got there, they were just about finishing the stairs. But I still had to cross the swamp. :sweat:

Wat Pa Baht Pohn Kong..Honestly..All of the Temples amazed Me.

Nahm thohk Kon Pah Paeng

Got Cao? They do! :loool:

Cao Lahm. Yummy. Oh, Cao Mow was wicked good too. B)

This was at the top of Wat Phu. It was crazy hawn that day mann. But once you get to the top, it's like a rush of accomplishment. ^_^
[Beautiful sight too]

Well I hope you have a safe trip to Laos.

 

[Reagan]

wow sandy those pictures are amazing you make mine look like nothing hehe, where bouts is tum bafa that scene is amazing, the big buddha i went there about 10 years ago i still remember trying to get there by jumping on the dry rocks so i wont step in the puddles lol, and Nahm thohk Kon Pah Paeng where is that? these photos are amazing please post up more

 

[missjoy]

hi sandy! thank you for sharing your amazing photo's with us!! You really went to a lot of places!! That's so awesome.

Reagan, Nahm thohk Kon Pah Paeng is in the southern most part of laos. It's one of the biggest and most dangerous waterfalls in Laos.

 

[dfemc]

those were some mad wicked places u went there sandy. i luv the pictures. i hope to be able to hit up those spots some day too. ur lucky to be out there at such a young age, it's always a mind blowing experience to be humbled in the midst of nature like that... thnx for sharin'.

 

[lynn]

I'm thinking of visiting Laos next year. This will be my first time. Never saw the place before in my life.

 

[neena]

I went there last summer and all i wish that they had were nice roads and side walks in local towns. they had cemented roads in the city but not in the villages. i visted my relatives in the village the hmong ppl call the village of red sand (something like that). i stayed there most of the time but i also went to Ponsavan, i went to my grandfather's birth place, the border of laos and vietnam, visited the capitol of Laos and visited this place where my uncle lives, i don't know the town name though.. (i don't know how to spell is so i'm just going to write it how i pronounce it. okay?) I thought the weather was so much nicer in laos then in thailand. it was cool when it wasn't raining. i went during the rainy season so i woke up to a flooded backyard almost every morning. the bathroom was about a few yards away from where i was staying, so when i woke up i had to walk through some yellowish rain water to get to the bathroom. that was horrible. my feet got all ichy. At night i had to walk over a few houses just to get to my aunt's house to take a bath. At night when the dogs roam around, that was scary. they're eyes glow and they bark too. i'm scared of dogs so me going to a land with dogs roaming around wasn't so good. But i built up the courage and ignored the dogs as much as possible. the food there, good, i ate at my granny's house most of the time so i had hmong cooked food a lot. i also shared a room with the granny i never knew about. it was awkward but after getting to know her for two weeks we were very cool with one another, i cried in her arms when i left to go back to thailand. On our way to Ponsavan i saw some of the most magnificent mountains. going up the mountains and seeing villages on the cliffs were AMAZING!!! those ppl live very peaceful lives but they work very hard just to provie food and a shelter. Rice fields were extremely beautiful. i loved the smell of rice.

lol, i got the opportunity to visit my cousins i never knew about and i also became a aunt to my new nieces and newphews. the children there are so adorable!!! i loved the children over there, playing out in the dusty road with no worries. i miss them so much!!! I still look at all the pictures i've taken with them and i miss them so deeply, i wish not to live there though, its not high tech enough for me. i mean i need to use the computer almost every day and in laos you can hardly find a household with a computer in it. No doubt though, i will return for another visit in 2009.

I'll post my pictures as soon as i find my digital camera somewhere in my room.

 

[tye-niranh]

I haven't been back to Laos yet and I never really wanted to visit...I grew up there and I remember how hard life was there. I have a lot of relatives there and I guess I'm afraid to see their hardships. It would just break my heart. I didn't come over until I was 10 years old so I remember alot. But from reading about your experiences, I really want to go back and visit now. Thanks for sharing your experiences and the pictures are amazing. Alot has changed since I've been there...which was 17 years ago.

 

[missjoy]

I am not sure I can go back and live in Laos either, so use to the American life style.. but I definately want to go visit there as much as I can at every chance I am given.

I am heading to laos in 1.5 weeks!! so excited. I'll be sure to share pictures with you guys. I bought extra memory card for my digital camera so there will be lots of pictures!!!

 

[tye-niranh]

I'm excited for you JOy. Have fun and be careful!

 

[neena]

lucky girl!!! have a cool trip!! then tell us all about it!

here's a picture i took when i was on my way to ponsavan. pretty cool.
I MISS IT!!!

i'll post more when i find more on my cam.

 

[ta_s2]

the last time i went to laos was in march/april 2003 and it was the BOMB!!!!!!!!!
i miss it heaps! was gonna go back this month with my mum but i had school... anyways here are some pictures.. all in Luang Prabang... the bestest place in Laos!! i didnt take any photos in Vientiane coz we were only there for like 3 days and there wasnt really anyone to take us out.

a view from a temple.. not sure what its called but the one thats all gold on the outside.. lol

my friend from laos. at the top of 'poo see'

us at the waterfall.. "dtart gong see" .. i think thats the name lol

my friend from laos & lil bro ..

the water was soooo cold!!!

luang prabang streets at night... infront of my grans pl..

my friend at some waterfall.... ahhh i love the sound of motorbikes now.. reminds me of LAOS!!

the "narng sarn karn" ... or something like that lol .. i thought they werent all that pretty .. my friends Gf from laos was prettier lol.

some little kids walking in the new yr parade.. so cute!

alright thats it!

 

[dfemc]

wooows...yeah luang prabang is one of my favorite place. a totally romantic city.

 

[crazie_me]

wow...nice pic...i wish i can visit laos sometime...

 

[YM_gurl]

ta_s2.. looks like u had fun..back in 2003.. planning to go again sometime next year or whenever.. cause iam..

 

[shubby]

wow! seeing the pics make me really miss Laos so much.. i might take my mom back next year. she wanted to visit my only brother. from the pics..it's really nice. thanks

 

[dfemc]

these were fotos i've taken on my trip there about a year ago:
traveling along the mekong from Luang Pra Bang up to Bo Keo to Hua Sai...then I eventually crossed into ChiangRai via the Mekong River

 

[dfemc]

i love these village kids. they're the smartest. one kid even had a southpark shirt on...now how universal is kenny.

n they treated us to rice whiskey...how nice was that. as we donated to their community/village school fund. this was the home of the Bo Keo village a few hours from HuaSai. Very beautiful.

i was able to buy an old collectors coin from back when Laos was under the monarch rule. the coin seems to be real silver, but i have yet to have it authenticate it ^_^

 

[missjoy]

those are some really nice pictures dfemc. Your camera angles are great and the pictures are so vibrant. What kind of camera do you have?? Maybe I'll trade in my camera for ones like yours b/c my pictures did not turn out that great...

 

[missjoy]

I am back from my month long visit to Laos!!!! I am still trying to adjust my sleeping habits to the time differences. But as promised, here are some pictures that I want to share with you guys from my trip!!!

Thank goodness I did not get that much darker as hot and as sunny as it was. I enjoyed my stay in Laos so much that I want to go back there again sometime soon. It has changed and improved a lot since the last time I was there, which was 10 years ago. It is so convenient to get around there now and it's not as scary. I never felt in danger where ever I walked. The people there are so hospitable, which I think is a great character for any Laotions that you run into in any part of the world.

LUANG PA BANG:

 

[missjoy]