Turkeys In A Hmong Village

Imagine my surprise when I walked into a Hmong village in a remote location to find free range turkeys strutting around. Then I remembered the history of the region and how the Hmong people were allies to the Americans during the Vietnam war. Many of the Hmong people were relocated to the US after the war and that was how the link came about.
These turkeys are being fattened for Thanksgiving and I saved this till now to share. These days people travel home to celebrate Thanksgiving at home. This bird looked very interesting close-up.

The White Dragontail

Here's another butterfly that I've not encountered in Singapore. It flies as fast as the Darters and it took sometime for it to settle down in the damp sand near the hot spring to puddle. The White Dragontail, is a species of swallowtail native to parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. If only it opened its wings.

Unknown Lizards

I still have heaps of photos from my trip to Laos. Here are two lizards that I spotted in the hills while I was tracking. One looks to me like a skink.The other is a gecko of some kind.

A Butterfly Called Paris Peacock

This was a butterfly that I encountered in Laos at a hot spring. It's an extremely fast flyer and I had to be kind to my guide while I waited it out in the heat to try to photograph this butterfly. The Paris Peacock is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in South Asia.I'm glad I did as it was a very beautiful butterfly.

Best Pho in Southern Laos

I once again navigated with my guide book and found this pho stall next to a hotel in Pakse. It was so good that I ended up going to this place twice in two days.
The stall Lan Kham Pho sells Vietnamese beef pho and only operates from 7 am to 2 pm. During that time period, they sell hundreds of bowls of pho as they had several large pots of broth brewing when I sat down for breakfast. While I was there I watch people pull up on motor bikes to order takeaways before zipping off to work.I used an English menu and pointed to what I wanted as the girls at the stall spoke no English.This was my breakfast, a small serving of beef pho, notice the amount of herbs and vegetables that come with my bowl of pho. The beef was sliced thinly and still rare when the bowl of pho arrived at my table. It was a great bowl that hit the spot and I followed it with a glass of thick Laos coffee with condensed milk.

Hawkers On The Ferry

These hawkers came on board to join the others who were already on the ferry selling breakfast to drivers and passengers who were crossing the Mekong. The girl carrying the lotus seed pods wasn't taking them for some flower decoration but she was selling them as food. The Laotians eat the raw lotus seeds inside the pods as seen here.The most popular dish on board was rice noodles with raw vegetables, watery coconut curry sauce and chili flaks.

Mekong Ferry Transportation

I had the opportunity to cross the mighty Mekong several times but never on a ferry like the one above. This ferry was truly flimsy and if I thought about the danger of crossing a swollen and fast flowing Mekong with no life jackets. I would have flatly refused to get on board but curiosity got the better of me.
This is the ferry empty, two boat frames and a large wooden platform is how I would describe it.The ferries are operated by young men who look like they should still be in school. This folks is the wheelhouse of a ferry that would take up to five vehicles on it including large lorries.For those who want a private ride this is another option.

Dried Barking Deer Meat

My guide and driver chose to stop at a rest stop for lunch. The stall had dried meat hanging out and it didn't take long before the guide points out that the meat is that of a barking deer.
The drive and guide promptly place an order for the deer meat while I stuck to pho. The dried deer meat is grilled over a charcoal fire.Once the strips of meat are done, they are left to cool a little.Next they are pounded to soften the strips.The meat is then eaten with a chili sauce and sticky rice. I usually pay for the meals of my driver and guide, and I suspect that they expected me to foot their bill. However, I don't agree with eating wild game especially when the guide can tell me that the deer is protected in Laos and it was poached. I made it a point not to pay for their meals.

Authentic French Cuisine in Vientiane

This is another must try in Vientiane, Le Silapa, a French restaurant that is in an old shop house. I popped into the cosy restaurant during lunch and ordered their set lunch for US$8. To me it was a steal for a three-course meal but to the Laotian this will be an extravagantly expensive meal.

I chose a carrot soup as my starter.Grilled chicken breast with brown sauce reduction as my main course,and then there's dessert with good strong coffee. I would head back to this one if I ever was in Vientiane again. It was value for money.

Vieng Savanh

This restaurant is on Heng Boun and I chance upon it by chance on a Sunday as it was packed with Laotians having their dinner. They served steamboat and grilled meat balls that was eaten with lots of salad and rice noodles.One of the girls at the restaurant asked if I would like to place an order and with much trouble I did. This was my order - meat balls, fresh vegetables and hers, pickled raw starfruit, garlic, noodles, rice paper and a sweet peanut dipping sauce.I ended up making up my own servings, a little of everything wrapper in a piece of rice paper topped of with an meatball, wrap them up and dunk into the sauce. The salad help to cut the grease of the meatball. which were really firm and bouncy. This is another restaurant to try.

Wat Si Saket

This is the sin of Wat Si Saket, the wat was built in 1818 by King Anouvong and the architecture is Thai styled as the king grew up in grew up in Siam (Thailand). He moved back to Laos and in 1804 succeeded his two older brothers to rule over the Kingdom of Lan Xang.

Wat Si Saket houses over 6,000 Buddha images, and they range from a few centimeters in height to over one and a half meters tall. The buddha images are original and date from the 15th to 19th centuries.

Rue Hengboun

This is where I found great food. Do try to spend some in this area during lunch time as I found that there are more stalls.

This noodle stall was packed at lunch time and the two ladies running the stall was turning up bowl after bowl of pork noodle soup. It's wanton noodles but instead of egg noodles, the Laotian version uses rice noodles (pho). I went back in the evening hoping to try a bowl of the noodles only to find it closed.Papaya salad is popular with the Laotian too as it is in Thailand. After photographing this lady preparing an order of salad for a customer. She offered me a small helping it was extremely spicy, like the Thais the Laotians love spicy food.This is the kind of coffee that I prefer. It strong and fragrant unlike what is served at Starbucks. Coffee is prepared in the old fashion way in aluminum containers over a charcoal stove.

Vientiane

I spent three days in Vientiane and saw the many sites but what was fun for me was walking around the streets with the camera to see what I could find.
These two broom boys kept turning back and smiling at the camera, thank goodness there wasn't much traffic while they passed me.Graffiti has come to Vientiane, both walls of the buildings on this street had graffiti. However, grammar hasn't quiet made it yet.Here's a sign pasted on the glass window of a hotel.I wondered into Sangha College that was house within a temple ground and chatted with the novices studying at the college. The monasteries are also the best places to get an education, some of the monks I met can speak some English. Like this monk whom I met inside the sin (prayer hall) studying. We chatted and I asked him if I could take a picture and he posed for me.

Best Chocolate Croissant Outside Of France

I found this little French cafe in a side road in Vientiane with perseverance as the guidebook I had with me had the location of Croissant D'or printed on the wrong road.It was well worth the effort as it had the best chocolate croissant outside of France but I had to seek air conditioning as the weather outside was to hot and muggy. A strong brew of Laotian coffee and a warm croissant perked me up quite a bit.What make the croissant so good was the thick gooey chocolate wrapped within the croissant. If you're ever in Vientiane do take the time to locate this cafe.

The Many Uses of Bamboo

The bamboo is the fastest growing plant and can grow six or more inches a day. I am amazed that a member of the grass family can be used in so many ways. Bamboo in cooking - raw bamboo shoots and steamed bamboo shoots. I love bamboo shoots as they add a woodsy taste to the dish and it's crunchy.Bamboo that has been woven into baskets and cages to hold animals as large as a pig.Bamboo is also used in construction.

Happy Dirty Faces

One of my favorite subjects are kids as they are just so fantastic to photograph for their innocence and care free attitude. Here are some photos of kids I've encountered during my trip and they played with the camera. I has a series of photos of kids jumping from bridges and tree stumps into the river.The little boy played peek-a-boo with me and he was just adorable.Sweet shy smile from this boy.Here's his sibling with him.