Dressed for the festival

What can  I say!!! Check out the checks!  Check out the shoes!  Check out the bling! Perfect outfit for a Buddhist festival.

Strings

Strings everywhere.

Monks and Strings

I walked through another "strings and chanting" festival today at Wat Simeuang this afternoon.  The monks were busy with large balls of string constructing a grid pattern above the grounds around the temple.

The man and his chook - Part 2

The chicken was taken out of its cage for a preen by its owner.  He sat on the ground and cut is claws and put some sort of balm on them.

L'Homme et sa poule

These rattan cages for poultry are called Les Cages du Coq in French, so I feel that a french title is appropriate for this photo of a man and his chicken. 

Autism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u8CZAgosyY

Grade 10 students complete a Personal Project - The PP.  It has been their focus for at least 5 months and especially February as deadlines approach.  We assessed them this week and there will be a presentation evening next week.  This video from Moukdaly (Angie) communicates to the Laos community to raise awareness about autism.  Its a fantastic and excellent piece of work.  Please click the link and watch.

Wednesday Weaving - The Loom

The complexity of warp and weft threads on a traditional Laos loom.

Road Widening - Laos style

Imagine the furore if Citylink adopted this approach to road widening in Melbourne!

Team Dai Challenge - Please help

Here is Team Dai at Patuxi monument last year at the end of our team bicycle ride.  I am joining again.  This year the aim so to raise funds for  Quality of Life Association, who support medical, rehabilitation, education and livelihood programs for UXO survivors, people with a disability (PWD), UXO impacted communities and impoverished people in Xieng Khouang Province.

Please  here donate to help the cause.

https://www.gofundme.com/teamdai2017

https://www.facebook.com/QLACenter/

Service is part of the re-fueling process in Vientiane. Each petrol station has one or two young smiling  men (never women) at each pump, who welcome you to their station.  sao paan kip - 20,000 kip - approx $AUD 5.00 to fill up.

A Lane way Scene

I think a little girl may live in this house as there is plenty of pink on the drying rack at the front door.

A tidy shop

A very neat and tidy shop display for a small narrow shop in a narrow Vientiane laneway.

Wednesday Weaving - Blue Spools

A weaver's basket of spools and the essential mobile phone.

Cycling by the Mekong

This might be me in 30 or 40 years.  Cycling off to buy some bananas and stopping for a rest under a shady tree before I get home.

Mushroom Buddha

One of the temples visited on yesterday's history tour had many Buddha statues.  This one under a mushroom, sitting by some mushrooms, that we thought were connected to his spaced out expression.

Build a Wall

Building a wall to keep "the others" out has seemed like a good idea to leaders throughout the ages and throughout the world.  I spent today with Garret Hottrich, an ex-VIS teacher, who has lived here for over 20 years learning some of the history of Vientiane and touring around the area.  We stopped at this Historycal Park (a sign in front of an overgrown mound of dirt) where we saw some very old bricks from the Vientiane Wall built in the late 1700s to keep out the Siamese.

Hire a Bicycle from a Hardware Store

When hiring a bicycle the most obvious place may not be that obvious.  Try a plumbing supplies place or hardware store!

Bike On Fire

I see this lady frequently cycling with her tray of fire and plastic baskets.  I think she is heading off to start a roadside food stall.  She has great balance to ride along with all the baskets, one hand steering and the other holding the brazier.

Marigolds and Beans

The vibrant orange of marigolds-a sacred color and a sacred flower.

Wednesday Weaver

This smiling lady is one of the weavers at Ock Pop Tok.  I watched mesmerized as used the shuttle and made intricate inserts into the weaving.

Playing with Rice

Kids playing with rice in the rice shop in the market in Luang Prabang.

Self Reflection

The mirror tile bling on this spirit house provided the photographic opportunity for a self portrait.

Headless Reds

The shops have been featuring red clothes as it was Chinese and Vietnamese New Year.  Headless mannequins were modeling these dresses and tops.

Arborists - Laos Style

Checklist of Australian OH&S standards for these arborists in Luang Prabang.

• Hats - does a cap count.

• Boots - bare feet provide better grip.

• Rope - not tied to anything. 

• Equipment - machetes and hand saws.

• Electrical wires - disconnected.

• Pedestrian exclusion zone - look up and decide to cross the street.

Arborists

Eggplants are in Season

 Eggplants are in season.  I love the vibrant purple of them in the markets and road side stalls.

Wednesday Weaving -Purples

Pur

The colours and textures of Laos weaving intrigue and engage me in the craft of weaving.

Wednesday Weaving will feature weaving photos such as this of a weaver's workstation at Ock Pop Tok Weaving village in Luang Prabang.