Nail polish, nail polish or curlers

Shelving and display cases are a rarity at Talat Sao, instead squat on your haunches and search through the plastic trays for the nail polish of your choice - and some curlers at the same time.

Mungilli Claypans VI

Tuesday That Luang

That Luang is the most sacred temple in Laos and a national symbol.  Its shape is uniquely Laos and it once dominated the Vientiane skyline.

Drying fish

Very small fish spread out to dry at the fish drying village,  Ban Tha Heua.

Temple Supplies at Talat Sao

Golden, ornate, alms bowls can be bought at specialised stall in the Talat Sao market.  Some of them must be expensive as they are kept in special glass cabinets.

Fish drying girl

This young girl was place fish on netting ready to be moved to larger racks for drying.

Fish drying

Blue sky, blue hills. blue water and blue plastic netting. Racks of drying fish at Ban Tha Heua by the Nam Ngum reservoir.

Mungilli Claypans V

 

Sunrise and sunset at the Claypans. Playing with the panorama function on the camera.

A Pink Elephant for Tuesday

On my bike rides downstream along the Mekong there are many temples.  I love this one with the bright pink elephant at the gateway. 

A Sunday Picnic after the Rain

After the rain its time for a picnic.  Several Laos families were enjoying the water at Tad Moon.  Normally when I ride around this area the creeks are dry, but today they were flowing with full force.

Elephants, North Korea, Theatre and Life in Laos

Petcha Kutcha events have been a highlight of my limited social life in Vientiane.  At the event last week there were presentations from ex-pats and locals around the theme "My Place", with stories of the elephant caravan, a women's community place in Vientiane, the travelling film festival, running a marathon in North Korea and more.

I found it very powerful to listen to Mai, who works at VIS as an IA in Grade 4 spoke about being one of 10 children in a poor family in Laos, with a father removed to the re-education camps after the American and civil war and the importance of education in her life.

Silk for Sale - Talat Sao

 Multi-colored hanks of silk thread for sale at Talat Sao.  Vibrant colors!

Kool Fever

Kool Fever - popular in the pharmacy.  Cooling pads for the forehead that apparently reduce fever.

It's the wet season

The rainy season seems to be lasting longer than in the previous two years.  As at home the heavens seem to open just as school finishes.  Most of the time that is Ok for me, but I have had a few damp scooter trips.  This photo looking across the road from my apartment to the yoga studio provides  a sense of the intensity of the short thunderstorms.

Mungilli Claypans IV

A live camel.  We were having a competition between vehicles with points for animal spotting.  Much to my chagrin, no points (or more importantly chocolate) were given for a dead camel!!  Despite it being the first animal we saw!! Beware the live animal clause!!!!

Temple Gateway

All Lao temples have an ornate gateway, often guarded by statues of lions or elephants.  This one at Wat Ammon, in my neighbourhood has lions at the first pillar, as well as elephants on the second pillar next to the pedestrian gates.  These elephants have starred in their own blog post early on after my arrival in Vientiane.

A Fisherman and His Nets

A Fisherman, and his nets, navigating towards the river bank on the flooded Mekong in Vientiane on Sunday afternoon.

Nam Ngum Sunset

Sunset (with some photographic software tweaks) last Saturday overlooking the Nam Ngum Reservoir from our resort with the floating pool.

Spotlight - At Talat Sao

Spotlight or Lincraft?  Laos style fabric shopping at Talat Sao market. The rolls of fabric, none of which are very nice, extend over the footpath, which is next to a rubbish filled drain.

The Chicken and the Satellite

 What a place for a chicken to choose to nest!!!

Riding to and through the shops.

On the scooter, riding on the muddy lane between the market stalls, this lady, loaded with bags,  cleared her path through the market in Ban Tha Heua

Mungilli Claypans III

I think I might become a twitcher.  Bird watching was a highlight of the trip through the desert.  It was magical to see flocks of budgerigars in flight. Such a vivid  feathers - green  and yellow - in the special light just before dusk.

The Temple Drum

Every temple has a drum, usually in a drum tower. This large one overlooks the village from the temple grounds at Ban Tha Heua on the weekend.

An Iron Patchwork.

A view over roof tops in the village of Tha  Heua.  With work colleagues I had a weekend away at a resort on the Nam Ngum reservoir.  I spent this morning exploring the near by village.  This was the view as I walked down from the temple on the hill.

A Lorry Load of Baskets

With my fixation on chicken baskets, les cages aux coqs, I was very excited to see this lorry of baskets by the road side.

Talat Sao Scene

Talat Sao is the major market in Vientiane is chaotic and crowded, but also colourful and characteristically Laos.  Gold jewellry, cottons, detergent and statues of Buddha all in the toilet paper aisle!

My Life Saver

The camera fixer that cleaned and fixed my faulty zoom today.  Happy Days!  350,000 Kip (Approx $50.00) well spent.