Patara Elephant Farm was on "The Amazing Race" this week. It was wonderful to see my elephant friends as TV stars. The race was in Chiang Mai and the challenges were set near APIS. Several participants had to collect frogs in a rice paddy, right next to APIS and below the restaurant I called the rice paddy. Other groups had to measure the dimensions of the elephants and then calculate their weight. Great fun. Season 30 Episode 9 (I think- close to the end of the series) in case any one watches The Amazing Race.
Yesterday's training ride for next month's Team Dai Challenge was fun, but long and hot. Karen was slightly heat stressed and had to get home to relieve her child minder. So we stopped in a small village and hailed down a song taew (communtity taxi). The driver loaded her bike on to the roof after he had loaded in the bag of chickens and box of ducklings the local passengers wanted to take with them into Vientiane.
It was 34 C and after midday and we had been out since 7.30 and covered over 100km. No wonder we were all hot and exhausted.
Thank you very much to those who have donated to support our ride for the Association of People Living with AIDS/HIV. All donations welcome HERE
A woman with character and style walking along a lane in market gardens near the Mekong downstream from Vientiane.
You have to admire Laos ingenuity and design. Saw this office seat as pillion seat attached to a motorbike out in the countryside near the Mekong.
Its wedding season in Laos and Vientiane. A typical scene is to see the street blocked for a wedding party like this with photos, flowers guests and tables under a marquee over the road.
Next month I am off an another crazy and challenging adventure - cycling 400km over 4 days. As usual I will be one of the slowest in the group but I am sure I will make it. I have been training, but a bout of bronchitis has limited preparation.
We are running a raffle here in order to raise funds through for the Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS here in Laos. A marginalised and needy community here.
Please support the cause and my ride, not by buying a raffle ticket, but making a donation on our Gofund me page.
The bird life at the Red Lotus Sea was rich and diverse. I saw more birds in one hour there than I have in the last year in Vientiane. This (egret? heron? ) was very regal.
This was my Sunday morning last week.
More water lilies, with some ramshackle Thai buildings.
Happy Chinese New Year. Welcome to the year of the dog.
A highlight of the year at VIS is the visit from the playful Chinese dragons. Today they came and performed and entertained the students.
Red lotus sea, had plenty of water lilies, but a shortage of lotus flowers. However there were some clumps of lotus, with huge leaves. Loved this one with a small puddle of water in its centre.
Call me Claude Monet. Water lilies and reflections of clouds at sunrise on the Red Lotus Sea near Udoni Thani in Thailand. A destination for a lengthy, but rewarding cycle tour over the weekend.
Warning: A week's worth of water lily photos to follow!
Continuing with photos of floral offerings, I like this one of the elderly lady stopping by the road side stall to choose her daily floral offering.
More on Marigolds - they are a symbol of good fortune and happiness in the Hindu culture and as the Theravada Buddhism of Laos is heavily influenced by Indian Hinduism they are also a symbol of good fortune in Laos.
Following on from yesterday's post of the mai lai here is a photo of the marigold offering for the Wats. From a blog called Tricycle I found the following interesting reflection on the role of floral offerings in Buddhism
"Contemplating a flower, says Abbot Phra Meo, is a way of reaching
understanding. But the true Buddhist should be aware that the beauty of
the flower is also a potential distraction—it is therefore important not
to limit one’s considerations to the colors, forms and scent of
flowers. Flowers represent impermanence—a central concept of Buddhism:
they are sweet-smelling one day and foul and withered the next."
I sent this photo of a Mai Lai garland to a friend from VIS who has had to travel to Colorado for a death in her family, so I thought I would share it on the blog too. Blessings to all.
The days have been cooler this week and the sunsets less vibrant. They grey light on the Mekong looking towards Thailand was mesmerising.
A visit to My Son temple was another highlight of my long weekend visit to Hoi An.
It is a Hindu temple built from the 4th C- 13th century - as part of the Champa kingdom.
It was mainly in ruins due to damage from climate, plants and of course war. It was Viet Cong strong hold and heavily bombed by the Americans
These vegetable gardens on the edge of Hoi An were green, neat and well tended. A cycle ride last Saturday through the rice paddies and back lanes of Hoi An provided a brief insight into local Vietnamese life.
Last Friday night I was enjoying Vietnamese food and the lanterns in Hoi An.
Vietnam was celebrating soccer over the weekend. The U23 team was in the final for the ASEAN Football Cup. Cathryn said Saigon had been crazy last week when they made the final. Hoi-An was crazy and filled with fans in red with head bands and T shirts and extra tooting of horns for the final on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately they lost in extra time. These young fans were ready to celebrate and watch the match.
