Marigolds by the Mekong

Friday flowers - Mekong Marigolds - taken on they cycle ride along the river.  Marigolds are an important Buddhist symbol and form offerings at temples.  They are one of the few flowers seen in gardens here. There are small plots of them in fields along the river, grown to be taken into Vientiane for sale as offerings outside the many temples.

A Long Ride Ahead

 

A long ride for a good cause.  450 km - a scarily long distance - especially when it is to be covered in only 4 days in March.

Every year Vientiane's cycling team, Team Dai, embarks on a multi-day cycling tour and raises funds for a local cause.  This year, the 9th edition of the ride will take us 450km over four days on roads and tracks and trails between Vientiane and Vang Vieng. I have been training on the weekends - on roads and trails by the Mekong and in the mornings (5.50 AM training rides - not a Mary hour)

Team Dai are raising funds for Vientiane Rescue, which provides a free and equitable emergency service to all accident victims in and around Vientiane. Vientiane Rescue is the only roadside medical assistance available in Laos and in 2015 the volunteers rescued approximately 4,000 people.  The service relies entirely on volunteers and private donations. Funds raised by Team Dai will help the volunteer team operate 24/7 on the streets of Vientiane.

Please donate to the 2016 Team Dai Challenge, to support Vientiane Rescue. Here is the GoFundMe page: 

https://www.gofundme.com/5vkj779g?utm_medium=wdgt

 

Working in the Coriander field

While it is lovely and green and smells divine, I think working in the coriander field would be back breaking work.

Red Silk

More colorful photos from my visit to the silk dying factory.

100 kms on a Sunday morning

 Another ride with Team Dai this morning - training for our fundraising ride in March.  100km today was more than enough - but have to do 450 in 4 days  - it will be a challenge.

We are raising funds for Vientiane Rescue.

They are the only roadside medical assistance available now in Lao.  In 2015, the volunteers rescued over 4000 people.  Vientiane Rescue relies entirely on volunteers and donations.  The funds we raise will help the team operate 24/7 on the streets of Vientiane.

I would appreciate any donations you can donate to the 2016 Team Dai Challenge, to support Vientiane Rescue at the GoFundMe page:

 https://www.gofundme.com/5vkj779g?utm_medium=wdgt

 I rode into town with Emily, who was finding it tough going.  

We stopped on the way out at a cafe favoured by Laos cyclists.  The fellow with the flash red Specialised (in the yellow)  and his mates wanted his photo taken with our group - not sure why, but we obliged.

The Eggplant Man

Last Saturday on my ride south along the Mekong out of Vientiane, I explored some market garden areas.  This man was in a field of eggplants and happily sold us a bag of fresh baby purple eggplants.

Linda made a Laos version of baba ghanoush and I made a yummy spicy eggplant "stew".

Mr Kila's Wedding

 Tonight (Friday night), I went to Kila's wedding reception.  Kila works at VIS, in the property management area, but he was in the secondary office with us.  He is wonderful - happy and helpful - and young - 24.

It was very kind of him to invite me (and 499 others) to the celebration.

Here are some fairly bad phone photos of a random guest and a VIS group.Kila is in the shiny grey suit with the pink tie and his wife Tar is glamorous in the pink with all the gold decoration.  Ting, in the apricot works in/runs the secondary office.

The lady in green shows the traditional dress wore by most guests - lots of colorful silk - with many from the groom's family wearing green - she went to the extreme of green nail polish as well.