Great spot to Breakdown

An obstacle on my ride home.  This lorry with a load of water bottles was jacked up with blocks in the middle of the round about. Two men were tinkering in the wheel hub. It was gone this morning so I assume some progress was made.

Motorcycle and a Palm Tree

A typical Laos scene - motorcyle (an old one with a side cart), farmers (working hard), greenery (salad greens and herbs) a temple and of course a palm tree.

Temple wall and leaves

I liked the decorative structures on the wall of a temple, shaded by a Bodhi tree.

Marigolds and a Temple

Marigolds are a sacred flower in Buddhism.  On our Saturday morning bicycle ride we stopped to admire this small barbed-wire enclosed field of marigolds in front of the village temple.  A man was walking through the field collecting a bucket full of marigold blooms ready to prepare temple offerings.

Golden Buddhas

Golden Buddhas -all one colour - in a temple in a small village downstream from Vientiane.

One colour is the theme for the City Daily Photo community for April.  Click here to see other photos.

Easter - Sacred Heart Catholic Church Vientiane

This morning I attended Easter Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.  I arrived early - not a Harrington trait- as the Vientnamese service was finishing. The community gathering was very Laos -beers at 10am, ladies wearing their best sinh - selling blue Virgin Mary statues.  Is it the same gender split as at home - men chatting and women tidying, sharing food and raising funds- The Catholic Church!!!

There was also a priest- maybe bishop with his red hat- sprinkling water on motorbikes and scooters.  Many of the scooters and cars had yellow flowers on them as they do when getting blessed with water by Buddhist monks.

Tobacco Kilns - Laos Style

On my bike ride this morning, exploring downstream along the Mekong, with my colleague Sheryl, we stopped to explore these tobacco kilns.  They obviously haven't been used for a while as huge trees were growing in the centre of them.  The rusty remains of metal heaters and tubes inside as well.  We also met a young man collecting insects (maybe cicadas) to eat!!