In January 2011, we took a trip with Wilderness Travel to Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. It was a fantastic journey and here are some photographs.
Luang Prabang is a small town located on the Mekong River and surrounded by mountains. It is the former Royal capital of Laos and a UNESCO World Heritage city dotted with monasteries and temples.
The town has around 35 Buddhist monasteries (called wat or vat). Almost every Lao male spends some time in a monastery, going to school there and living as a Buddhist monk with shaven head and dressed in a saffron robe.
You reach the Pak Ou Caves via a short boat trip up the Mekong River. The Caves are a Buddhist pilgrimage site and many worshippers bring Buddha statues as a gift.
Wat Xieng Thong (Golden Temple) and Phu Si Hill
The Khamu are one of the small tribal groups, living along the Thai-Laotian border of Nan province. The tribe survives on subsistence agriculture supplemented by hunting, fishing, trading (and visiting tourists)
During the Vietnam war the CIA recruited Hmong villagers to fight on the American Side. When the Royal Lao government fell in 1975, most Hmong fled to Thailand or the US.
Mandarin University, Quan Thanh Taoist Temple, Tran Quoc Pagada, Hoan Kiem Lake, Rickshaw ride, Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Hanoi Hilton, water puppet show
The traffic is unbelievable and its amazing how much cargo fits on a motorcycle or bike
It was cold, overcast and smoggy when we were in Halong Bay. Since the lighting was so bad I changed the photos into black& white
Royal Tombs in a garden & pine grove setting; 'dragon boat' trip up the Pearl River to Thien Mu Pagoda, residence for Buddhist monks; Moated Citadel formerly housing the Forbidden Purple City. Hue also has a colorful (and odorous…
Local fishermen use huge fishnets to trap the fish
Danang is central Vietnam's major port city. The Marble Mountains are 5 hills representing the 5 universal elements: water, wood, fire, metal, and earth. Danang manufactures marble sculptures.
Hoi An was a major port between the 15th & 19th centuries and known as Faifo to the European traders. The Dong Ba Central Market sells everything from vegetables to the conical vietnamese hats.
Cambodia's newly emerging middle class of Cambodia spends a lot of money on wedding ceremonies at Angkor Wat