This morning I was released from 10 days of voluntary silence and am now back out in the 'real world.' It feels strange to be here in a not entirely wonderful way, but I feel a renewed sense of peace and serenity which will hopefully serve me well as I get ready to head back home after being away for 7 and a half months. We strived to do everything mindfully (and therefore more slowly) at the retreat, the exact opposite of the way we usually live in the modern (western) world. I'm hoping that I will maintain the meditation practice [View Full Entry]

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A lot of people ask what it's like to travel alone here, and I can say that I have enjoyed it for the most part. I do, however, think that Southeast Asia can be a little tougher for a solo traveler than some other parts of the world I've traveled in, such as Latin America and Europe, just because of the way that accommodations are set up. In Latin America and Europe (and Australia/New Zealand, from what I understand) there are backpacker hostels everywhere that often have dorm rooms and common hangout spaces and/or bars and restaurants right there. That is [View Full Entry]

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Hoi An is another UNESCO World Heritage site and is charming in a similar way to Luang Prabang, although a little (OK, maybe a LOT) pushier in its commercialism. The streets sound a little something like this: " You buy something? You look in my shop? Looking free! Good price! Motorbiiiiike? Want cold water? Coke? Not lucky today- no sales! You be lucky first customer! Motorbiiiiike? Madame, madame- Look! Cookies? Chips? New shoes? Beautiful dress, many fabrics! Where you from? When you come to Hoi An? How long you stay? [BEEP [View Full Entry]

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Going to see Uncle Ho's preserved body was probably one of the creepiest things I've done in a long time. I guess I went out of macabre curiosity and a sort of side-show interest, which I realize is not the most respectful of attitudes, but I can assure you that I had second thoughts about the whole thing once I got there. Ho Chi Minh was born in 1890 and led the Viet Minh Independence movement against the French colonialists starting in 1941. He continued to be a major power in Vietnam until his death in 1969 and even (or especially?) [View Full Entry]

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. . . and I really love Indian food. That probably sounds like a real non sequitur, but stick with me on this one, if you will. I was in the northern part of Laos, in Luang Namtha, and wanted to make my way over to Vietnam, either to Sapa or Hanoi, whichever seemed to be easier/quickest. I suspected that it would probably take me two full days of travel to make the trek across the border, but it actually ended up taking three! Three loooonnng days that have already been semi-covered in my bus tips blog. I was trying to [View Full Entry]

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I've already written about my "V.I.P" bus experience, but since then I've gotten a lot more bus/minivan/songthaew-riding experience in Laos under my belt. The roads in northern Laos are, by necessity due to the mountainous topography, quite curvy. I think the country has come a long way in terms of infrastructure from what I understand, but some roads are extra difficult to travel because of the mudslides that flow through in the rainy season and are not cleared off so that they dry into hard, dirt speedbumps for the rest of the year. The nausea factor of the already curvy roads [View Full Entry]

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I've made it safely back to Luang Prabang after a very . . . interesting . . . bus ride on the "V.I.P" bus from Phonsavan. I've learned from my bus journeys thus far in Laos that the roads are extremely curvy, though well-paved, at least. I got to the bus station in Phonsavan this morning hoping that I could make it farther north than Luang Prabang today, but had mostly given that idea up after I learned that the bus ride would be eight hours on the windy, mountainous highway. We headed off down the road in good spirits on [View Full Entry]

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The Plain of Jars, near Phonsavan, Laos, is a big plain of, well . . . jars. This vast expanse of stone jars is one of the great unsolved mysteries (aliens, anyone?) of the world and is pretty much the only reason to make a trip to Phonsavan. It has the feel of a town that is just starting to be developed into more of an attraction-- still on the traveling path, but a bit less trampled than the usual backpacker circuit. The people I met there were perhaps a bit more 'serious' in their travels, especially in comparison with the [View Full Entry]

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As I started to write this blog (which is backdated by a couple months), I decided to look at the Wikpedia description of Vang Vieng just for curiosity's sake. At the end of the entry, under the "See also" section was a hyperlink to "Banana Pancake Trail." That name made me chuckle to myself, because I think that Courtney and I have definitely been on that trail once or twice and we certainly indulged in a delicious late-night banana chocolate pancake whilst in Vang Vieng (and other places!). I clicked on the hyperlink to see what it was all about and [View Full Entry]

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I think that Luang Prabang definitely deserves its place as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is truly a beautiful place and even the constant gray caused by the slash and burn agriculture couldn't take away its beauty and charm, though I must admit that it would have been even lovelier with some blue skies now and again. Admittedly, my photos are somewhat disappointing and don't really capture all that Luang Prabang has to offer, but trust me, it is lovely and I would highly recommend it to anyone! Luang Prabang was the ancient capital of the Luang Prabang Kingdom and [View Full Entry]

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