MONKy See, MONKy Do

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Geo: 19.8841, 102.142

DAY SEVENTEEN (1/19/13) — Luang Prabang, Laos

MONKy See, MONKy Do

Airline flight schedules have changed; so have our plans. Our flights are now mid-afternoon so we have an impromptu tour to a small temple.

On our drive through the Cambodian countryside, our guide talks about Cambodian culture. There are still many arranged marriages … 50%!i(MISSING)n the cities, perhaps as many as 80%!i(MISSING)n the countryside. The man's family pays the dowry; the girl leaves home and lives with the man's family.

We pass many thatched homes built on stilts that are without utilities. The homes are built for natural "air conditioning". This is an area where there are still many landmines remaining from the 1970s … a project Princess Diana took on. They believe they have located and deactivated 70+%!o(MISSING)f 10 million originally buried here.

We visit the Citadel of Women, or Banteay Srei, a red sandstone temple known for its intricate carvings. It is a beautiful 10th century temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Banteay Srei is built largely of red standstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings. We get to see a wedding party having photos taken at different spots at the temple. The bride changes into seven different colored gowns throughout the day. We get to see her in royal purple and again in emerald green. Very fun. Except was it an arranged marriage?

I manage to nab another pair of the casual pants popular here … this one in rainbow shades. They are sort of like the pants MC Hammer made popular when his “U Can't Touch This” was popular. Retro. Several others do speed buying as well. My friend Cheryl is mortified by the fact that I have selected these bilious rainbow colors; I love them.

On the return bus ride, we visit a village that produces palm sugar, mostly for dessert treats. We sample the candies, which are like eating brown sugar. I buy a small jar, under the guise of helping the people whose livelihood depends on tourists who stop by the wayside.

Our bags are pulled at noon; we eat at the hotel lunch buffet and we all relax in public areas, since the hotel must get our rooms ready for the next guests. Some relax at the pool; some read in the lobby; several of us head to the spa. I get a new manicure. Same reclining position as the beach resort; but this time I insist from the start that this isn't going to work for me. They set the massage table up like a deck chair on the Titanic and proceed.

By far the most popular activity was a visit to a new national museum behind the hotel. It has a huge model of Angkor Wat at the height of its opulence and splendour. And there are many many fascinating topics covered in the high tech facility. They recommend watching the movie and spending the money to rent the audio headsets. Tauck should really include this before participants actually see the temples.

We transfer to the Siem Reap airport, which is very impressive for a town of less than 200,000 people. But then again, there are 3 million visitors annually. They are building a new airport, farther away from the antiquities (they shake with the roar of the jet engines); and besides, they anticipate 7 million tourists in the not-too-distant future.

Many participants hit the duty free shopping. There are the same products we saw yesterday because the Angkor Artisans have a shop here. Many purchases. Still others, like Adorjans, are delighted to find grandchildren-sized tee shirts with elephants on them.

Someone following my blog asked if I thought Angkor Wat was worth it if you didn't go to the top. I say, “Absolutely!” I talked to folks in our group who walk with canes who didn't venture above the first level and they found it glorious. So don't be discouraged by my commentary; much of this trip is very accessible.

We land in Luang Prabang, Laos. Tauck's brochure says the colors may be what you notice first … the flowers, saffron-clad monks, and gold or ruby wats … but the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, is best known for its temples, French provincial architecture and friendly, multi-ethnic people.

We process through Laotian Immigration. I love the part where the fellow asks Patrick to step WAY back. It seems they take a photo of every entry and he is too tall for the camera to see. Patrick suggests he squat and bends his bad knees a lot. Very enthusiastic response, “Yay, yay. You so so tall!”

We stop at L'Elephant Restaurant for dinner and dine with Adorjans. Food, mostly French, is very good but the menu is a little offbeat. We all like our final selections, however.

We transfer by brand new luxurious Toyota vans to Luang Say Residence, a new property for Tauck. They got much feedback that the hotel used the first year of this itinerary (2012) was very unsatisfactory. So far, so good. The hotel is an all-suites facility, built in French colonial style, with lovely gardens. Our room has a king poster bed with mosquito netting (clue 1), a desk and chair, a sofa, coffee table and two side stools, night stands, etc. Plenty of room for all the luggage, huge bath, beautiful grill work and more. The key is the old-fashioned kind … the type that fits into a key-hole … and it has a very heavy tri-headed elephant as a key fob.

The porter who brings us to our room spends 10 minutes pointing out all the features, including the lovely spray bottle with mosquito repellent (clue 2). As we get ready to take our malaria drugs, I see a mosquito swarming around me, so I use the spray, take the pill and eventually climb inside the mosquito netting.

Early rise tomorrow. We depart the hotel at 6 am to see the monks and the alms giving procession.

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Photos

Banteay Srei, Seim Reap, Cambodia
Citadel of Women, known for its delicate sculpture

Wedding at Banteay Srei
wedding photos

Key to our suite at Luang Sey Residence, Laos
Tri-headed elephant

Comments

[Ingrid Bremer]

Oh Tommye, I love your commentarys! The bit about the mosquitos is hilarious!Thanks so much for sharing your journey with us.

[cdnski12]

I live in N/E Thailand 2-4 months per year and have travelled all over Thailand, Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia from Aug-Dec. I never took Malaria Pills. I never met anyone who caught Malaria and I was bitten by many mosquitoes. I did religio
usly take malaria pills when I travelled in Africa & S/E Asia in 1972-73. Malaria was rampant then. Now it is rigorously controlled. Only Anopheles Mosquitoes transmit Malaria. They have extremely long rear legs and a proboscis in line with their bodies. They are quite obvious. I never saw any them in S/E Asia 2009-1012. Mostly they were common mosquitoes, which sit flat on a surface c/w short back legs & their proboscis 90 degrees to the line of their body. On eis much more likely to contract dengue Fever than Malaria in S/E Asia today.

[cdnski12]

I recall passing this hotel in 2010.