Category: roadtrip
Oriental, North Carolina…I have time, I can travel
May 24, 2017
Although we are home from our winter in Thailand, I am still retired. Being open and available to opportunities that present themselves is key to a successful retirement.
Jeanne
I met Jeanne in Thailand when she moved into our building for a month. I admired her nerve and her interest in the world. She had already been travelling alone for 2 months throughout SE Asia, as a single at times, as part of a booked group at other times. Being 67 did not deter her from walking 5 or 6 km every day or tasting all the street food.
She was quick to join into a group of regulars who had happy hour every afternoon in our yard. She talked to everyone and listened for the best places to tour, to eat and shop for fresh fruit. Her energy was infectious. I got to know her when her phone was so full of pictures that the red bar couldn’t be ignored for another day. I helped her download them to her computer and set up a Google Photo album. Her blog site needed a little help too.
Oriental, North Carolina
Before she left for Malaysia, her last stop before returning home to North Carolina, she told me about her “girl’s retreat”. Every year she has access to a large guesthouse in her hometown of Oriental. She invites people that she connected with in her travels abroad and her life at home, women that made a positive impression on her. When I received my email invitation in March, I was ecstatic!
I decided that I had time and AirMiles so booked a flight from Calgary, through Toronto to Raleigh, North Carolina. A rental car and 3 hours got me to Oriental on Sunday evening, May 7.
Stallings House
The Stallings House, where we stayed, was built in 1890 and sits on a large lot facing the 3 mile wide Neuce River. It has 5 bedrooms on 2 levels and an open third level with several beds. A sitting room, large dining room, kitchen and several bathrooms fill the rest of the house. There are 2 wrap-around verandas overlooking the river. This old home is often rented for weddings or large family gatherings. Jeanne did quite a lot of work on the house and bartered the use of this great accommodation for a week every year.
The Retreat May 8-11
There were 16 people stayed in the house. I was from the farthest away. There were 2 women from New York State that Jeanne had met in Viet Nam this winter. There were 4 women from western NC who had travelled with her to China in 1982. Another woman from Atlanta met her in Australia on another trip. Jeanne’s cousin and a friend arrived from northern NC and another woman arrived from Florida. There were more but too many stories to keep straight.
There were about 25-30 local women who came and went through the week.
Things to Do
We spent the week doing a variety of activities that were mainly planned by the people who attended.
- The town mayor/bank manager, Sally, used to visit the house as a girl and shared her stories with us from a book she is writing about her life in Oriental.
Sally’s stories
- Flora, a 70 year old who won the over 60 North Carolina beauty contest demonstrated her incredible skills as a belly dancer
- pedicures, facials and massages were also done on the lawn by the river
- boat trips along the rivers and creeks in the area provided beautiful views and more history on the area and its connection to fishing and sailing
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- Stallings House
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- Neuse River
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- Whittaker Creek
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- Oriental Harbour
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- Miss Faye, who is a 94 years old, teaches several exercise classes a week. She spoke on why the same streets have different names in Oriental. She allowed us to visit her yard where she feeds about 40 turtles dog food every night in a creek behind her house. They come when she calls. She is also a Senior Olympian and Humanacare Game Changer. Check out the link about her and her daughter.
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- History of Oriental
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- “Here, turtle, turtle”
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- Pat brought driftwood, paint and wine to spend the afternoon deciding what we saw in our wood and bring it to life with colour. Most women got right after it with excitement, even before they had their wine. It surprised me the number who were very uncomfortable with this creative activity. Their elementary art teachers must not have been very supportive. Now that I’m in my 50’s I don’t really care anymore what others think of my creative projects.
Drift and Wine
What should this be?
Finished creations - Cheryl took a small group of us who live outside the state on a boat trip to Cape Lookout. We travelled through the inland waterway, past Shakleford Banks to the lighthouse at Cape Lookout. There were wild horses, dolphins and an enormous sea turtle along the way. Many fishermen were fishing in small boats and there were several shrimp boats with the large booms holding the nets out to the side. We were gone all day.
Things to Eat
- Finola and her husband, originally from Ireland served us high tea on proper china with cucumber sandwiches and scones with cream and jam.
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- Miss Lilly, who was on a cooking show, “Chef and the Farmer” spent the day with us teaching us how to make proper biscuits. She used lard, buttermilk and self-rising flour. The lard and buttermilk went into a well inside the flour and was squished together until it was “silky”. Then it was swirled in the bowl until it incorporated enough flour to make a ball. The biscuits were squeezed off the ball, flattened in the hand and the edges rolled under. The baking sheet was filled and then baked. I’ve never seen any technique like that before. The results were delicious, especially with some local honey brought by a woman in the group.
Miss Lilly and Stephanie
Ready to bake
Miss Lilly and Annie- We visited Georgie’s crab shedding operation. When crabs get too big for their shells, they molt their shell and purge all their digestive tract and lungs. Within 2 hours they start to grow new shells and organs. If they are taken out of the water and put into the fridge, they can’t grow a new shell. The upper skin is removed with scissors and you are left with a crab that is only meat. Georgie came to the house one evening and dredged the crabs in flour seasoned with salt and pepper and deep fried them. Eating outside on the lawn by the river at long tables made the food taste great. The crabs, though, would be delicious no matter where you ate them.
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- Carol made chef salad for everyone’s lunch one day. This is Laura eating the salad. Carol is enjoying the pedicure.
Food of North Carolina
Other things I ate for the first time
- pimento cheese dip and sandwiches. Everyone in North Carolina seemed to have their own special recipe, but the general ingredients are grated cheddar/monterey jack cheese, pimento, mayonnaise/Miracle Whip and maybe a little grated onion.
- Grits mixed with chopped ham and bacon, butter and eggs then baked as muffins. It also reappeared another morning baked in a casserole dish. Laura arranged for Kentucky bacon and sausage to be sent to the house for this event.
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- Bacon’s on
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- Everyone helped
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- Grits muffins
- low country boil. After the Girl’s Retreat, Jeanne invited some old high school classmates from the class of ’67 for a “Big Chill” weekend. Pat cooked up a boil for me before I left at the end of the week. It consisted of new potatoes, corn on the cob chunks, kielbasa and beautiful shrimp caught the day before. They are all boiled together with Old Bay Seasoning. The food is drained then dumped onto a table covered with newspaper and you just pick out a little of each, and a little more, and a little more… There were several cocktail sauces made with differing amounts of hotness available and lots of paper towels. What a feast!
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- Boiled and strained
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- Just dump and eat
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- Not new but a catfish sandwich for lunch the first day. Crispy fish topped with coleslaw and served between 2 slices of white bread.
- North Carolina IPA and wheat beer
- And I caught a fish…
Pin fish used for bait.
Lots of relaxing and story sharing
I had the best time with new people in a new place and I can’t wait to get back to this part of the world again.
Full moon over the river
Suprises in Kathmandu too…the good kind
April 4, 2017
Surprises in Kathmandu kept sneaking up on us. They were mostly the good kind. We enjoyed shopping for outdoor gear and eating Nepalese food. We saw a Hindu wedding event and toured some interesting locations. Nepal turned out to have more going it than we thought based on our first impressions.
Kathmandu Shopping
One of the things to do in Kathmandu is shop for Nepal made “North Face” items. I don’t know how they do it, but they are locally made knock-offs that cost little and look pretty authentic. We saw North Face logos and sizing labels for sale in the shops in our street. I bought a rain coat that had 2 pieces of loop velcro on the hood that were sewn onto the same instead of opposite sides of the closure but my tailor lady in Chiang Mai fixed that for me for less than a dollar.
Nepalese Food
We had no idea what Nepalese food consisted of. I expected lentils and beans which someone had told me they ate in Kathmandu several years ago. What we found was an international food selection. There was wood fired pizza, fine dining, French bakeries, Irish pubs, a New Orleans cafe, and the Cafe with No Name that donated its profits to Nepalese education.
We also ate at the Momo Hut one day. They served traditional food which consisted of momos and Dahl Baht in a Tarkari set. The Momos were like little pork dumplings you would find at home. These were stuffed with a spicy chicken and served with a creamy tomato based chutney and some hot pepper. You can get them steamed, fried, or kothey-which is steamed and fried. They can be filled with other meat like rabbit or buffalo, vegetables or even chocolate in some places.
Dal Baht is rice and a lentil soup Tarkari Set is when they serve these 2 ingredients on a tray along with curried vegetables, some pickle and meat if you want. You eat everything together. The local custom is to eat it with your hands. It is usually served with chapati. Everest, Gorkha, and San Miguel are the local beers.
Hindu Wedding
While preparing to finish our shopping, we heard noise out in our street. We thought it was more horn honking. The big trucks have a horn that plays a sort of tune with a series of notes. I went down to check it out and discovered a band playing outside. There were about 15 men playing drums, trumpets, baritones and 2 clarinets leading the group. They played for about 15 minutes, amidst the traffic of pedestrians, bicycles, scooters, cars and trucks, who were still honking at anything they could see in front of them. The hotel staff said that it was to call out the bride for a wedding ceremony. He said they would be back again later in the day.
I was returning a backpack to our room later in the day, and the band was playing again. They played, then began to move down the street, followed by several women in beautiful red saris, which is the preferred colour as it symbolizes fertility and life. There was also a wedding car decorated with real flowers. I believe the bride was inside. This group didn’t let a narrow street full of loud traffic interfere with their celebration. Cacophony is the only way I can describe it.
The final performance had the band marching back up the street. There were more people behind them and many were dancing as the moved down the street towards us. The groom was walking but I couldn’t tell if the bride was with him, or she got out of the car at a tiny alleyway. About 20 people crowded into this opening between buildings where the ceremony took place. The band played outside in the street. When the ceremony was over, most people entered into the building from the side and most of the band went home. We heard lots of music throughout the evening from our room. What fun to be able to observe this event!
Other Things to Do in Kathmandu
There are several things to see within walking distance of the Thamel district, which is the main tourist area. The Durbar Square-(an opinion link) area has many HIndu temples as well as the Royal Palace. Many buildings in this area suffered damage in the earthquake, but we saw a couple having wedding photos taken in the palace courtyard.
People also stopped to light a candle, leave flower petals or wipe red onto the statue of Bhairav. It represents the destructive side of Vishnu, a Hindu god who is the truth god and was used by city officials as a place where people had to swear to tell the truth. We saw dozens of people stop by to offer a prayer to this statue in Durbar Square.
We spent a quiet morning in the Garden of Dreams. It was developed in the 1920’s by a man who won a game of chance against his father, the prime minister at the time. He used his winnings to buy the land and turn it into a private garden. It was later restored by an Austrian group from 2000-2007 and is now a public park. A beautiful and peaceful surprise in the midst of this dusty and noisy city.
Leaving Kathmandu
Our last day was spent packing up all our new outdoor gear, then sitting on the stoop watching the world pass by. We saw fruit sellers pushing their bicycles full of oranges, grapes and bananas. The butcher across the street was slicing off chunks of meat from the chunks sitting outside on a table. He tossed them into a balance scale and would adjust the weights on one side or the meat on the other. The yak cheese seller was in her shop. The counter is at street level and the shopkeeper stands below ground. The buyer has to bend down to make purchases. The cheese is covered with a mesh cloth and it is supposed to keep on the counter for 1-2 weeks.
School children were walking arm in arm off to school and includes boys and girls in Nepal. It is a world away from Rocky Mountain House.
Our drive to the airport required masks for the smog and the horrible amount of dust in the air. Although our plane was late leaving, we were above the clouds in time to see Everest and its tallest neighbors pushing up above the fluffy white cumulus clouds. Our last surprise. Except for the fact that Nepal kind of grew on us once we got over the disappointment of not being able to see the sky or the mountains. The people and their energy captured our hearts.
Everest through the clouds
Pokhara, Nepal…Some views are good, and others not so much
March 31, 2017
Road to Pokhara
We had 10 days in Nepal and after 4 days in Kathmandu, we decided to take several people’s advice and go to Pokhara. It’s a city about 200 km to the west. I was told it was pristine and tranquil. There is a big lake and the International Mountain Museum to visit. After the noise, pollution and energy of Kathmandu, it sounded like a perfect trip.
Our hotel, the Tibet Peace Inn, organized it all for us. We decided to book a car and driver so we could see some of the countryside. He would also be available to take us to all the sites once we got there. His hotel costs would be covered by us, but it would be less expensive than flying there. In all it cost us about $300 for the transportation for 3 days.
At home, 200 km would take about 2 hours on a calm, organized highway. In the mountains, it might take 3 hours with traffic. Our trip to Pokhara took 6 hours with a half hour lunch stop! The road travelled down into the valley and then mostly curved along the agricultural land and through small villages. Where mud or rocks slid onto the toad, they were left and traffic just had to go around.
Hundreds of buses and large, brightly decorated trucks all tried to pass each other on every curve. The honking was constant, but along with flashing light signals, everyone seemed to know how to make it through. I was going to say safely, but there were many close calls. I stopped watching. Our driver knew the road and didn’t drive as aggressively as he could have.
Nepalese Villages
The villages obviously did not expect to have that much traffic as they built there homes along old trade routes. Houses were built close to the roads with terraced fields taking up most of the land along the valley floor and up the sides. There were a few suspension bridges that crossed the river to allow access to more homes up on the slopes. There didn’t appear to be any roads on the other side so most people would have to walk up and down steep slopes to get to their homes.
Water standpipes were in front of about every 6th house. Women gathered here to wash clothes and children. Men played games of chance on tables with cards or throwing coins at a target. Families sat in the shade outside small shops. Children kicked tattered soccer balls around. Farmers were already planting rice in the fields using cattle to pull a plow. We saw one mechanical plow in our travels in Nepal.
We went to Pokhara on a Thursday and saw many children waiting with their parents for the school bus to pick them up. Their traditional British uniforms seemed so out of place in these tiny, dusty villages. Most of the women here dress in pants and Indian tunics in beautiful colours. They really contrasted against the mostly blues and greys of the children’s clothing. These bright sweaters were unusual.
school uniforms
Pokhara
Our arrival in Pokhara was quite disappointing. It was cloudy and smoggy. It is a large city (250 000) but the tourist area of Lakeside was admittedly tranquil, but certainly not pristine. We checked into the Family Home Hotel which had been booked by our hotel in Kathmandu. The room was large and even had a balcony to sit on and watch the goings-on of the community. The hotels in Nepal advertise 24 hour hot water and we would agree that this shower had the best heat and pressure of any in Asia. At breakfast the manager told us to ask for anything we wanted because we were to feel like we were at home. From our experience, they “get” customer service here.
We walked by the lake. I had my second surprise to see a scrum of photographers on the shore snapping pics of a woman standing in one of the boats, dressed in a lovely saree. There was a fog machine nearby trying to create a misty scene. I don’t know the story, but I took a picture too. While Peter was waiting, he met a family from India who were visiting. After a short conversation, they wanted to take our picture with their little girl. As India is close to Nepal, there were mostly Indians and Caucasians in Pokhara. We didn’t see many Asian visitors.
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- Woman and fog machine
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- Photographer scrum
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- View of the lake
Sunrise
Our driver picked us up at 5 am and drove us to the top of a sunrise lookout. People were waiting to be hired to show us the best place to stand. We declined. As I was the first there, I had to choose the best place to set up my tripod. The spot was great, but was difficult to protect once all the tour vans and buses began to arrive. We did meet a very nice man from South Korea who was well-travelled and showed us some of his incredible mountain pictures.
The hills were still shrouded in mist and a few clouds had formed. The sunrise looked nice and you could see several terraced fields. Suddenly the top of a mountain appeared, way above the surrounding hills. It had snow on the top and was barely pink in the sunrise. This was Annapurna. This is why people come to Pokhara. It is the starting point of the Annapurna Circuit, a trek up the mountain. Now I knew what all the excitement was about. The tip of Fishtail Mountain also appeared for a few moments. The smog and clouds soon covered all the spectacular views and left us with just hills.
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- Annapurna
Pokhara Sites
We spent the rest of the day touring the area. We saw the White Pagoda on another viewpoint. It was built by a Japanese Buddhist who wanted there to be 100 of these built around the world to honor the birth of Buddha in Nepal. It was begun in 1974, but when it reached 35 feet high it was torn down by the government of the time but was finally completed in 1998. The 4 Buddhas face the cardinal directions and were donated by countries like Thailand and Sri Lanka. If you are not sure the expectations at a temple, look for signs. They will usually tell you. There was a great little coffee shop with views on the way down.
In the town itself is Devi’s Falls. It is the dry season, and you have to pay to get in to see the falls. There are fences and walkways all around this area that is a little bigger than our back yard. However, there is only on spot you can actually see the falls so it was a little underwhelming.
Devi’s Falls
Across the street is Gupteshwor Mahadev cave. These were much better. The river from the falls flows under the street and runs through a cave. You enter through a newly (as in the cement was still being shaped) renovated entrance, past a shrine, and down many steps to see a waterfall entering the cave. There is an opening in the rock behind the water so it was quite beautiful.
International Mountain Museum
After lunch we visited the International Mountain Museum. It is a large, modern building. We saw photographs and statistics on all the important mountains and when they had been climbed, including quotes from those who were the first to ascend to the peak. There were profiles on some of the most prolific climbers and samples of some of the gear used in the past. Descriptions of the culture of the tribes of the mountains were displayed. Pictures comparing the glaciers in the mountains from 50 years ago to know show that the climate is changing.
Toni Hagen
There was also a display of photographs taken by Toni Hagen in the 1950’s. He was a Swiss geologist who came to Nepal with the United Nations to survey and map the area. His pictures show Pokhara and the mountains at a time when there were no roads to this area. Supplies were delivered by a DC-3 plane in those days. There is an interesting documentary about his time in Nepal that would be easier to watch with English subtitles, but the pictures and views are still worth seeing.
Neighborhood Happenings
After breakfast, we watched the neighbors across the street remove a tin addition to their small house and begin digging the dirt out from that area. When we returned in the afternoon, the dirt had all been bagged and replaced with large stones and smaller rocks and bricks as a foundation. A load of large cement blocks had been delivered and was waiting on the street.
The workers were resting, but 2 men on bicycles arrived. They bagged up all the metal pieces and loaded them onto the bikes. Even the tin walls and roof were balanced onto the bike using good knowledge of levers and balance. They pushed the loaded bikes away from the site.
Sunrise #2
After being led astray by Google Maps to the wrong, but okay restaurant we planned on an early night. A big lightning storm passed north of town for a couple of hours. The sound of the thunder echoing around the peaks was more evidence that big mountains really do exist in this area. We hoped some rain might clear the skies for another try at sunrise, although I worried for some friends who were trekking on the mountain at the time.
At 5 am the stars and moon were bright overhead so we were optimistic. While the sunrise was quite lovely, and the tall peaks did appear in their entirety, the smog quickly swallowed them up so there was not much left for us to than return to Kathmandu. Our friends who were on the mountain in the storm had arrived at their guest house early in the afternoon and got to watch the storm. They arrived in Pokhara 3 days after we left and thought it was the beautiful place. Click the link to see what they saw. Pokhara Images.
Luang Prabang, Laos…a visa run holiday
January 28, 2017
Since our visa extension was expiring soon, (see the blog on Travel Documents for Thailand), we decided to take a trip to Luang Prabang, Laos and have a visa run holiday. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995, the town was described by the global body as “an outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by the European colonial authorities in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its unique, remarkably well-preserved townscape illustrates a key stage in the blending of these two distinct cultural traditions.” We can certainly see what is special about it and I want to share that with you.
Trip to Laos
Laos Airlines flies directly from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang every afternoon. Â It only takes an hour and cost us $234 USD each which included a box lunch on the plane. Â It was a propeller plane, but saves a stopover in Bangkok and it was an easy flight over the forested mountains into Laos.
We had completed our visa forms and arrival/departure cards on the plane. Â Since I amazed myself by packing some clothes and my camera gear into my daypack, we were quick to arrive at the visa line. Â We had pictures, passports, forms and $42 USD ready to go and moved quickly into a new country where we would be allowed to stay for 30 days if we wanted to.
A puzzle we haven’t been able to solve is why it costs more for Canadians to enter Laos than it does for anyone else in the world. Â It is $35 for Americans and only $40 for citizens from Afghanistan. Â Another part of the puzzle is why you pay in American dollars. Â They do accept Thai Baht, but the exchange rate they offer would discourage most travellers so have American currency. Fortunately we exchanged some Thai money for American at the airport in Chiang Mai.
Laos Money
Money in general is challenging to sort out here. Â The kip has been so devalued, that $1 CAD is the equivalent of about 6000 kip. Â A million kip is about $160. Â Although they have a 100 000 kip note, the bank machines often run out of cash. Â Many places take Thai baht or American dollars, but few places take credit cards. Â Once you leave the country, there are few places that will take kip in exchange for another currency.
The money exchange offices do a good business exchanging mostly American dollars into kip.  We didn’t bring cash except for the visa payment so we used the ATM to take out money from our account at home.  The exchange rate was much better for us than if we exchanged it at the booth.  We did discover, however, that the ATM’s close to the money exchangers charged a 3% fee to withdraw funds.  The bank ATM’s charged a flat rate of 20 000 kip (about $3).  I read later that a bank machine near the market doesn’t charge any fees for withdrawals. This could be related to the company or bank that owns the ATM, but it would be worth paying attention to the fees, depending on whether you are taking out a large or a small amount of cash.
Phonesaseuth Guesthouse-link
I found a guesthouse on TripAdvisor, but chose to book it directly through the guesthouse website. Â I had also emailed the owner to let him know when we were arriving. Â For $35/night we got a room with a king size bed, tv, fridge and shower. Â It also included a hot egg breakfast with a large warm, white baguette and real drip coffee. Â The use of a bicycle and pick up and delivery to the airport were also part of the package. Â The webpage describes the bridge across the Nam Kham (the route to the main part of the city) as a rickety, rackety bridge. Â It was surprisingly sturdy, however. Â They have to take it down in the rainy season or it would just wash away.
The guesthouse is only 6 years old and was built where a coconut forest used to exist.  It was built in the French Colonial style to match the UNESCO preservation expectations.  It feels old but has wonderful wood stairs and dark furniture.  The front staff here speak excellent English and went out of their way to make us feel welcome, even returning our missing phone to us at the airport.
Laos Expectations
I knew that Laos was a poor country with the GDP only $3000 per capita. During the Viet Nam War, this country was hit with more bombs by the Americans than Germany received during WW 2. The number of people living in poverty is very high as are illiteracy levels. Â I expected something much different that what I saw.
People here live in a fertile land.  Forests cover the mountains and the Mekong River provides water, transportation and fish.   The rainy season renews the land. Tourists flock here to see the old French buildings and experience a part of Asia that moves much more slowly and quietly than most other towns and cities.
The people themselves are so resourceful.  Old houses are converted into guesthouses and cafes serve french food, Laotian food and even wonderful fusion food using fresh local ingredients.  Silk, cotton and bamboo from Laos are woven into beautiful handmade scarves, bags and wall hangings.  The textile industry is bustling here but you might not notice it for the artistic appeal of the products.  Even old bombs are used to make metal items like spoons.  There is a day market and a night market where they sell these products.  Check the travel menu page for more pictures and details on Laos Textiles.
French Architecture
Farmers have terraced the land and grow lots of rice. Â Other fields are divided into small raised beds and grow lettuce, herbs and other fresh vegetables. Â We saw a water buffalo dairy on a side trip.
Kuang Si Waterfall
We rented a scooter and rode to a Natural Preserved area about 25 km away. Â The road was pretty smooth, although narrow considering it is the main road through the country from China to Cambodia. Â There were a few potholes but we did ok. Â The views on each side of the road were quite a contrast. Â The infrastructure still needs some work in Laos.
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- Left side views
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- Right side views
Bear Rescue Center
There was a village outside the park with lots of stalls selling fruits, grilled meat and locally made textiles.  We had to pay  about $3 to get in to this Area.  The first thing we saw were bears!  I love surprises.
The Bear Rescue Center was similar to one we visited for grizzly bears in West Yellowstone a couple of years ago.  They rescue Asiatic Bears that trapped by poachers or whose mothers were killed.  They are on display in large natural areas part of the time and in cages the rest of the time.  We watched as a keeper placed food around the enclosure for the bears to find.  These animals seemed pretty comfortable and I didn’t see any clear paths where they had been pacing.  They were sleeping, eating or wrestling with each other.  We saw about 12 bears altogether.
Waterfall
The park had many groups of people from all over the world. Â They were swimming in the pond, walking along the paths, taking pictures of the waterfalls and just enjoying the beauty of nature. Â The park contained several picnic tables, pathways, bridges, changing rooms and signs describing the importance of the many plants and animals. Â Like many of the places we are finding in Asia, this park could be anywhere in the world.
The falls themselves drain the mountains and eventually the water ends up in the Mekong River that starts in Tibet and after flowing through Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, passes through Viet Nam into the South China Sea. In this area, the water flows over limestone. Â As the rock breaks down from the flow of water, it gets carried along. Â The light reflects off the calcium carbonate in much the same way as the light does on glacier water in the Rockies, giving the ponds a lovely blue color.
The overall drop is 85m. Â If you look carefully you can see some swimmers standing 2/3 of the way up on the highest falls. Â In other places, it looked like the water was just flooding into the jungle. Â It is such a spectacular place that is so well preserved in a part of the world where people are more attuned to trying to feed their families.
I will leave you at the park and continue in another post describing the Royal Palace and some of the amazing food we discovered in Luang Prabang, Laos.