THE
PROMPTS FOR THE MONTH
1.SOMETHING BEGINNING WITH N: novice in Sukhothai
2. INCOMPLETE: only after reading the final page of this book,
yesterday did I discover that the story is incomplete as it is the first volume
of a quartet!
3. SKYLINE: This skyline could only be in Thailand
4. FRESH: straight from one of the markets in Khon Kaen. I love that
all the basics for a delicious Thai meal can be bought as a single item at the
markets all over Thailand; Fresh lemongrass, ginger, chillis and kaffir lime
leaves!
5. EARLY: usual hive of activity at the bus station when
we were an hour early for our departure this morning
6. THIS MEANS A LOT TO ME: remembering the anniversary (today August 6th) of the
bombing of Hiroshima and where I lived for 8 years. Only by remembering will we
prevent this kind of tragedy ever happening again
“May Peace Prevail on Earth”
Photo taken by me in 2005- the A-bomb Dome - a world Heritage Site.
“May Peace Prevail on Earth”
Photo taken by me in 2005- the A-bomb Dome - a world Heritage Site.
7. A SIGN: taken a few days ago in Sukhothai but this sign just made
us giggle and we did actually eat there!
8. PEEK-A-BOO: this vendor was peeking out from behind her hat and
mask today in the New Pakse Morning Market
9. 2 O’CLOCK: was noodle o’clock for us
10. BEVERAGE: after a sweaty 5-hour ride on the local bus, and
wandering the streets in the blazing sun in Savannakhet there is nothing quite
like a cold beer as the torrential monsoon rain thunders down on the roof- even
if I am usually a wine girl
11. I LOVE DOING THIS: wandering in unknown territory camera in hand
and seeing what presents itself – credit to Ian for taking the photo today
12. MACRO: 2,000 kip note and the bell from my money purse. I have
bells on all my bags and purses. They are the best insurance ever because they
ring if anyone touches them. It once saved me from losing my entire rucksack on
an Italian train when the bell rang while I was sleeping and I have done it
ever since. Now have a collection of bells from many of the places we have
travelled to as well.
13. FAST: This was about the maximum speed our VIP bus to Vientiane
managed today. Given the road conditions and other transport we were glad it
never got any faster. Thanks to Ian’s speedbox app on his iPhone and the
screenshot we were able to monitor just how fast we were going.
14. TRASH: It was there in a back alley in Vientiane when we arrived
and it is still there now! I guess we should feel glad that it is actually in a
bin considering how much we have seen strewn about the countryside and city
streets recently!
15. THE BEST: example of restored colonial architecture we have
spotted in Vientiane. Of course, it’s owned by a bank. Who else could afford
it?
16. COOKING: street side
cooking in Vientiane
17. EXERCISE: public aerobics on the Mekong riverside is a daily
event here in Vientiane
18. SOMEONE YOU SPOKE TO TODAY: I had the same “conversation” I’ve
had with 5 or 6 such drivers everyday since we’ve been here.
He says, “Tuk Tuk.”
I say, “ No thanks.”
Nonetheless he is still smiling.
19. LOST: I’ve always loved a map and I rarely get lost but this
freebie amused me with the biggest writing labeling things you were pretty
unlikely to be trying to get to in the city- Sandbar? well yes we can see that
and Thailand?
20. STAIRS: stylish stairs leading to a flash hotel and spa in Vang
Vieng
21. SLOW: with monsoon rain it was a slow day sitting around and playing ziltch for us
22. A ROOM: our room in a heritage restored old wooden guesthouse
with a view of the Nam Kham River in Luang Prabang- yes the Laos have caught
the Thai disease of folding towels into elephants in the name of hospitality!!
23. YELLOW: gorgeous mushrooms in the morning market in Luang
Prabang – inspired me to order a Laotian dish containing them at dinner too.
Delicious!
24. IN THE BACKGROUND: the sweeping roof of the Vat Xieng Thong in
focus in the background
25. CULTURE: the monks’ morning alms collection is an intrinsic part
of the Buddhist culture of Lao
26. ENTRANCE: side entrance to Vat Aham in Luang Prabang
27. 10 MINUTES FROM HOME: I struggled with this, as home is actually
over 7,000 kilometers from Luang Prabang where I am now! So for the purpose of
this the Saynamkham Hotel is home for the moment and the Royal Palace Museum
where this interior was shot is just 10 minutes from there.
28. CORRIDOR: This is the corridor of the beautifully restored
colonial style hotel on the Nam Kham River where we are currently staying
29. LUCKY: Throughout Asia elephants are symbols of luck, especially
if their trunks are in the air, so I guess that Erawan is three times as lucky!
(Actually the three headed elephant is known as
Erawan in both Thailand and Laos and is often associated with the royal flag of
Laos from the ancient Laos Kingdom of Lan Xang)
30. CLUTTERED: this is a favourite very cluttered shop in the Talad
Sao in Vientiane, where I was in my element a couple of weeks ago when Ian
snapped this shot. There is a similar shop here in Luang Prabang where I was
hoping to get a shot myself but the proprietor refused to allow photos!!!
31. DANGEROUS: in Public Park at Kuang Si
waterfall near Luang Prabang I'm not sure that we needed the sign -I would have thought it was obvious
So that is it for the month of August and Laos travels too for us.
I have to say my favourite is 8. PEEK-A-BOO especially because the hat was a natural straw colour and mask was white. The red colour is from the intense sun pouring down through the red umbrella above her.
So that is it for the month of August and Laos travels too for us.
I have to say my favourite is 8. PEEK-A-BOO especially because the hat was a natural straw colour and mask was white. The red colour is from the intense sun pouring down through the red umbrella above her.
An awesome collection of photos this month in beautiful Laos. I missed seeing many of these during the month and it is lovely to see them together. What an inspiring place to take photos.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous Vicky - you and Ian have such a great eye for the perfect pic! Much love xxx
ReplyDelete