Hoi An - Food Lovers' Paradise

The Marketplace

 

Cooking school with Ms Vy of Morning Glory Cafe - I'm now a groupie

 

I actually made this glorious cabbage soup - see the hand tied wonton

And this mango salad

And a criispy pancake

Hanoi - An explosion of color

Large temples are filled with images of generals and kings

Smaller one may have images of the Mother Goddess

And then there is Ho Ch Minh , the true patron saint

 This most extraordinary Buddha has 1000 heads and hands - Vishnu-like.  Seen in the Fine Arts Museum

Other amazing finds in the Fine Arts Museum

 

Luang Prabang Highlights

Luang Prabang is magical.  It is located  on a tiny spit of land surrounded by two rivers, The Mekong and Nam Khan.  At the northern edge of the city they are only 1/2 mile apart.  Cafés and terraces line the rivers. There is an extraordinary density of temples and saffron robed monks. Lovely gardens and French colonial architecture are seen in dense jungle.  The Laotian people are gentle and welcoming. It's going to be hard to leave. 

A view of The Mekong with banana palms in the foreground. 

Monk on bamboo bridge on Nam Khan

On the street. 

Wat Xiengthong

Mosaic at the rear of the temple

Tiny temples called haws

Buddhas everywhere

Morning market

At a weaving workshop

My new friend Trish from Australia.  We explored Luang Prang together. Trish's last job was managing a research station in the Antartic. Next she'll be tracking red belly parrots in Tasmania with her partner. 

Chiang Mai personalities

This adorable girl interviewed me for a school project to practice English.  She asked questions like "What is your favorite Thai food?  and "How do you like the weather here?" Afterwards she was so excited she was jumping in the air. 

I had a "monk chat" with this young man.  He asked questions like "How do you teach morals to children?" and "What is the difference between morals and ethics?"

Monk giving blessings

Lunch time at the temple. 

Laundry at the monastery

My tuk tuk driver  Check out her T-shirt

This boy is hitching a ride - hanging on to the tuk tuk

Asian men have great hair

The king is revered.  His image is everywhere.  Every day at 6pm we stand to hear a song in his praise.  He's aged and has been in the hospital for two years - a shame as he might be able to quell the present unrest. 

Street side 

Sukhothai - More Buddhas

Sukhothai was the capitol of Siam from 1238 until late in the 14th century.   This is said to be the golden age of Thai civilization - the art and architecture are the most classical of Thai styles and continue to endure today.   The Buddhas of this era include the walking Buddha and many examples of Buddha subduing Mara - the latter as in the first two photos. 

The lotus shaped stupa behind Buddha is unique to Sukhothai