Sliding Through... Laos

Sliding Through… Laos

Sliding Through… Laos Ásdís Rósa and Kristján Gíslason in Laos, January 2014

Sliding Through… Laos On January 8, 2014, my wife Ásdís Rósa and I flew from Iceland to London England, then on to Bangkok, Thailand and finally on to Luang Prabang, Laos. We spent five weeks exploring the beautiful Indochina countries of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. This book is the first in my “Sliding Through…” series, which I created after returning from our trip. The others are, “Sliding Through… Cambodia” and “Sliding Through… Vietnam”.

During World War II, the Japanese invaded and occupied Laos, as well as Cambodia and Vietnam. In 1946, the French reoccupied the country and in 1953, Laos finally gained its independence. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, the government slowly began to grow.

The economy of Laos continues to expand rapidly as the centralized government reduces its grip on industry and encourages private enterprise and capitalism. This rising regional player of nearly 7 million has become a key hydroelectric power supplier to China, Vietnam and Thailand.

Throughout the book you will see numbers in brackets; these apply to QR Codes located in the back of the book which, when scanned with a smartphone or tablet, will allow you to watch short videos. In the online version of the book viewers can click the small stars on selected pages to watch the videos directly in your web browser.

1

Workers taking a midday nap (above).

After thirty-three hours of travel, ﾃ《dﾃｭs and I arriving in Luang Prabang (left).

4

Over 3,000 Buddhist monks live in Luang Prabang. Many are quite young.

5

Fresh vegetables are washed in the Nam Khan River (above, right).

6

Inside one of Luang Pranang’s Buddhist Temples.

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Fellow tourists relaxing as they dive deeply into Laos’ history.

Dierent transportation methods.

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Over 40 temples and monasteries dot the city of Luang Prabang (above).

A woman washing dishes on the sidewalk in front of her home, a common sight in Indochina (left).

15

Many young boys become monks temporarily to further their education; just 3% continue as monks for a lifetime.

17

Waiting for the sunset on the hill of Wat Chom Si Temple (above, right).

18

Enjoying the last moments of the sunset.

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( 10 )

Monks walking through the streets of Luang Prabang collecting alms.

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Life in the countryside of Laos.

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Birds from the market are brought home in a bamboo cage (above).

A senior watching the stranger from his home (right).

A joyful ride on a tractor.

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Taking a bath in the village square.

40

The local hospital (above).

41

The village’s “city hall”, which was built by the European Union (above).

A young boy washes his clothes during a weekend break from school and a visit with his parents (right).

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Repairing the motorcycle (right).

Firm and quick hand motions are necessary when slaughtering a chicken (above, right).

An elderly woman relaxing in the shade - this sitting position is quite popular (left).

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A men’s meeting (right).

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The photographer enjoying the tasty, but very strong, rice wine drink (above).

Preparing the rice fields (above, right).

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( 15 )

The pictures of the children make them laugh and smile (above).

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(20)

After the impromptu photo session, ﾃ《dﾃｭs purchased sweets and treats for the children from the small shop (above, left). This small ferry boat awaits passenger along the banks of the Mekong River (above, right).

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Beautiful colonial-style homes line a street in Luang Prabang.

61

This chicken salesman used his bike bell to alert the townspeople to his arrival (above).

Sailing on the Nam Khan River where it meets the Mekong (left).

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Happy tourists studying the day’s menu (above).

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A funeral reception is prepared in Luang Prebang (above).

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( 25 )

Watching the sunset from a boat on the Mekong River.

Luang Prabang, Laos

Watch the Video To watch the video segments, simply point your smartphone or tablet camera at the QR code - a browser or video player (depending on your device) will open the video. ( 10 ) – Alms To the Monks The Children of Laos - ( 15 )

( 20 ) – Crossing Mekong

Sunset at Mekong - ( 25 )

A QR Code Reader can be downloaded, free of charge, from the AppStore, GooglePlay or the Windows Store.

The usage of the content of this book is not allowed without a written permission.