Andy's Asia

Watch this space for new posts soon!

2007-06-01T16:21:00.000+07:00

Hi everyone!
After a very long period away from my blog, look for some new posts and new pics soon!
Best,
Andy In Asia

Wedding in Khon Kaen

2006-02-11T15:01:00.000+07:00

Not long after Christmas, one of Pum's cousins got married in Khon Kaen which is a city in the province of Isaan. I had just returned from a quick holiday trip to the USA and had to board a plane the very next day for the wedding. We took Pum's father along on the trip. It was his first time on a plane and quite an adventure for him, and for us as well. We stayed at Pum's 'good' brother's house in a village just outside Khon Kaen. The wedding was a five minute walk from the house. I was expecting the usual hot Thailand temperatures and to my happy surprise, it was actually quite cool and comfortable.

One of Pum's aunts raises silkworms and produces silk. Included here are some of the pictures of the worms, cocoons and 'raw' silk.

Pum is currently in 'salon school'. She is learning how to do hair, makeup and nails. It's a totally transferable skill. No matter where we live, she can do it and just as importantly she enjoys it. Her role at the wedding was to do the hair and makeup for the bridesmaids. The two young girls were a bit late and she still got it all done in time for the wedding. But I never once saw either of the girls smile. Strange.

Anyway we had fun at the wedding and I hope you enjoy these shots. As always email me with any questions or comments at andym528@hotmail.com

2006-02-11T14:59:00.000+07:00

Here is Pum's father boarding the plane for his first-ever flight.

2006-02-11T14:58:00.000+07:00

This is a duck puppet that my son and daughter gave me for Christmas. It quacks out "Old McDonald Had a Farm". Pum's father is a Buddhist monk. I brought the duck along for fun and he couldn't put it down! In this picture he is sitting with Pon, my five year old stepdaughter.

2006-02-11T14:56:00.000+07:00

This lady is waiting her turn in the kitchen.

2006-02-11T14:55:00.001+07:00

Snacking after the wedding.

2006-02-11T14:55:00.000+07:00

This is part of the basic Thai kitchen. Most of the cooking is done outside and food is served on mats on the ground.

2006-02-11T14:54:00.000+07:00

These women were in charge of cooking the sticky rice. You can see the baskets over the fire in the background.

2006-02-11T14:53:00.001+07:00

At first these girls were kinda shy....

2006-02-11T14:53:00.000+07:00

Still a little shy.

2006-02-11T14:52:00.000+07:00

Pum and her niece Nit Noi (which means little bit)

2006-02-11T14:51:00.000+07:00

These girls had a seek/avoid affair with the camera.

2006-02-11T14:50:00.000+07:00

A mother and daughter at the wedding. They had just finished one of their shifts in the kitchen.

2006-02-11T14:49:00.001+07:00

From left to right, Nit Noi (our niece), the bride, Pum, the groom, Pum's brother's wife, Pum's sister Thung and our nephew Nek.

2006-02-11T14:49:00.000+07:00

He's had a long tough day!

2006-02-11T14:46:00.000+07:00

At the doorway.

2006-02-11T14:45:00.000+07:00

Five little cuties almost smiling!

2006-02-11T14:44:00.000+07:00

My sister-in-law and her daughter.

2006-02-11T14:43:00.000+07:00

Playing dominos the night before the wedding.

2006-02-11T14:42:00.001+07:00

Small boy holding on to the pillar.

2006-02-11T14:42:00.000+07:00

Everyone thinks it is funny when the farang takes pictures!

2006-02-11T14:41:00.001+07:00

A family portrait at the wedding.

2006-02-11T14:41:00.000+07:00

Two cows and a few pigs were killed for the wedding. Here are a few women doing some of the butchering. It was a real community effort.

2006-02-11T14:40:00.000+07:00

The younger girls got dishwashing duty!

2006-02-11T14:38:00.000+07:00

The girl's table.

2006-02-11T14:37:00.000+07:00

Pum and her sister-in-law having a laugh.

2006-02-11T14:36:00.000+07:00

Gettin' crazy after a few Changs.

2006-02-11T14:35:00.001+07:00

One of the groom's aunts.

2006-02-11T14:35:00.000+07:00

Another happy celebrant!

2006-02-11T14:31:00.000+07:00

One of the bridesmaids before Pum did the makeup. I NEVER once saw either of them smile before, during or after the wedding.

2006-02-11T14:30:00.000+07:00

The other bridesmaid before Pum did the hair and makeup.

2006-02-11T14:29:00.000+07:00

Taking it very seriously!

2006-02-11T14:27:00.000+07:00

Another shot of the bridesmaids at the wedding. Still no smile.

2006-02-11T14:26:00.000+07:00

One of Pum's aunts raises silkworms and crickets. She does the whole thing, from silkworm eggs to silk to clothing made from the silk.

2006-02-11T14:25:00.000+07:00

Here are the silkworms eating and growing before they are placed in the woven basket and are ready to make cocoons.

2006-02-11T14:21:00.000+07:00

When the silkworms are ready to make their cocoons, they are placed in a section of this "basket".

2006-02-11T14:20:00.000+07:00

This is a closeup of the "basket".

2006-02-11T14:16:00.000+07:00

Silkworm cocoons, from this the silk is produced.

2006-02-11T14:15:00.000+07:00

This is the silk made from cocoons Pum

Isaan Music - Night at Tawan Daeng

2006-02-11T12:01:00.000+07:00

Just before Christmas, we made a great visit to a Thai music venue. A friend of an old friend came into town and was interested in hearing some music that originates from the northeastern Thai province of Isaan. I won't go into an explanation of Morlam and Look Thung music here, but instead refer you to Seamus' website where you can find some good info and some links. Here it is: http://the-same.org

After a bit of research on my part, I located a venue called Tawan Daeng. When we got there early in the evening, close to 9, the place was just beginning to heat up. The music was LOUD. We got a bite to eat and settled in. By the time we left, a bit after midnite, it was jammed and the music was more Thai rock and pop than Morlam and Look Thung. Bill and Bow, Pum and I and Seamus alternately ate, drank and danced to some really fine Thai musicians. The singers weren't famous but were certainly competent and the house band totally ROCKED. I can't wait to go back.

2006-02-11T12:00:00.000+07:00

Here is a pic of Seamus at Tawan Daeng. Seamus is a huge fan of Morlam and Look Thung music. He came to SE Asia to hear and see some performances. He has a very interesting website about it.

2006-02-11T11:59:00.000+07:00

We were sitting next to a table of apparently single girls. This girl tried very hard to hook up with Seamus all evening (unsuccessfully I might add)

2006-02-11T11:58:00.000+07:00

There are two basic styles of music from the northeast part of Thailand (Isaan). One is called Morlam and the other Look Thung. We went to a club called Tawan Daeng here in Bangkok where Isaan music is featured. One of the basic characteristics is the dancers. Here are two.

2006-02-11T11:57:00.000+07:00

Here are some dancers earlier in the evening. The costumes vary from modestly sexy to very traditional to the kind of thing a Vegas show girl in a relatively tame cabaret might wear.

2006-02-11T11:54:00.000+07:00

The backup dancers in their early evening attire.

2006-02-11T11:53:00.001+07:00

Bill and his significant other, Bow, at Tawan Daeng.

2006-02-11T11:53:00.000+07:00

Party on, dude!!

2006-02-11T11:52:00.000+07:00

Here's another shot of Bill being taught the finger motions in Thai dancing by Bow. In the background is another singer and the requisite dancers.

2006-02-11T11:49:00.000+07:00

One of the many singers that came across the stage. We were there on a Saturday night. There was no 'headliner' but we heard many different singers. This one is a katoey.

2006-02-11T11:48:00.000+07:00

One of the male singers making the little girls swoon.

2006-02-11T11:42:00.000+07:00

Tawan Daeng was packed! Early in the evening, this dude found a little room to shake it.

2006-02-11T11:30:00.000+07:00

I've been to quite a few concerts and clubs in the past few months. One thing I've been amazed at is the excellent local talent. This guitar player, for instance, while maybe not QUITE up to Michael Gurley or his like could certainly hang with most any western rock band.

2006-02-11T11:25:00.000+07:00

This dude is really kicking it! Another picture from the Tawan Daeng evening. This instrument is called a khaen.

Return to Lao: The Villages Part One

2005-12-11T11:26:00.000+07:00

After the excellent banana pancakes, our guide, Vue Lee arrived with the minibus and driver. As we began the drive, the day was cool and hazy. It looked to be a good day for photos and wandering. We drove for a good bit, maybe an hour before we passed through the first village, Kokran, a Lao village. We walked around briefly. This is one of the busy seasons for growing rice. It is harvest time, so most of the villages we were to see were quiet. Only the children too small to work, the women who were needed to watch them and those too old to work remained for the most part in the villages. The first few villages were along a medium size river and the surrounding areas were covered in dense foliage. Have I asked just what makes a jungle before? According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a jungle is:
1 a : an impenetrable thicket or tangled mass of tropical vegetation b : a tract overgrown with thickets or masses of vegetation
So I guess I can say these villages were more or less in the jungle. No one seemed to mind that we strangers were walking through. Periodically some children would appear, sometimes allowing pictures and other times too shy. The first village was called Kokran, it was a Lao village. By now I was fairly well versed in the architectural styles of these villages. I could tell this was a Lao village because the houses were built on fairly high stilts. The Lao primarily live on the flatter land which floods fairly often during rainy season, thus the need for houses on stilts. Additionally, it is hotter in the lowland areas and if the houses are built above the ground, air can circulate beneath them allowing for cool breezes to do their work better. Besides that, Vue Lee told me the first village was Lao! This village was close to the road and quite accessible. The second village was called Bohe and it is a Hmong village. The Hmong typically live in the high mountain areas where flooding doesn't occur and where it is typically cooler thus removing the need for stilts. Here, too, almost everyone was off working in the rice paddies.
At the next village, Thaon, which was a Khamon village, we had to walk across a very rickety bridge over the river. I felt relatively safe since it was never more than 10 or 15 feet over the water. I'm not sure if I would have tried it had it been 100 feet above the water. Here we found more people in the village. There were more women and children as well as some men. Only two men seemed to be doing anything other than watching children. One was cutting some wood and another old fella who had lost an arm when the Vietnam War carried over into Lao and his village was bombed by Americans, was weaving a basket. When he found out I was American he was polite but clearly put off. I just can't understand why..... or can I?????
More posts to come on the Lao villages very soon. Yep, I'm WAY behind.
As always, I hope you enjoy the pics. Stay in touch!
Andy
andym528@hotmail.com

2005-12-11T11:02:00.000+07:00

Four women of different ages in the Lao village of Kokran.

2005-12-11T10:55:00.000+07:00

Hiding behind her mother.

2005-12-11T10:54:00.000+07:00

She's up to something!

2005-12-11T10:53:00.000+07:00

She had a big smile for her mother who was watching. Her friend was too shy to come out from behind the post.

2005-12-11T10:51:00.000+07:00

This young woman had a huge smile for me.

2005-12-11T10:50:00.000+07:00

This old hog is just about ready to be somebody's dinner.

2005-12-11T10:48:00.000+07:00

A typical house in the Lao village of Kokran.

2005-12-11T10:42:00.001+07:00

This girl is grinding the rice next to her house. You can see her in the previous picture.

2005-12-11T10:42:00.000+07:00

Everybody loves to show off for the camera.

2005-12-11T10:40:00.000+07:00

This mother was taking care of her children and another woman's children. The other woman was off working in the rice paddy.

2005-12-11T10:39:00.000+07:00

This girl wasn't too shy.

2005-12-11T10:38:00.001+07:00

Two young girls in the village. They weren't at school for some reason.

2005-12-11T10:38:00.000+07:00

This young mother was about to give her baby a bath.

2005-12-11T10:36:00.000+07:00

This man was doing some work at the local temple. He lost his arm during the Vietnam war in an American bombing attack.

2005-12-11T10:35:00.000+07:00

This guy was hanging around. What a HUGE watch!!!

Return to Lao: Luang Prabang

2005-10-30T17:38:00.000+07:00

I'm here in Thailand on a type "O" multiple entry visa which essentially means I get to stay here for one year but I have to leave once every 90 days. With the end of the 90 day period rapidly approaching, it was lucky there was a long school holiday. I had six days free! Last year I'd been to Luang Prabang and had a fantastic time. If you look back at the December archives for this blog, you can read about it. With the memory of that trip in mind, I sat down to arrange a return visit. I was able to get a cheap and convenient round trip ticket on Bangkok Airways and found a place to stay right on the Mekong. Luang Prabang is in the northern part of Laos nestled in a mountainous region. The approach on our prop plane afforded me a great view of the Mekong and 'suburban' Luang Prabang. Upon arrival on Thursday, I took a cheap tuk-tuk to the Sala Prabang hotel. As advertised it was just across the street from the muddy Mekong. I knew I didn't have a Mekong view room so I was not overly disappointed in my smallish room with a 'view' of a small concrete and brick courtyard. Overpriced? Without a doubt, but it was clean, the staff of the hotel was pleasant and the breakfast served across the street on the high banks of the Mekong was good and bountiful. It had air conditioning which I only turned on twice for about 10 minutes. Aircon is not a requirement in Luang Prabang from October to March. A leisurely breakfast was a great way to start the day while I watched the locals going about their river business.

On my first afternoon I revisited the town. I strolled up and down the main 3 or 4 streets getting reacquainted. In 1995, Luang Prabang was designated as a World Heritage City. A bunch of money was granted with the caveat that the character of the city must be maintained. Once the ten years have passed, the funding dries up. Road construction is going on at an incredibly feverish pitch and many buildings are in the final stages of rehabilitation. So far so good, the efforts to maintain the attributes that first led to the World Heritage City designation have been quite successful. While it's not the same dusty town of 15 years ago, it's still a charming little town that I'm sure I'll visit over and over.

I made a point of heading straight to White Elephant Adventures to see my friend Derrick Beattie. On my last visit, Derrick set me up with a fantastic tour which I encourage you to read about in the archives. Derrick had just returned from an extended trip to Canada with his lovely wife Lon. I have no idea of the spelling of her name but that's at least phonetically correct. It was great to chat with them and I was happy to see that they were still thriving and are looking at some new business ventures. Of course, I wanted another tour and we discussed what I was looking for. Alas, Hai O, my guide from the last trip has gone back to teaching and retired from the tour guide business. Good for the children of Lao, sad for me. Derrick suggested I come back tomorrow (Friday) to finalize things after he spoke to his guides. In the meantime, he suggested a trip to Tat Kuang Si, a gorgeous waterfall an hour or so from Luang Prabang.

On the first evening, after my stroll and visit with Derrick, I decided a Lao massage was just the thing to work the kinks out. I went back to the same place where I had a two great massages last year. Sadly, the girl was gone and the massage was just adequate. Still, for $2, it was hard to complain. After the massage I was ravenous. I found a riverside open air restaurant. After inspecting the menu at length, I went for the Lao version of fish curry with sticky rice. It was good, but surprisingly not very spicy. In fact, overall, Lao cooking despite many warnings to the contrary appears to be generally less spicy than Thai food. The curry was accompanied by a cold Beer Lao and in combination with the cool mountain air put me in the mood for a good sleep.

Day two brought a cool dawn and a tasty 'farang' breakfast of eggs, ham, fruit, good rich coffee, crappy orange juice and a great lightly toasted baguette. A morning trip to the beautiful waterfall of Tat Kuang Si was easily arranged with a tuk tuk driver lounging nearby. It was well worth the trip. The two pics below don't do it justice. I was happy to have gone in the morning as there was only a dutch couple to share the place with. On the way back, we passed many others on the way to see the falls. As usual the early bird catches the worm. It was cool and deserted in the morning. I imagine it was hot and touristy in the afternoon based on the traffic headed that way. A bicycle rental in the afternoon provided some additional adventure. What's the adage about riding a bike? I haven't been on a bike in years and guess what? It wasn't as easy as it used to be. I got the pedaling ok and the balance wasn't too bad, but steering???? That was a challenge. Hard to believe I used to ride with no hands for extended periods, going around corners even. Yikes! I only crashed and burned once and fortunately I escaped with minimal damage. That said, it's a great way to see the city.

I stopped back at White Elephant Adventures to chat with Derrick and we decided that I'd have my tour on Sunday. He still had a few details to work out and I had plenty of time. I let him know I wasn't overly excited about my lodging and it turned out that his wife had been the manager there before she and Derrick got together. Again, it was OK, just not special for the price. He had another idea. Some acquaintances of his were building a new place just outside the city on the banks of the Nam Khan. While the overnight stay part wasn't officially open, the restaurant was and he thought they might be willing to let someone give the place a test run prior to a planned mid November opening. Sure enough they were. So a quick checkout and transfer on Saturday morning proved to be a great move. I heartily recommend Nam Khan Villas Resort and El Gecko restaurant. By the time anyone who reads this blog will be going to Lao, they should definitely be officially open. It's a mostly peaceful place on several acres with unimpeded access to the river. Our hosts were Carolyn and Graham (I hope spelling is correct) and their son Oliver. Most recently they lived in Spain and have done similar things. Carolyn is an experienced and accomplished chef and Graham was a shipbuilder in a previous incarnation and has supervised and done much of the construction work. They have a great staff. The waitstaff are mostly students and all speak good English and are eager to practice. A few sentences ago I said MOSTLY peaceful. Like most rural places, the cacophonous call and response of the roosters in the morning will not let anyone sleep late. Carolyn said they were pretty used to it and were now able to sleep through it. In Lao, waking up early isn't a big problem. They roll the sidewalks up pretty early, so early to bed and early to rise works just fine!

After the move on Saturday, I elected to take a boat ride on the mighty muddy Mekong. It wasn't as long as I had asked for, something must have been lost in translation. But it was still quite amazing when I think back to being in my teens and early twenties and the war years. Sitting in a boat in the heart of opium country would have been unthinkable in the 60's. After the boat ride, I headed back to the villa where I had a tasty dinner featuring a variety of tapas and a glass of red wine. It was a great way to cap the day. Breakfast on Sunday before the trip was a large plate of absolutely heavenly banana pancakes with a cup of tasty coffee. YUM! In my next post, I'll put up a bunch of pics from the tour which I'm sure you'll enjoy!
As always, stay in touch!!
andym528@hotmail.com

2005-10-30T16:45:00.000+07:00

I enjoyed this view of the Mekong at breakfast on the first two days of my visit.

2005-10-30T16:44:00.000+07:00

In this picture of a boat on the Mekong, you can see better how brown it is at this time of the year. The rainy season is just concluding and all the rivers are quite muddy.

2005-10-30T16:25:00.000+07:00

Two small children sleeping at the night market where their parents are selling some beautiful bedspreads and pillow cases.

2005-10-30T16:24:00.000+07:00

The beautifully carved door of one of the local temples.

2005-10-30T16:23:00.001+07:00

Detail from the temple door.

2005-10-30T16:23:00.000+07:00

A large seated buddha.

2005-10-30T16:22:00.000+07:00

All the temples were decked out with all kinds of fancy stuff.

2005-10-30T16:21:00.000+07:00

I just missed the Ock Pan Sa and Lai Heua Fai festivals in October. This is a float leftover from the celebrations.

2005-10-30T16:18:00.000+07:00

A temple in Luang Prabang. There are lots of decorations left over from the big celebration.

2005-10-30T16:17:00.000+07:00

Three monks were sitting at a table, this is the first one.

2005-10-30T16:14:00.000+07:00

This monk is a bit shy.

2005-10-30T16:13:00.000+07:00

This monk was studying outside.

2005-10-30T16:12:00.000+07:00

Every morning the monks make their rounds and the local residents and tourists give the monks food. In Luang Prabang it's a special time because there are so many temples concentrated in such a small area.

2005-10-30T16:10:00.000+07:00

This lady came to do her Saturday marketing on her motorbike.

2005-10-30T16:09:00.000+07:00

This girl is walking up and down the street selling eggplants among other things.

2005-10-30T16:08:00.000+07:00

Two guys doing wood carvings.

2005-10-30T16:06:00.000+07:00

Everyone has to clip their fingernails.

2005-10-30T16:04:00.000+07:00

Tat Kuang Si falls is one of the few tourist attractions that I'd recommend. It's well worth the dusty trip. But DO go early and seeing it just after the rainy season is a special treat.

2005-10-30T16:03:00.000+07:00

Another view of the gorgeous Tat Kuang Si falls.

2005-10-30T16:01:00.000+07:00

I love this graphic sign! It was attached to a power line tower.

2005-10-30T14:59:00.000+07:00

A traditional Lao music band enroute from one house to a temple in conjunction with the celebration at the end of Buddhist lent.

2005-10-30T14:58:00.000+07:00

The band on the main drag of Luang Prabang

2005-10-30T14:57:00.000+07:00

For those who have been following my blog from the beginning, the background of this pic will look familiar. This little girl is the sister of 'guitar girl' from a picture I took last year. She's sitting on the same porch and maybe next year this one will be playing the guitar!

2005-10-30T14:55:00.000+07:00

In the neighborhood; laundry is about a dollar per kilo (2.2 lbs.) Lotsa satellite dishes in SE Asia.

Trip to Sa Kaeo

2005-10-02T12:55:00.000+07:00

Last Sunday, I made a day trip to Sa Kaeo which is the eastern province which borders on Cambodia. Parts of it reminded me of Michigan. While Sa Kaeo does NOT have the same kind of trees, if I didn't look too closely, the gently rolling country and scattered copses made me think of Michigan and the midwest of the USA. Most of my pictures were of various markets, some roadside and some in a village. It is always great to get out of the city and this trip was no exception. The air is clean, except when they start burning garbage and it is generally pretty quiet. For the squeamish and vegetarian, sorry about the pig head picture. But it is a true picture of the markets in Thailand especially the more rural ones. More on this trip later.

2005-10-02T12:54:00.000+07:00

These gents are having a nice Sunday brunch with beer and a bowl of raw chilies.

2005-10-02T12:51:00.000+07:00

This good looking young dude is chopping some mysterious gray meat.

2005-10-02T12:05:00.000+07:00

Sisters hanging out at the market at Wang Nam Yen in Sa Kaeo province.

2005-10-02T12:01:00.000+07:00

Molcahete? Mortar and pestle? Whatever, this lady is grinding up some mixture perhaps for Som Tam, the favorite spicy salad of Isaan and Sa Kaeo people.

2005-10-02T11:57:00.000+07:00

Pig heads. These are used mostly for soups. Move on by this if you are squeamish.