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Operation Year of Freedom

7月 2024 – 8月 2025
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  • Operation Year of Freedom
    Dried meat snacks.Homemade rice noodles drying in the sun.Laos yellow curry soup... incredible.1Welcome to Don Det 😵‍💫Our breakfast spot ..rosti & fried eggs with Laos coffee, on repeat.Independent and fearless.Mostly replaced by motorised ploughs but still a quintessential feature in the Laos countyside.We named him Crispy Pork ... sorry Hannah 🤭Family memorial tombs in a Buddhist temple.Traffic jam, Don Det style !After the rains...And then Nathan's chain snapped & I towed him home with it, for 2km!A room with a view !

    Don Det in the 4,000 Islands - Laos

    7月6日〜9日, ラオス ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    With hammock views of a roaring Mekong River the colour of milk chocolate, we booked three nights on this tiny island and can see why people disappear here for weeks.
    With one partially sealed single lane road winding around the island edges and one other cutting through the middle, transport consisted mainly of scooters and old school, no gears push bikes!
    Weathered wooden houses on skinny stilts lined the roads, lime green paddy fields filled in much of the landscape with lots and lots of mud covered buffalo!
    Away from the small tourist area, life looked very uncomplicated here.

    Living side by side with some local families, we watched and heard daily life from close quarters.
    It's the 3 month summer school holiday in Laos, and so noticeable is the high trust and self-reliant way of life so many of the kids happily have.
    From taking a large wooden canoe out fishing with only a short wooden paddle and no life jackets to a young boy working his family shop, or a young girls driving a scooter with a sidecar filled with 4 people, age didn't seem to be a barrier to contributing and helping.

    Dramatic storms, stunning sunsets, and great food... with yoga on the balcony and hours in the hammocks ... there's not much more to write about!    もっと詳しく

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  • Operation Year of Freedom
    A calm and very misleading Mekong backwater!
    Our ticket said BUS to Champasak!Our welcoming party 🕷Baked tilapia and the salad green pockets for the puffed rice & pork mix.Naem khao 🤩🤩🤩

    Champasak- Laos

    7月5日〜6日, ラオス ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    🛵
    An unexpected crossing of a roaring Mekong River in a small wooden canoe for a one night stop over in Champasak 35km south of Pakse, dry land couldn't come fast enough!
    We'd booked budget accommodation on the one road that goes through the sleepy village of Champasak and had a massive spider greet us on arrival!
    White tail spiders at home will never be a challenge again after Laos.
    All this, and it wasn't yet 10.30 am !

    We're here to visit Vat Phou, an ancient 11th - 13th century religious site remoured to be older than Ankor Wat.
    Set in a clearing at the bottom of a hill with forest and jungle trying to reclaim the land, we climbed most of the way to the top.
    Giant rock formations dripped 'holy water' through wooden channels, and ancient rock carvings were padded with dark green moss and ferns.
    It was beautiful, and sauna like 🥵

    The shapes and sizes of the gigantic stone blocks that form the ancient temples and stairways are an incredible demonstration of religious devotion and human strength.
    Alongside the main temple, there is a lot of restoration work going on funded by the Indian and South Korean governments.

    Very hot and humid with more mosquitos than tourists, it was a pleasant but unrepeatable visit!

    Another amazing Laotian meal, this time Naem khao- crispy riceball chunks with fermented pork sausage, peanuts, grated coconut, shallots, mint, corriander, lime eaten in lettuce leaves lined with mint, Vietnamese mint and grated banana bloosom.. and a baked tilapia (river fish) on the side!

    Huge rain storms overnight meant The Mekong was too swollen for the longtail boat to take us the bus we'd booked, so we were rerouted back to Pakse to start again!    もっと詳しく

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  • Operation Year of Freedom
    After 13 hours on a nightbus in a sleeper seat made for people under 5ft, coffee was NEEDED!Singletons gives you snuggles in Laos 😍🤣12

    Pakse - Laos

    7月3日〜5日, ラオス ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    🛵
    It's time to bite the bullet and do a couple of big travel days or nights to cover the kms needed to get to Cambodia overland.
    Vientiane to Pakse - 13 hours on the night bus with sleeper seats.. what could go wrong ?!?
    We were given advice from other travelers who suggested getting seats in the middle of the bus as their trip had been very hot, noisy, and bumpy at the back. Tickets in hand for $32.90 each and chuffed that we'd secured middle of the bus seats, feelings changed when we saw we were located by the stairwell... to the toilet! Fragrances reminiscent of India Railways came flooding back 😬 tigerbalm was reactivated and controlled hydration for the next 13 hours the best plan of attack.

    Cosy in our side by side sleeper seats designed for those blessed with being 5ft or under and not very wide, we relaxed on the well-used disney flannalette bedding, trying not to think when these were last washed!
    Morning came... eventually, and lying in the fetal position watching villages pass by us, waking up and their morning routines starting was a definite bonus of a window seat without curtains !

    It's rainy season Laos, and we experienced the most daytime rain so far of our 2.5 weeks in Laos here in Pakse.
    There is nothing like being on a scooter when rain turned to a moonstone downpour, for Nathan to agree that he should also have a stunning local PVC poncho, the essential travel accessory if we're going to explore on a scooter at this time of year.

    A stunning waterfall, more fantastic scenery, and being up close to the daily life of local people both in town and rurally made for a great day.
    We finished the day with an almost sunset from Wat Phou Salao, a small and sparkly temple on the hill with stunning views of The Mekong and Pakse, complete with an enormous Buddha.

    Our guesthouse menu and winelist was fabulous -
    Samlee Gardens, if you're in town and the grilled aubergine and mushrooms are definite must.

    Interesting for : The long dual laned promenade that stretched from one end of town, with dual Laos and Communist flags side by side through the middle.    もっと詳しく

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  • Operation Year of Freedom
    Buddha Park.
    Nam Dam Euay Nong for fantastic noodle soup!Patuxai.From the top of Patuxai.Buddha Park.Gourmet.night market adventures.A medicinal market.

    Vientiane - Laos

    6月30日〜7月2日, ラオス ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    🛵
    Vientiane was lovely for 2 nights and nicer to explore than we'd expected.

    The nightmarket was AMAZING, probably the best one we've experienced on this trip, with an incredible variety of fresh, fried, and live foods on offer, and strongly influenced by numbers of Chinese tourists.
    We ate til bursting for $21, including beers and fresh orange juices.
    Something best described as a Chinese style wrap, and that is not doing it the justice it deserves was the highlight.. if you're a meat eater !

    Buddha Park was a great recommendation from Lauren. A descent distance from town, we hired a scooter and made a day of it.
    Stopping on en route at Patuxai, the massive arch and monument dedicated to those who fought for independence from the French we had great views of Vientiane from the top.
    Today's fun fact was that the upper levels of Patuxai were built with cement 'redirected' by locals from a planned US base for their fighter jets during the Vietnam War. Quiet cheers and admiration were heard from some visitors reading the sign telling this story.

    Ɓack on our scooter, fresh donuts presented themselves alongside a fruit smoothie stall.. lunch was sorted, and then we were on our way to The Buddha Park.

    Being surrounded by over 200 Buddhist and Hindu religious sculptures and lots of flowering frangipani was a serene and relaxing experience and well worth the visit.

    If you're traveling through Vientiane, our hot tip is to try Laos pork noodle bowls and fresh spring rolls at the local restaurant Nam Sam Euay Nong 😋

    Interesting for : When we picked up the scooter, we were told, don't have your lights on during the day, or the Police will fine you !    もっと詳しく

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  • Operation Year of Freedom
    Our now infamous pocket knives !Open one day, closed the next. This was taken on the open day !We survived climbing down Nam Xay viewpoint.As happy as buffalo in mud.A breakfast of champions!The view from our bungalow.Rain clouds moving in ...and we're on a scooter.

    Vang Vieng - Laos

    6月26日〜30日, ラオス ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    🛵
    Infamous now for the drunken tubing deaths and the ethanol poisoning at one of the local hostels, we were visiting Vang Vieng to see its spectacular scenery.

    The fun started while checking in for the 1 hour train ride, complete with FULL airport level security in place, and them some.
    Items we've been traveling with for almost 11 months without any issues in major airports were pinged by x-ray, and we were taken aside.
    Given its train travel, not air travel, and no significant altitude change was going to take place, we started to smell a scam.

    With dry shampoo confiscated, our small pocket knives attracted the most attention despite being under the size limit stated on the signboard.
    Lucky for us, the security guard wanted 'to help', and even luckier still, there was a Laos China Railway police officer nearby 🤔
    He moved us somewhere quieter to explain the plan 'to help'.
    Cutting a long story short, he had a colleague who would carry our knives for us, find us on the train, and return them to us.. for 300,000 kip ($23.00)
    Not a lot of money by NZ standards but a decent win if you're a public servant in Laos.
    We had photos taken and were given dodgy WhatsApp contacts with the profile photos that definitely did not match the people scamming us.
    Nathan was approached by a police man as he came out of the toilet, who indicated to follow him around a corner. Surprisingly, there were no security cameras there !
    With money exchanged for our pocket knives, we relaxed for the rest of the incredibly beautiful and scenic trip vowing to bus from now on for the rest of our time in Laos!

    A rustic cane bungalow with a gorgeous balcony overlooking a small stream and paddy field was home for the next 3 nights.
    We watched hot-air balloons take off from nearby and had gorgeous views of the karst cliffs through mist while we ate fresh mango and pink dragon fruit for breakfast each morning.

    Vang Vieng has some incredible scenic viewpoints with vistas that stretch across paddy fields as far as you can see, framed by the dramatic and mostly misty karst mountains.
    We chose Nam Xay Viewpoint as our adventure.
    A steep 380 metre, almost vertical climb up with tree roots as hand rails, rocks in mud as steps we made it to the top in blueish sky.
    Photos taken, we started climbing down, as the rain started with an adrenalin pumping descent navigating a red mud river for the rest of the climb down 🫣

    Vang Vieng was fantastic for food, and there was even a Kiwi restaurant, which did a roast !!

    Interesting for : 2 ply toiletpaper. The joy was real but short-lived.
    Good things come in small packages 🧻 🤣    もっと詳しく

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  • Operation Year of Freedom
    Luang Si waterfall.
    Braving another international hair cut - 5 star result!Young Buddhist monks doing gardening with machetes!Haw Phra Bang, a Buddhist temple.Garavek storytelling, local myths & legends told to the music of a bamboo khaen.We made merit with the monks, offering them food on their 5.30am walk.Sunrise walk up Phu Si, 100m hill with Buddhist shrines & views.Morning market views.Lovely traveling buddies, Thomas and Elke.Bears rescued from poaching for bile production. Not ideal conditions but an improvement on cages 💔Traditional Arts & Ethnolgy Centre, well worth a visit to better understand Laos cultural diversity.UXO Vistor Centre, a hunting museum documenting the US 9 year Secret War on Laos.Half a day in a community rice farm.One of the 12 steps of traditional rice production 😅One more step!!Big Brother Mouse- helping young people improve their English by chatting with tourists.Farewell Luang Prabang, our travel cups are full 🙏

    Luang Prabang - Laos

    6月25日〜7月1日, ラオス ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    🛵
    After 4 different beds in 7 nights, we were ready to stay put for a few days.
    Luang Prabang, with its UNESCO charm and beautiful surrounding countryside, turned out to be a great place for this, and our 3-night booking turned into 6.

    We'd met Thomas and Elke from Germany on the slowboat who were a similar vintage to us. Elke and I joked about being the oldies and the only ones in the boat reading a paper book!
    The 4 of us did a day exploring on scooters around the countryside... getting a bit lost but seeing incredible scenery and eventually finding our way to the stunning Kuang Si waterfall and bear rescue centre we were aiming for.

    We had a guest house that was on the morning market street.
    Larvae, live bugs, honey comb with beas, live snails, tree roots, bird bundles, and mushrooms galore were for sale alongside pork and chicken in all different shapes and forms.
    The fragrance alongside our omlette and coffee was challenging some mornings!

    Big Brother Mouse https://www.bigbrothermouse.com/
    is free drop-in school /centre where local Laos people can come to practice their conversational english with travellers.
    I did a couple of sessions here and found the experience humbling and very educational chatting and exchanging stories with some inspiring young people.

    Laos doesn't have free education, and the cost of secondary school is prohibitive for many, seeing a high number of young people ending their education at the end of primary school, especially girls.
    Boys can become monks at the end of primary school, and many do to continue their secondary and university education at no cost. There is a lot of prestige for families whose son is a monk regardless of the time spent, so many get their qualifications for free and then leave the temple to return to mainstream living. Sadly for girls, there is not this option, and many work in the home and with family rice production from a young age, particularly in rural areas.

    We spent half a day in a community rice farm, learning all the steps to planting and harvesting rice and will never waste a grain again - omg, they work so hard !
    Being IN the paddy field with the buffalo plowing the soil ready for seedling planting 😅 🤣 was a whole body workout, and there wasn't even a seedling planted.

    Interesting for :
    Nathan ordered chicken tenders only to realise he'd eaten a plate of chicken tendons 🤢 and had thought they were quite chewy !!! We usually share meals, but I'd luckily chosen something he didn't want for that meal !    もっと詳しく

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  • Operation Year of Freedom
    Ready for Day 2 slowboating down The Mekong.

    Slowboat down The Mekong via Pekbang

    6月19日〜20日, ラオス ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Taking the 2 day slow boat option to start our travels south in Laos afforded us some downtime after 4 weeks of pretty much go, go, go, and it didn't disappoint!
    We bought our tickets the day before leaving on The Gibbon Experience for 400,000 kip ($31) each getting pole position, seats 1 and 2 !

    Loaded up with fresh baguettes filled with crumbed chicken and salad and an assortment of snacks we were ready to board before the staff arrived !
    Top tip; get to the boat early. seat numbers are as fluid as The Mekong, and it's definitely first in, first served.
    You definitely DON'T want a seat in the back of the boat where the diesel engine pollutes, heats, and is very, very loud.

    Old bus seats are given an end-of-life role on the slow boats and sit unsecured to the floor.! Their initial placement is a mere guide depending on what passengers board carrying or want to do for their 7-8 hour journey.
    Sacks of produce destined for markets, massive water and fuel storage containers strung together or backpacker playing drinking games.. anything goes !

    The boat stopped multiple times at bamboo jetties or just on the river bank to pick up and drop off people living in the villages dotted along The Mekong.
    Being an observer of local life and customs while floating down the mighty Mekong, with a stunning backdrop of karst cliffs, jungle, and giant sky, was a very special experience.
    As we got closer to Luang Prabang, the scale of mining activity increased significantly, along with enormous dam projects.
    The mighty Mekong is being taken from at a scale that sadly threatens many riverside communities' traditional ways of life, and throughout the Laos section of the Mekong we traveled on, the financial interests of it's more powerful neighbour's is often evident.

    Despite numb bums at the end of each day, slowboat travel was a fantastic way to see a small portion of Laos from a different perspective and just observe.    もっと詳しく

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  • Operation Year of Freedom
    Happy Days !! Laos is country #17 & a 660ml bottle of beer is $2.30.
    Border crossing day-Bus 1 Chiang Rai to ChiangKhumpon 2.5 hours, 130 baht-a very close & stickyride!Bus 2 - Across the Thai / Laos Friendship Bridge 4 - 40 baht, but tickets say 20 baht! Scam1✅️Always great to read an Anthrax warning while waiting for a bus to a new country!Leaving Thailand after 2 months, a few metres in no man's land crossing The Mekong& welcome to Laos!Converting our baht in Laos Kip.. we are temporarily millionaires 🤩There's no doubt we are now in a communist country.

    Houayxay - Laos

    6月14日〜16日, タイ ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Woahooo, Laos is country 17 !
    Leaving Thailand from Chaing Rai and crossing The Mekong into Laos at Chaing Kong was an exercise in polite diplomacy in the face of blatant corruption.
    Apparently, you pay more for your visa on a Saturday because it's a bank holiday !
    A smile and keeping calm helped us avoid additional 'stamp fees', while we watched would-be Instagram influencers nut out at border officals for their attempts at exorbitant additional charges while not paying attention.

    We're here in this non descript border town for two nights, enough time to complete the admin needed for our slow boat down The Mekong and to get registered and sorted for The Gibbon Experience.
    Otherwise, there's no real reason to stop here.

    Interesting for : Exceptional fried, boneless chicken at Kanchana Restaurant.
    So good, we ate here twice!    もっと詳しく

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  • Operation Year of Freedom
    Lunch.Beautiful offerings at The Golden Triangle viewpoint.The Golden Triangle ✅️✅️The Mekong & Ruak Rivers.Fish feet cleaning !A beautiful letter box at the very well curated Opium Museum.A dark & ominous sky, and we had 1 hour scooter ride ahead of us. #wetridehomeAmazing storm clouds chasing us back to Chiang Rai.

    The Golden Triangle - Thailand

    6月12日, タイ ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    🛵
    The almost 70km each way from Chiang Rai to The Golden Triangle whizzed by on the way up!
    With rice paddy fields and pineapple, papaya, and banana growing as far as you could see, every shade of the green colour spectrum seemed covered.

    We stopped for a snack at a tiny covered roadside market. Half a dozen older women were very curious about us while we were figuring out what to eat. A small culinary disaster a few days earlier, which resulted in us buying beautiful looking bbq chicken but turned out to be well battered rib bones and neck, had us wary.
    Deciding on what looked like plump chicken strips, we got freshly fried bananas that were soooo good!
    One village later, the smell whole cooked chickens got us doing a uturn on Red Rosie our scooter, and sat over a drum of bbq embers was bbq chicken heaven, and our lunch!
    A roadside picnic with an ever-present Buddha looking over us from across the river, our tummies were a little over full!
    We made it to The Golden Triangle when the convergence of the Mekong and Ruak Rivers and the borders of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand can be seen from a rather bland viewpoint.. ✅️✅️ done !

    The House of Opium museum was well worth a visit.
    A private museum with really interesting artifacts;smoking pipes, ornate weights and scales used for trading, the types of poppy plants, and the harvesting methods all on display.
    The really well done information panels told the story of opium's history, trading, and usage, and the wars caused , with the West's involvement not left out.

    We were soaked on the way back! It felt like a long ride home with thunder and lightning the soundtrack and lightshow of a lot of our ride home !    もっと詳しく

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