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12 hours after leaving home for the tropics, I wake up to discover it's a clear sunny day, and I'm back in Canada - further north than I've ever been before. Someday I'd like to go to the Northwest Territories, but I wouldn't want to be stuck out in the Rockies in January.
Last comment 02/07/05.Viewed: 251 times.
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This statue of 4 elephants protects the pedestrians who dare to dash across the surrounding road interchange in Bangkok. Viewed: 259 times.
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Bangkok is all about shopping. Viewed: 304 times.
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A few hippies aren't backpacking in Bangkok.
Last comment 02/03/05.Viewed: 267 times.
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Living by the klong (Bangkok's canals). Viewed: 275 times.
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Inside Wat Po, a major Buddhist temple in Bangkok. Viewed: 281 times.
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The Chiang Mai Thai Cooking School had a gorgeous outdoor setting. Who needs walls when you've got plants like this? Viewed: 242 times.
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We cooked tom yum soup, pad thai, chicken curry and this banana pudding. Even the instructor wouldn't try my version, with chilis on top, but it tasted fantastic. Viewed: 248 times.
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Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai. Viewed: 233 times.
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Benches where the monks chant, at Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai. Viewed: 283 times.
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This temple brought to you by Pepsi. Viewed: 288 times.
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Headdresses of various Thai hill tribes. Viewed: 264 times.
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Flowers in bloom on Chiang Khong's main drag, in northern Thailand. Viewed: 275 times.
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Nightfall on the Mekong, looking from northern Thailand to Laos. Viewed: 252 times.
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Fish drying at a riverside village in Laos. We bought imported snacks instead. Viewed: 284 times.
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Shore of the Mekong, seen from our slow-boat cruise. Viewed: 286 times.
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The Mekong from the top of a sandy cliff at Pak Beng, our first stop in Laos. We struggled up that cliff, carrying our packs. We somehow got back down the next day, though I skinned my knee on the rocks. Viewed: 244 times.
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The only electricity in this village was the generator for this sattelite dish. Chickens and pigs wandered freely throughout the shacks where Hmong minority people live, and sell silks to gawking tourists. Viewed: 273 times.
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At our guesthouse in Luang Prabang, Laos, each bungalow had a porch with two triangle cushions. Breakfast was brought to this table in the morning. Viewed: 277 times.
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These blacksmiths are making stoves in Luang Prabang. Instead of an electric air pump, they had a mechanical bellows. The woman in back holds a piston in each hand and pumps them alternately. Labour is cheap. Notice also the flip-flops and lack of eye protection. Viewed: 266 times.
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Silkworms grow in Luang Prabang, and form these cocoons. The raw silk is spun, naturally dyed, woven on complex looms, and sold to thrilled tourists for (relatively few) American dollars. Viewed: 274 times.
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The Lao Lao "factory". Sticky rice is soaked and boiled and fermented; it takes 15 days to transform into rotgut with 55% alcohol. We bought 1 litre (sold in a plastic bag, or whatever old bottle you care to bring) for 10,000 kip ($1 US). We played drinking games and we got drunk. Viewed: 263 times.
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Boun Khong was our songthaew driver in Luang Prabang. He used to be a French teacher but this was a more profitable occupation for feeding his 5 kids. This small truck has two benches in back, seating 8 westerners or 27 locals. Viewed: 243 times.
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Thailand and Laos are dotted with temples, from downtown to the rural rice paddies. Viewed: 241 times.
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Alana at Kuang Sii Falls near Luang Prabang. Viewed: 282 times.
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Naturally blue water at Kuang Sii Falls near Luang Prabang. Viewed: 283 times.
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Callum juggling pomelo fruits he picked up at Kuang Sii Falls near Luang Prabang. Viewed: 283 times.
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Berries at Kuang Sii Falls near Luang Prabang. Viewed: 291 times.
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Oh look at the cute hen & chicks! We probably ate their aunt for lunch, or at least the hen's eggs. Free range and probably organic. Viewed: 276 times.
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Not sure what this plant is, but it doesn't grow in Ontario! Viewed: 285 times.
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These motorboats (seen from atop a bridge) are made from B52 bomb shells, bolted together with oil drums. Four of us could ride in each one. Viewed: 248 times.
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On the way through Laos to Vietnam. Viewed: 267 times.
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On the way through Laos to Vietnam.
Last comment 02/06/05.Viewed: 254 times.
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Sunrise over Lak Xao, Laos. We woke early for a one-hour drive to the Vietnam border. We were a bit late for the opening of the border-crossing, which was already swarming with locals shipping goods. It took an hour or so to process 10 people through 5 lineups (Laos departure, Vietnam passport control, health questionnaire, luggage xray and currency exchange). Viewed: 261 times.
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Motorbikes have replaced bicycles as the primary transport in Hanoi and perhaps all of Vietnam. Viewed: 253 times.
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Everybody wants a narrow house with fancy verandahs; they are springing up in Hanoi's colourful suburbs too. Viewed: 232 times.
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Flowers for sale in Hanoi.
Last comment 08/08/07.Viewed: 258 times.
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Paint for sale (in powder or liquid form) in Hanoi. Viewed: 262 times.
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Alana proving that she's willing to eat weird food, in this case, a fried sparrow at a Hanoi restaurant that fused Vietnamese with Czech cuisine. Viewed: 269 times.
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Sushi tastes fresher in Tokyo, and they don't serve California rolls.
Last comment 02/03/05.Viewed: 280 times.
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