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Sacred Heart Catholic Church
2 / 27
I did find the Catholic Church and went the first weekend. As it was only partially conducted in English, it wasn’t in the format that I’m accustomed to. The Priest seemed to ad-lib and drift off into tangents. His time seemed to be unlimited while mine was not. I went home and watched Mass on my Slingbox. The second Sunday, I went to the earlier Mass where the three Priests were constrained by the later Mass. In and out in about an hour...just my style. On the last Sunday of the month, they have one Mass in English.
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Sacred Heart Catholic Church
4 / 27
I have a new apartment with all the amenities. Like anything new, we’re working out the bugs. Three other folks from the office live in the same building. We share a driver who takes us to work which is a half-hour drive in the morning and upwards to an hour at night.
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My first tourist trip...a picture says it all...
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More of the same venue.
7 / 27
More of the same venue.
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Just a cool looking building...the Cultural Center in Vientiane. I was warned to look elsewhere if you're looking for the toilet.
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Popular on lunar celebrations...it's even on the Laos currency...the Golden Stupa.
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Part of the same venue.
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Different taxis of Vientiane
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Your chariot awaits...
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The obligatory Bluelou shot...not far from my apartment is a local landmark/tourist spot, Patuxay.
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The home of the leader of Laos.
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The Monks in the state highway worker orange dresses are a frequent sight.
I’d been trying to get a decent picture of the monks passing through the neighborhood collecting alms. My only opportunity was Sunday when we didn’t work. I sat outside waiting. When the opportunity came, my camera battery was dead. I replaced it and got a few shots. There are many monasteries in the neighborhood with the closest located at the end of my block.
The monks pass by. Those with petitions, place their sacrifice in the bowls of each of the monks, and then they pray together.
I’d been trying to get a decent picture of the monks passing through the neighborhood collecting alms. My only opportunity was Sunday when we didn’t work. I sat outside waiting. When the opportunity came, my camera battery was dead. I replaced it and got a few shots. There are many monasteries in the neighborhood with the closest located at the end of my block.
The monks pass by. Those with petitions, place their sacrifice in the bowls of each of the monks, and then they pray together.
16 / 27
The electrical wiring hanging from power poles looks like it’s been added one wire at a time. If the demand jumps during the daytime for the air conditioner load, as I suspect it does, the job of electrical lineman wouldn’t seem to have much security...it’s a scary sight.
17 / 27
Identifying the various denominations of the local currency is a major issue for the newcomers to Laos. One cashier told me he could identify how long a customer had been in country by how quickly they counted their money to pay their tab. When I received my expense reimbursement and my living allowance, I became an instant multi-millionaire. They call it the "Kip". One US Dollar equals around 7,900 Kips. It seems to be reasonably stable.
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1,000 Kips
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2,000 Kips
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5,000 Kips
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10,000 Kips
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I made several trips to Laos. This was my next home.
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Here’s your Rorschach test. Airplane or Space Shuttle? I’ve been travelling to Vientiane since 2013 and I’ve been walking in this area for about the same timeframe but I never noticed this until recently. It’s not far from my apartment. The concept isn’t new but from the apparent age of the airplane, it may have been one of the first.
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These are sold just around the corner from my apartment. Inside, there's sausage and egg with a touch of sugar...breakfast, lunch or dinner.
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A table-sized replica of the boats used to race the Mekong River
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Vientiane celebrates the Vientiane celebrates the end of the Buddhist equivalent of lent with fireworks and a big boat race. The parties around the city started many days in advance of race day. I could feel the excitement building even though I know nothing of the local language.
The Mekong River was very low this year. I checked the web and the actual dates were different than what I was told would be the dates of the races. I called my local Cornhusker compadre and he gave me the 411. I took an extended lunch walking downtown for lunch and to check out the scene. Police had barricaded the access so that only scooters and pedestrians could pass. Sidewalks were taped off to prevent parking. That didn’t prevent the masses from gathering. The day was incredibly hot. The best idea was to find a shady spot with a view that served your favorite cold beverage. I did that but realized I couldn’t stay too long so I went walking. I saw nothing but people and folks trying to sell stuff. After a couple of hours in the sun, I started overheating and my sunscreen was playing hell on my eyes so I headed back home having seen no boat races. I was informed that the racing would be sporadic so it was a crap shoot whether I’d see any racing at all. If you zoom in on the picture at the top, you’ll see the burnt candles on the toy boat. This was a frequent sight at many locations around the city.
The Mekong River was very low this year. I checked the web and the actual dates were different than what I was told would be the dates of the races. I called my local Cornhusker compadre and he gave me the 411. I took an extended lunch walking downtown for lunch and to check out the scene. Police had barricaded the access so that only scooters and pedestrians could pass. Sidewalks were taped off to prevent parking. That didn’t prevent the masses from gathering. The day was incredibly hot. The best idea was to find a shady spot with a view that served your favorite cold beverage. I did that but realized I couldn’t stay too long so I went walking. I saw nothing but people and folks trying to sell stuff. After a couple of hours in the sun, I started overheating and my sunscreen was playing hell on my eyes so I headed back home having seen no boat races. I was informed that the racing would be sporadic so it was a crap shoot whether I’d see any racing at all. If you zoom in on the picture at the top, you’ll see the burnt candles on the toy boat. This was a frequent sight at many locations around the city.
