Sao Lao

After Bay and I came back from the temple, we rounded up all the family members for photo time. It was an emotional moment for all of us as we took turn taking pictures. Grand-Mama was the center of the attention. I gave her a Dutch kiss (three kisses on both cheeks) and Grand-Mama was smiling and laughing. She was at her best moment with so much joy on her face.

I told her the adults back in the US won’t like what they are seeing with me treating my Grand-Mama in a non-traditional Lao way. But she didn’t mind at all and likes the fact that I am the only grand-daughter who dare to kiss her all the time. Of course, I still give her the Lao nop with the extra loving touch at the end (a Dutch kiss).

It was my third morning in Pakse and I got up early as usual. Bay asked me if I want to go to the wat with her and I said sure. Bay’s younger brother followed us with my digi-cam so he can make photos for the others to see.

After crossing the river with the buk, we drove for a little while before arriving at Wat Phu ground. It was getting dark really fast. We didn’t even get a chance to take good pictures. A couple of my aunts have never been to Wat Phu before and were happy to make offering to a statue on the first level of the steps.

I told my aunts and my cousins not to feel sad for not having a chance to climb up to the top level. I said to them that I will do my best to return to Wat Phu during the festival within a week or two and climb to the top level for my aunts and cousins.

Please visit Lao Voices Gallery for more photos from Laos.

After spending a little over an hour at a temple on a hill, we were all rounded up into the pickup truck and headed toward Wat Phu. We wanted to get there before sunset and were pressing for time. First we had to take a buk and cross a river. My cousin Bay bought me a bowl of Khao Phoon at the buk. She said the location is famous for delicious Khao Phoon so I gave it a try.

I was not confident about using the buk. But I have never heard of a buk sinking before so there was nothing to be concern about. The beautiful view of the river and its surrounding was worth the trip.

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When I saw this video, I thought about how nice it would be to live in this town.

Where in the world is Carlsbad? Carlsbad is a coastal resort-town in northern San Diego County, California. According to the state Department of Finance, the city had a total population of 90,271 in 2003. Carlsbad was incorporated in 1952, in large part to generate sufficient funding to connect with the water pipeline running through San Diego County, but also to avoid being annexed by Oceanside.

Environment is of great concern to the city. Thus, the city has drafted ordinances protecting sensitive wildlife habitat, one of the first such ordinances within the state of California. The city has also promised to protect a certain amount of land within city limits from development of any kind, along with spending significant funds to restore habitats destroyed by newer development projects.

Because of its location, relatively low population density and high performing school districts, the city is seen to have a rather high quality of life. Thus, real estate tends to be rather expensive compared to most cities. In the annual Forbes Magazine ranking of “Most Expensive Zip Codes” in the U.S. the city of Carlsbad placed as one of the top most expensive zip codes. In a recent article published in San Diego’s “Riviera” December issue, the magazine reported San Diego counties priciest neighborhoods, stating that “Rancho Santa Fe is the most expensive with the average prices just over $2 million. La Jolla’s average is $1.4 million…and Carlsbad is just over $1 million.”

Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Link: San Diego day spas

After we left Khone Phapheng, we decided to stop by a temple on a hill before continuing our journey to Wat Phu. I can’t recall the name of this temple but the beauty of this place is hard to forget. I was told that a Thai Princess donated a sum of money for the restoration of the temple. Since it’s considered a sacred ground we had to leave our shoes behind and walk up to the temple on a hot concrete ground. There were plenty of children selling flowers and incense to visitors of the temple. Since it was Wednesday I thought these kids should be in school. Perhaps they were on holiday break.

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