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Looking over the Mekong River from Thailand, we see Laos for the first time.
| This young Hmong village boy followed us around for quite a while.
| These two girls were certainly not shy, and posed happily for the cameras.
| Young boys and girls toss balls to each other in a kind of courtship practice.
| It was special to be able to see the children in their colourful traditional clothes to celebrate the Hmong new year.
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Jen shows the kids what they look like in her digital camera.
| A smiling Lao face.
| Hmong children gather by the river to see us off.
| This monkey was caged in front of our guesthouse as a pet.
| Sun sets on the river beach along the Mekong.
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Winston tastes some locally brewed Lao Lao, or rice wine.
| Barbara takes a turn driving our river boat. Watch out for those crazy rocket boats!
| A fisherman watches us cruise by on the river.
| Hundreds of Bhudda statues are found in the Tham Ting Caves.
| Watching monks collect food on the street in the early morning in Luang Prabang was a real highlight.
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Their baskets full of rice and other food offereings, the monks return to the monestery to eat, meditate, and pray.
| The tree-lined path leading to the Luang Prabang Museum, formerly the Royal Palace.
| All kinds of oddities could be found in the market. Snake wine, anyone?
| We had a view of a small river flowing by these crop fields from our guesthouse.
| How to brew Lao Lao rice wine in three easy steps...
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The bike is too big for him, but he doesn't seem to mind.
| This friendly matriarch was laughing at all the attention.
| Metal workers power the bellows to keep the flames hot.
| This little girl was carving handles for knives with very dextrous hands.
| This lady was cleaning some kind of small deer (NO, it wasn't a cat...)
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Working an old fashioned loom to produce colourful silk textiles.
| All kinds of colourful scarves for sale.
| This lady shows us how she produces hand-made paper.
| The street market in Luang Prabang.
| This guitar-toting villager strolls down the path singing Lao songs.
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These giggling girls were in stitches, laughing non-stop.
| One of the peaceful villages we walked through, complete with a poinsetta tree.
| The beautiful waterfalls and pool that we hiked to and took a swim in.
| We helped feed Phet the tiger; Intrepid Tours has helped relocate her to a larger natural enclosure.
| We learned how to cook some Lao dishes one night; mmm... spring rolls...!
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Young monks sit around a stupa in Luang Prabang.
| Winston makes friends with a novice monk named Savay.
| A monk walks by a wat in peaceful Luang Prabang.
| Intricate carvings adorn the doorways of this temple.
| Gold and red details of the Pha That Luang in Vientiane.
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The golden stupa of Pha That Luang, Lao's most important national monument and a symbol of Lao sovereignty and Buddhism.
| The Victory Monument, built with USA-purchased cement that was intended for construction of a new airport.
| Watching men play checkers with bottle caps at the market in Vientiane.
| Sticky rice cooked in a hollowed out bamboo shoot is a wonderful snack.
| Sunlight streams through the smoky kitchen of our homestay.
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A few of us get ready to ride converted B-52 fuel tanks, jettisonned by US bomber planes during the Vietnam War.
| This young boy plays with his chicken.
| The river was incredibly calm as we raced along in our B-52 boats.
| A beautiful backdrop provides all the ambience we desire on our boat ride.
| How ironic to have former weapons of war now used for fishing and transportation.
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A few boats are left on the river at sunset.
| Our New Year's Eve celebration was a home-cooked meal at this homestay near the Laos-Vietnam border.
| It was definitely the most peaceful and one of the most memorable New Year's we've ever had.
| All the kids peer up at the camera, hoping to get a glimpse of themselves in the digital playback.
| Approaching the Vietnamese border, we see the hammer and sickle for the first time.
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