Northern Exposure - Sam Neua

Way Up North

A weekend up north, when you live in Vientiane, is never a decision taken lightly. There are mountains, clouds, storms, small planes, minibuses and overnight sleeper buses - all of which can mean lateness, uncomfortableness, slowness, danger and possibly even death.

Still, it sounded like a good idea.

The mountains of the north

The Caves of Revolution

Communists in Caves - a simplified view of a revolution.

In the 1960s and 70s, the Lao revolution was coordinated by passionate, idealistic men and women living in caves in Northern Laos. They lived and worked and planned and dreamed in them for around 9 years. They were bombed, shot at, hated, demonised, vilified. They survived. They won. Their children now run the Laos Government.

Megaliths and Mystery

Standing for possibly thousands of years, the upright slabs of stone at Hin Tang, in Hua Phan Province, Northern Laos, are eerily silent about where they came from.

My Dad 1934 - 2014

Eulogy

Donald Stratford was born in 1934, as the youngest of 6. He didn’t have a middle name because, according to Dad, his Mum had run out of ideas by the time she got to him.

When baby Donny came along his dad, Albert, had been suffering many years from his war injuries and his mum, Lydia, had been keeping things together on the home front. Dad’s brother Albert was already 14, Tom was 12, Alf was 8, Pat was 6 and Lyd was 4.

Laos with Guns

There are a lot of guns in Laos.  Each time I see one I can't help but hum...


"we will run free... with the buffalo... or diiiiie......Laos with guns...."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5s5qGg01nE

A Week Off For a Water Fight

Lao New Year (Pi Mai)

It is a time of spiritual and physical cleansing, visiting temples and blessing statues. It's also all about drinking copious amounts of beer and shooting the crap out of everyone with a water pistol.

Knitting Adventures

This post is likely to be of interest only to me - and maybe my Mum who taught me how to knit... So feel free to move right along... 

Bette Davis and her stunt double