A sobering day

After viewing the spectacular Royal Palace in Phnom Penh we spent the remainder of the day visiting the genocide museum and the memorial to the Killing Fields. Very moving; by coincidence this is the first day of the trial of one of the leading perpetrators of the genocide of Pol Pot's regime.

Vang Vieng and Vientiane

From Luang Prabang we travelled south to the capital of Laos, Vientiane, stopping en route for a couple of nights at the small town of Vang Vieng. This is in a hilly area and we went over a 1400m pass from where there were great views, even though one of the best was marred by a large pylon! On our free day in V.V. I took a walk into the countryside and to the Blue Lagoon, a beautiful place for a swim. Vientiane did not seem to have too much to offer but it was only a short stay before our onward flight to Cambodia.

Luang Prabang

A great town and a UNESCO World Heritage site, Luang Prabang is full of temples. It also has a great night market with good value textiles and other local artifacts. I also attended a performance of Laotion dance which was very good entertainment and very colourful. Also featured in the album are some nearby waterfalls. (For some reason the photos in the album are not in order).

Cruising down the Mekong

From crossing the Mekong River into Laos and heading downstream to Luang Prabang. We stopped off at a couple of small villages and also spent one night in the small town of Pak Beng.

Thailand 1 Photos

Photos from first few days in Northern Thailand

Cambodia

Nearly at end of Cambodia visit with great temples such as Angkor Wat. The scale of these temples is absolutely amazing.

In Laos

I'm now a week into my trip and had a couple of days in Northern Thailand visiting Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle (once the centre of the opium trade). Did not get into Bangkok due to floods though no problems at or around the airport. Then crossed the Mekong River into Laos and spent two days travelling down the river to Luang Prabang. This is a very interesting town, well desrving its Unesco World Heritage status. Not uploaded pictures yet as rather a lot to sort!

Fireworks

A great display at Banchory on 5 November before a perfect blue sky day on Lochnagar.