February 2017 trip with the Thai Lao Cambodia Brotherhood

[Lone Rider]

February 2017 trip with the Thai Lao Cambodia Brotherhood to visit school projects sponsored by the TLCB

Another trip with the TLCB - I have lost lost count of the number of trips I made with them but every-time I learn something new. Linking up with part of the team on Tuesday morning at Thanalaeng (Friendship Bridge 1) and off it was to Anouvong, previously know as Xaisomboun, where we stayed the night.

We (Glenn and me) arrived a day early as I had some work to do in Vientiane and afterwards we went to the Highland Bar on the Mekong for Beer-o'clock

The next morning we met up with Mac, Vaughn and Paul with their driver Somphou. First stop at Ban Vanglouang for lunch before heading for Ban Namngone and Anouvong

Progress in Ban Namngone - the first ATM

The boat landing west of Ban Namngone where you cross the Nam Ngum 2 reservoir as Road no. 5 has been partly "swallowed" by the reservoir with Somphou's van parked at the end of Rd. 5 where it disappears in the reservoir

The tailings pond at the Phou Kham gold and copper mine has increased considerable in size

Overnight in Anouvong at the "DohBan Guesthouse" - coordinates N18.90386 E103.09983

After Xaysomboun was upgraded from District to Province, there has been quite a bit of construction going on with provincial offices going up and roads being widened and new roads being constructed

The new provincial administrative offices in Anouvong and the new 4 lane road to get there

The new market and bus-station

The old market will have to make space for the new city square/center and all this will move to the outskirts of the town to the new market

The next morning off to Phonsavan using the "new" road to the east of Phonsavan where it links with Rd. 1D. There were lots of military checkpoints along the road.

Along the road the school in Ban Thamlo

A small waterfall along the road (coordinates N19.00705 E103.27173)

The road construction company is upgrading the road so from time to time you will have to wait till the road builders give the all clear

Crossing the Nam Ngiep river just before reaching Rd. 1D at Ban Viengthong (coordinates N19.06669 E103.35468). You can cross the rocky river by car or use the "toll bridge" which charges 100,000 Kip to cross using the makeshift bridge while bikes can use the small suspension bridge next to the new bridge under construction.

To be continued

 

[KTMphil]

rocky river by car or use the "toll bridge" which charges 100,000 Kip to cross using the makeshift bridge while bikes can use the small suspension bridge next to the new bridge under construction.

That's 400 Baht to cross???????

 

[blackwolf]

Great pics. How long is this new 4-lane road going to be? Where does it start and finish? Strange priorities to be building a 4-lane road out in the middle of nowhere (Anouvong) when route 13N and 13S out of Vientiane aren't even close to expanding to 4-lanes outside of the city.

 

[Lone Rider]

That's 400 Baht to cross???????

Yes 400 Baht but we got a discount and paid 300 Baht as the water crossing had some nasty big boulders under water

 

[Lone Rider]

Great pics. How long is this new 4-lane road going to be? Where does it start and finish? Strange priorities to be building a 4-lane road out in the middle of nowhere (Anouvong) when route 13N and 13S out of Vientiane aren't even close to expanding to 4-lanes outside of the city.

It starts just at the start on the west side of the "town" and is only a few hundred meters long - basically just beyond the new provincial admin offices and then it peters out into nothing.

 

[Lone Rider]

Part 2 - After having crossed the makeshift bridge and a quick look at the new bridge under construction (very little action going on but that may have been due to it being Tet - the Vietnamese New year) it was straight to Phonsavan and the Dokkhoun hotel but not before we had a look at 2 "Russian" jars at a farm close to Jar site 2 and 3. Not sure where the two jars had been "borrowed" from but the 2 jars were still standing in front of the farm which seemed to be partly abandoned.

Construction of the new bridge over the Nam Ngiep river next to the old suspension bridge

The jars in front of the abandoned building

Views over Phonsavan from one of the surrounding hills on the south

Dinner at the Bamboozle where the last two members of the team - Larry and Tim - joined us for dinner. This trip was shorter than usual as there were only two schools to visit: The Nongbouathong school located in Ban Boua Tai, Pek District and the Chrysanthemum School in Ban Viengxai in Kham District. The next morning we had a late start due to the fact that our local coordinator was occupied with meetings. Once his meeting was finished we left for the school but they also had some delays in getting ready so instead of just hanging around they brought us to a jar site nearby which none of us had seen before - Jar site 17 a bit south-east of Ban Boua Tai

The view from the Nongbouathong school

Back at the school, work was still ongoing with preparing the "Pha Kwan", cooking, etc.

Paul having a discussion with the kids

The usual speeches, picture taking, baci cermony followed by eating and drinking, dancing, etc.

The next day we visited the school in Ban Viengxai - the same school we visited in August 2016 to check on the progress on the new school building which had been partly supported by the TLCB. This time the TLCB funded the furniture to be used in the new school building

On our way to the school - a slight delay as the road was being repaired

The new school building (the TLCB provided funds for the concrete floor and the roof sheets while the local community provided the wood and their own labor to build the school

Here also speeches, pictures, a baci, eating and drinking, and singing and dancing.

I have been asked what a baci ceremony consists of so here it goes: Briefly the Baci is a ceremony to celebrate a special event, whether a marriage, a homecoming, a welcome, a birth, or one of the annual festivals. The Baci ceremony can take place any day of the week and all year long, preferably before noon or before sunset. The term more commonly used is su kwan, which means “calling of the soul”. There are several steps in the ceremony: The Tdung pah kwan or the making of the pah kwan, Somma or paying respect to the elders, Keunt pah kwan or introduction of the ceremony, Pitee hiek kwan or the calling of the kwan, Pook kwan or the tying of kwan, Song pah kwan or the closing of the ceremony and last but not least, sharing of a meal. In case you want to know more about the whole ceremony please have a look at http://www.laoheritagefoundation.org/ceremonies/baci.jsp

A picture of a "Pha Kwan"

Another view of Phonsavan this time from a hill to the north of town.

The next day the team left for Vientiane and Thailand while I stayed another day before heading off for some more mapping work.