Friday, January 08, 2010

The Murphy's Law of Travel

The day before you travel to the most beautiful city of the tour, your camera will die. I'm in Luang Prabang in Laos, and it is now my favorite place of the Southeast Asian tour. It's a small charming ancient town that is being protected by UNICEF as a historic city. Before this tour I hadn't even heard the name, but now I won't forget it. Being small and charming also means no place to buy a new camera. Tomorrow I head for one day in Bangkok, Thailand and camera shopping, and then on to Dubai. I'm sure Dubai has cameras but I'm not sure that I could afford them.
The scene in the photo could be any of the cities we visited in Viet Nam. Driving is done by honking and plowing ahead. Lights and signs are ignored. It's survival of the biggest.
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Ghosts of Halong Bay

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Fish Pens, Floating Village

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Floating Kitty, Halong Bay

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Floating Village, Halong Bay

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Floating Village of Halong Bay

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Boats at Halong Bay, Viet Nam

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Incense Sticks Drying

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Which Ones Are the Tourists?

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Sand as a Liveihood

Many people in Viet Nam survive by gathering sand from the Mekong to sell for construction.
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Boat Guard

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New Zealand's Finest

The stars were aligned when I signed up for this Viet Nam trip. The 12 other people were great - smart-funny-interesting and game for any hike or adventure. I was lucky.
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Monks in Training

One lock of hair is kept until the novice decides whether or not he wants to become a monk.
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Tranquility

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Work on the Mekong

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Plowing the Rice Field

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Mountain View north of Da Nang

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Mekong Ferry

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