Tag: Southeast Asia
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Georgetown, Malaysia: An Illustration of Contrasts
A stroll through Georgetown gives one a sense of being whisked to several countries in a matter of hours. In this largely Chinese city, bundles of smoldering incense scent the maze of bustling streets as crimson red lanterns sway overhead. Bollywood music rumbles in Little India, echoing off storefronts dotted with colorful saris and bins…
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Nagas, the Fire Serpents of the Mekong
Some Laotian and Thai people believe that serpent-like creatures (nagas) inhabit the chocolate-colored waters of the Mekong River. In Lao mythology, nagas protect Laos’ capital city, Vientiane, and beyond. These snake-like creatures also adorn many nooks and crannies of Laos’ jewel city, Luang Prabang. Some followers of Buddhism even attribute mysterious fireball-like projectiles to the…
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From Gong and Drum Awakening to Sunset at Luang Prabang’s Wat Wisunarat
Our home away from home in Luang Prabang, Laos sat opposite from the city’s oldest operating temple, Wat Wisunarat (also spelled Vat Visounnarath). The temple was built in the early 1500s. Known for its quiet lanes and thirty temples, Luang Prabang feels authentically Asian. Monks of all ages, clad in saffron-colored robes, pound the pavement…
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Photo Du Jour: Quasi Cupid at Laos’ Buddha Park
It’s not your traditional Valentine’s Day imagery, yet these captures from our recent visit to Buddha Park — just outside of Vientiane, Laos — seemed so Cupid Day’esque.
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Photo du Jour: A Grassy Shrine and A Rainbow Tuktuk – Laos
A tuktuk sits on a hill overlooking grass-covered That Foun (also called That Chomsi). The brick stupa (Buddhist shrine) was built in 1576 in an ancient capital city, Xieng Khuang, in present-day Muang Khoun (northeastern Laos). In the 19th century, Chinese bandits tunnelled into the stupa’s interior, creating the entryway that is visible today. They spirited away…
