Laos: Vientiane - Cherry's Diary: Our new home

Finally my half-sister Lily & I have a new home. A new home far from Bangkok. A new home in another country called Laos in the capital city of Vientiane. A new home surrounded by trees and plants & compared to Bangkok, this is a dream come true. We have our very own house, which is roomy & quite comfortable for our needs. We have a large garden to play in and explore and being surrounded by high walls a very safe place, too. ..... although, given the opportunity we both love to escape and roam in the quite Soi (street) outside and explore the Buddhist temple opposite. The young monks are very friendly and do not mind us playing around. Every morning, after a quick breakfast, Nigel takes me for a walk along the banks of the mighty River Mekong. At the moment, Lily is still too young to enjoy this walk, really, I think, she hates being on the lead. I like it, as I am always close to my master, but still able to explore and I have made a number of doggy friends too..... Life is just perfect:

The main house

This is our new house, which is roomy but quite cosy & is connected to the main house

Given the opportunity we do like to sit in comfort in the Main House watching the TV or just falling asleep.....

That's me

& this is my half- sister, Lily

The garden is a a great place to explore and has many interesting plants:

A pretty blossom tree

and produces Carambola or Star Fruit

We have our own large Mango tree

a couple of delicious Yellow Coconut palms

and a number of Banana Plants, too....

Here are the gates to the property from the quiet Soi

& here am I on guard duty.......

View of the gates to our home from the Buddhist temple

The temple from the front....

The Temple Bell-Tower has many stone carved animals in front...



Here are a couple of pictures, taken on my walk along the Mekong River, close-by
to home.

A Fish farm

A fisherman with traditional fishing net...

Young fisherman

Thailand: Chonburi - Pups, monkeys & the sea

Last weekend, Thawon, the pups & I traveled south, out of Bangkok to the coastal town of Bang Saen. Located near to the city of Chonburi, on the Bight of Bangkok, the beach here, is straight & sandy, an ideal spot for the pups to discover the delights of the sea.....

From previous experience, we knew Choco would be in his element & would have a great time. and this proved to be the case. His brother Bolt, though, is not a "water baby" & does not relish the water. Here proved to be no exception..... Although enticed in the water, to follow a ball, he would quickly escape back to the sanctuary of dry land.........

Bolt, Thawon & Choco in the sea

A great pose by Choco

He loves to swim too....

Not like his brother, though

Bolt is not content in the water.......



And what do you do after a swim?

A contented puppy digs a hole in the cool sand.....!!

and falls sleeps............

Close by to the beach is the small forested peninsular of Khao Sam Muk, known for its resident population of Long-tailed Macaque Monkeys. The Macaques are very common in Thailand and are seen in many areas of the country..........

Thailand: Nong Khai - Sala Kaew Ku Sculpture Park

I have been told that any visit to Nong Khai has to include a look around a sculpture park. I was a little skeptic, I must say, but it turns out that this is, indeed, a sculpture park like no other and I spent a good couple of hours taking in all the sights........

Also known as the "garden of the concrete gods", Sala Kaew is both intriguing and mysterious. The small park is packed with enough arcane imagery to baffle the best theologians and weird enough to entertain both a seasoned traveller & bus loads of local school children.....

The park's origins may be traced to the 1970's and a Lao mystic named Luang Pa Bunleua Sulilat. The story goes, that as a child, Sulilat fell into a hole while wandering around a mountain range in Laos. At the other end of which he met a hermit called Kaewkoo, who taught him about Buddhism, the underworld and other mystic goings-on... He must have been a bright child, for returning home, he began to build a concrete sculpture park to give physical form to his vision.!
In 1978 Sulilat fled Laos and settled in Thailand, as he feared his teachings would no longer be tolerated by the Laos ruling Communist Party.

The many hundreds of sculptures represented in the park include those of Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Ganesh and other Hindu dieties, as well as Buddha images and a 'wonderful' collection of anthropomorphic dogs........

Here are a few examples:

At 30 metres high, this statue has an awning of fiercely open-mouthed Naga serpents shading a meditating Buddha.....

This one with all the dogs is a particular favourite.......!!

Thailand: Nong Khai - Wat Noen Phra Nao

Situated south of the main town of Nong Khai is a lovely forest wat.
Wat Noen Phra Nao surrounded by cool shaded trees is a centre
of Vipassana meditation, one of India's most ancient techniques,
being established more than 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for all ills.....

The forest wat is home to a number of Buddhist statues and figurines,
many explaining the teachings of The Buddha.....

This set is of The Buddha teaching to the five Asthetics

The Bell Tower is very fine

...and the Ubosot, Ordination Hall, has a certain
"gothic " feel about it.....

amplified by the 8 sema or boundary stones....

The Temple cloister in the Inner Courtyard that houses the Ubosot
only covers two sides....

The wat is surrounded by a Chinese Cemetery, in the
midst of which is this new stupa....

The temple has a most peaceful air about it...
on the three occasions I visited, though, neither
the Ubosot or Viharn were open..... which is a pity
as I would love to have seen inside....