Family Outing

Video #1 - family outing, driving through Vientiane

Video #2 - family outing, in a restaurant lakeside pavilion, near Vientiane

Video #3 - family land near Vientiane

Hong's sister stopping to top up on groceries for the blind residential school.

Tomb designed to look like a car as the deceased enjoying drving so much.

Chapel at the Vietnamese Buddhist cemetery - note Gecko high up on back wall.

Donations from Hong's sister for the blind at this residential school.

About to leave on a family outing, Vientiane

Family outing, driving through Vientiane

Gazing out at an artificial lake, east of Vientiane

Family gathering in a lakeside pavilion.

Family gathering in a lakeside pavilion.

Neighbouring pavilions.

Visiting family property on the Eastern outskirts of Vientiane.

MEEING FRIENDS began this morning with my seeing Hans and Hong, from Ruesselsheim, Germany. Hong is originally from Vietnam however the family moved to Laos long ago and her sister now has a house here in Vientiane. I last saw Hans and Hong  when I stayed with them in Germany back in July of 2010.

Here at the family home we relaxed through the mid-morning before leaving in a tuk tuk. The tiny taxi was loaded with groceries which were being donated to residents in a home for the blind. En route we visited a Vietnamese Buddhist cemetery were many of Hong's relatives are buried. After that we continued to the residential school. The groceries were handed over and we stayed for awhile before returning to the house.

More family members joined us and then we drove some 25 kilometres to an artificial lake Northeast of the Laotian Capital. On this Sunday many well-off families retreated here as well. We were shown to a thatch roofed pavilions, on posts, which was by the water's edge. It was the perfect place to catch a breeze off the water while eating and relaxing on this sticky hot afternoon. We stayed for hours here with the women to one end of the pavilion and the men to the other. The food was delicious and included water buffalo, some small roasted birds, local fish, green mango salad and many other interesting dishes.

On the way home we stopped at piece of property owned by one of the family members. This was purchased on speculation one can only suspect, with talk of a freeway being planned through the area. The property was on the Eastern periphery of Vientiane and one could see some large pretentious family homes in the area that has just gone up. As an aside Laos is also experiencing in excess of 6% GNP at the moment so big changes are coming as some of the new wealth trickles down.