Author Archives: Ray

Laos, Feb. 8 – Day 18 – Nongkhiew Village

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Ray

At this point I am thinking that this has been the best day of the adventure. The weather was beautiful. We biked about 50 miles on a good road without having difficult climbs. We passed through friendly villages. The children … Continue reading →

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Laos, Feb. 7 – Day 17 – Luange Prabang

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Ray

It’s Super Bowl Sunday (or Monday) in Laos. Yes, the game is available on our hotel television but started at about 6:30 am. The audio is done by Thai announcers which makes for a strange broadcast. We have an off-day … Continue reading →

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Random Thoughts on Laos. (Updated)

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Ray

A few random observations on Laos: – The country is developing but it is outwardly more appealing than Vietnam. Vientiane is not nearly as hectic as Hanoi or Hoe Che Minh City. This probably has a lot to do with … Continue reading →

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Laos, Feb. 6 – Day 16 – Luange Prabang

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Ray

This could have been the signature, most demanding day of the tour. If we had decided to take off at the break of dawn we could have cycled 150 kilometers. But we are older, wiser and have a much better … Continue reading →

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Laos, Feb. 5 – Day 15 – Namkene Village

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Ray

We are back on the bikes. Old, out of shape, but ready to go. We did about 48 miles today on a fairly challenging road. The entire ride was on the same road so there was no need for trip … Continue reading →

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Laos, Feb. 4 – Day 14 – Vang Vieng

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Ray

Today was the first day of the “biking” portion of the trip but we didn’t actually get on the bikes. We left Vientiane at about 8:30 am by van and took about a 4 hour trip to Vang Vieng. What … Continue reading →

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Vientiane, Laos – Feb. 3 – Day 13

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Ray

It is Tet (Chinese New Year) yet you would hardly know it here in Laos. In Vietnam it is a huge holiday. Nearly everything closes down. Here in Vientiane things look quite normal. Many of the Chinese owned businesses are … Continue reading →

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Vientiane, Laos – Feb. 2 – Day 12

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Ray

Today we wrapped up the 1st part of the trip, the school construction project that we coordinated with Catholic Relief Services (CRS). It has been a huge success! The group really came together and functioned as a team. The coordination … Continue reading →

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Vientiane, Laos – Feb. 1 – Day 11

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Ray

Today is the last full day of construction. Everybody is scrambling to get as much done as we can. We’ve taken on a larger scale project than we anticipated but also have done more work than we had anticipated. The … Continue reading →

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Vientiane, Laos – Jan. 31 – Day 10

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Ray

We picked up with the work project this morning. Over the weekend the locals continued work on the additional classrooms. They have really shown a vested interest in the project. I and Raymond Chew continued work on the playground. It … Continue reading →

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