Laos

 An average country with extremely low population and a wonderful train line to China. More people live in Andheri (a suburb of Bombay) than in Laos. 

The geography of Laos is quite tricky; it has a lot of mountains and not enough agricultural land. This hasn't allowed population to settle in this part of the world since thousands of years, and whatever population lives here, they live along the Mekong River. 

I also found Laos to be one of the "not so clean" countries of South East Asia. We visited 2 cities, and both were pretty sparsely populated. Vientiane, their capital, is considered to be the most boring capital city on the planet. However, I did see that they have 30% of their cars, being EV cars, manufactured in China. The 2nd city, Luang Prabang is a very cosy city and quite popular with the locals & western tourists.

Few photos of Wat Sisaket. As we kept coming closer and closer to Thailand, the temples looked very much like the temples of Thailand. 

Patuxai - Victory Monument of Laos. 

Location: Victory Monument

One can climb at the top for views.

We got caught in a rainstorm and were hiding in a temple. Clicked some photos and they came out to be lovely.

If you get a chance, please visit the COPE Visitor Centre in Vientiane. This shows the impact of the bombs dropped by the US army on the people of Cambodia. These days, China has had an impact on the growth of Laos. You can see that from the number of EV cars, railways and roads being built by the Chinese without dropping bombs in Laos.

Location: COPE Centre

The Vientiane Railway Station. It's an absolutely mammoth of a building 

...and off we went to Luang Prabang.

The train goes to Kunming in Southern China.

Luang Prabang's a nice small charming town, with lots of European Tourists visiting the city. 

Nam Khan River meets the mighty Mekong River here.

The temples here are very pretty. Wat Xiengthong has many temples in the complex and it is worth visiting.

Location: Wat Xiengthong Temple Location

Hire a scooter, and do visit the Tat Sae Waterfalls. It's about 20 kms from the city. 

Location: Waterfalls

I do suggest to have a nice dinner along the Mekong River. Do take your mosquito spray, to avoid the army of mosquitoes attacking you.

It's also worth visiting the Royal Palace and Museum. The palace is average from outside, however there are a few things to see from the inside, tea cups and chairs. I liked the garden though.

Location: Royal Palace and Museum

We also went on a river cruise on the Mekong River. This probably was the most boring experience of my life. I am not in my 20s anymore, I don't seek adventure in every walk of my life; but this was so sad and so boring, that the most existing thing was to "wave at other boats!".

Bali - The Island of Gods, Culture & Nature

We visited Bali for a few days and the traffic reminded us of Bombay and Delhi. However, the temples, culture and nature in Bali is stunning and the beaches (although crowded) gave us beautiful sunsets. 

The mountains were visible from Sanur beach, where we stayed.

The fishermen, walked into the sea with their fishing rods and caught massive amounts of fish. Shallow waters allows them stand and fish.

If one get a chance to walk along Sanur Beach, do visit the Turtle Conservation Centre.

Indonesia has 6 types of turtle species and 4 of them were found in Bali.

Sunset at Kuta Beach.

A small video to showcasing the hustle bustle around southern Bali Area. Things to do:

1. Walk along the Sanur beach

2. See the water spray and lights display on the beach

3. Visit the turtle conservation centre (kids would love it, during the feeding times)

4. Visit the number of small temples around the area & see the beautiful temple gates

5. Go to Kuta for an evening sunset

6. Go to Uluwatu for the view of the temple and the cliffs

When walking around the Sanur village, one can admire the beautiful gates each home has. Most homes have this beautiful gate and then a small temple and a house (where they live) inside the four walls.

We also saw a Shivling in Sanur. 

Location: Prasasti Belanjong Pillar

You can also visit many temples around the area and admire the colourful idols. However please dress up decently.

The South East Asian make the scariest Indian mythological figurines. 

Another home, with a remarkable gate!

We admired these gates and the gate keeper!

We also went to Uluwatu Temple. They don't allow you to visit the temple from inside, but you can admire the figurines and the cliffs. 

Cliffs of Uluwatu.

A scary monkey statue!

We were fortunate enough to get lovely sunshine, but the heat & humidity was killing us.

Blue skies and incredible waves.

The monkeys stole my wife's prescription sunglasses and they had to be bribed to give it back. It cost her RP 50K to them them back! 🤣

We then went to Ubud. The home of Yoga, YingYang, Cacao Ceremony, Sound Baths, Vegan food, pretentious millennials trying to "fit in the local culture" and scooter traffic. 

Another temple and a beautiful gate.

Saraswati Temple in Ubud, it's worth the visit for it gardens and they will not allow you to enter inside the temple.

The actual temple, from outside.

The Ubud Palace.

We were lucky to be in Bali during the Galungan and Kunigan festivals. The have these long bamboo decorations called - Penjor all around the town.

Some of them are quite impressive.

Nature is still raw in some places. As soon as you leave the towns of Ubud, Uluwatu, Sanur, Cangoo, etc; you do find a lot of nature growing wild. 

There are actual rice fields within Ubud.

We also visited the Besakih Temple. Its on the foothills of Mount Agung.

Location: Besakih Temple

We again, were not allowed inside the temple. 

I think it is right approach by the Balinese people to avoid tourists to enter temples. They want to completely the situation of "one crazy person"!

The dancers wore stunning colours for the festival. You can se tourist admiring the occasion from the steps, but were rightfully not allowed inside.

The Besakih Temple is a complex of many temples. 

Their main temple is the Shiva Temple in the middle of all the temples.

A video of that day and our visit to the temple.

Bali would not be Bali, without the terraced rice fields!

We visited Jatiluwih Rice fields. This is a long drive from Ubud, but was worth going through the villages and towns en-route. This is also a UNSECO World Heritage Site, so worth the visit. It costs around £3.5/person to enter. 

Location: Jatiluwih Rice Fields

We reached there quite early, around 9:00 AM, and there was just another couple walking around before us.

Any shade was welcome!

We also saw the Mount Batukarun in the background.

The crowds start arriving around 11:00 AM.

A small video showing our drive and visit to Jatiluwih!

On our way back, we went to Leke Leke Waterfalls. The entry fee is £2.25/person.

You keep walking for about 15 minutes, you hear the waterfall but only see it at the end. 

A small video showing our visit to Leke Leke Waterfalls.