3 responses to “Merry Christmas From Laos”

• Merry crimbo !!!! Xxx

Lisa on December 27th, 2011 at 11:48 pm

• Equally, Merry xmas to the two of you too. Greetings from sunny Oz where we are currently getting very fat and lazy in anticipation of a return to the cold wet drippiness of London at the end of the month. Grrr!

  We hold happy memories of our idleness in Luang Prabang with you and Phillip and Valeska, who we of course bumped into again in Siem Reap. Ah, the infinitely vast planet, and infinitely tiny cycle-tourers’ world! IT was a pleasure nonetheless.

  We know you are heading the other way but if you have feel the need to share an ale or curry in lovely london some day, please do drop us a line. And when we get ourselves organised for a southern hemispherical trip we will look you up. In the meantime, travel safe and enjoy the road….

  peace

  Sam and Francesca

Sam and Francesca on January 10th, 2012 at 3:24 am

• Lisa – same to you and see you in NZ!
  Sam and Francesca – Enjoy your fattening up! Our appetites seem to have disappeared with the increased heat of Cambodia which frankly is probably a good thing with the little cycling we’re doing these days! Lovely to hear you caught up with Philip and Valeska again and no doubt our paths will cross in some corner of the world again…
  Emma and Justin

Emma on January 10th, 2012 at 1:08 pm

• Merry Christmas From Turkey

  
  
  

  There are no empty parsnip bins at the supermarket. No desire to browse for emergency presents. No pine tree sellers charging extortionate prices for a dead tree. No barbecues (New Zealand) nor detailed planning to combat lack of public transport (London). From the first place we’ve ever lived where Christmas isn’t celebrated we’d like to warmly wish everyone a happy holiday period. – Posted by Emma + Justin

• Day Of Food – Laos

  
  
  

  The food in Laos outside the more touristic towns consists of the staple noodles and rice prepared in a few different ways. In small villages the options are normally limited with us taking whatever is on offer supplemented with our own supply of biscuits and fresh fruit. The addition of sticky rice to the stir-fried and steamed variety has been great with us often carrying a plastic bag of this as snack food. – Posted by Justin

• Christmas Day Istanbul

  
  
  

  Our Christmas day dawned with an empty fridge, no tree and a house empty of gifts. Had we been celebrating the festive season in England or New Zealand this would have been a disaster of gargantuan proportions. Here in Turkey with shops open, public transport operating and the weather warm enough for a tee-shirt, our day was off to a grand start. – Posted by Justin

• Heightened Anticipation

  
  
  

  Finding ourselves cycling across unexpected mountain passes in snow storms and heading into deserts without sufficient water are examples of how our lack of in-depth planning does not always work in our favour. Upon entering a new country our route planning is mostly a brief survey of a map based on the knowledge that we must head in a certain compass direction to cross the border to our next destination. – Posted by Justin

• Postcards From Luang Prabang

  
  
  

  The pressure has been off since we reached the borders of South East Asia. As compensation against the last few months of racing against seasons and visas, we’re actively slowing down in line with the relaxed attitudes prevalent in Laos. The country’s second biggest city, which has a certain French colonial charm preserved in a central peninsula filled with guesthouses and cafes, Luang Prabang had just the right atmosphere for a week off and was a brilliant base for doing very little indeed. – Posted by Emma