Tag Archives: Asia

Fried Bananas – Laos

Laos, like many other countries in SE Asia, has tiny bananas. I’m not sure why, I just know they’re tiny. They grill them, wrap them in palm leaves and sell them two for a quarter. They’re pretty tasty.

Breakfast – Luang Prabang, Laos

I’m not sure why people in SE Asia have noodles for breakfast. I just know they do. This tasty little dish set me back a whole $1.25 and I was content till well into the afternoon. I noticed the place where they served the noodles right away. There were no westerners and the place was packed with locals. I just pointed. It worked out.

Mekong River

The Mekong River is a big deal in Asia. Heck, it’s one of the great rivers of the world. It runs for over 3,000 miles and is a transportation super-highway in SE Asia. It runs through half-a-dozen countries and has been significant in the lives of generations of the peoples of the area since the beginning of human existence.

Fresh Veggies – Laos

It’s the market in Laos. This is just one little section. There are more markets and more sections. They are all open-air markets. There’s no refrigeration of veggies, fish, meat or anything else sold in open-air markets in Laos or any other SE Asian countries which doesn’t have supermarkets, which covers about 95+ percent of the population. I like open air markets. Everything is fresh. The only that bothers me about them is all the flies and other insects on everything. I guess it’s a good thing we cook all that stuff.

Hot Water

I like this system. It only produces hot water when you want it. It’s got to be more energy efficient that the hot water tank. The problem is that you need one for everyplace you want hot water. Fortunately for SE Asians, the only place they want hot water is in the showers of hotel rooms. People often don’t have running water in their homes in Laos. Not only that, why would they need hot water? They don’t wash anything in hot water, including themselves. In India, a room with hot water cost extra and then it was a crapshoot as to whether the water would be hot or not. I think those Indians are into mind games, sometimes.

Chili Sauce – Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia

I would have thought it was ketchup. But it’s not. In many countries in SE Asia, when you see a push-pump out in the condiments section, it doesn’t contain ketchup, it contains chili sauce. Ketchup you have to ask for. So is the chili sauce hot? You’re kidding, right? You’re asking me if the chili sauce is hot in places like Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia where you can’t get bland food? Yes, it’s hot. I usually cover my nachos in jalapenos back home, but I’ve had a couple of situations in SE Asia when I really regretted taking a bite of food, because it contained some of the hottest chili peppers I’ve ever had the displeasure of tasting.

Fuller Brush – Bali

This was a guy on a bicycle selling brushes, buckets, brooms and who-knows-what-else on his bike. You see these guys all over Asia, not just in Indonesia. I caught this guy in Bali.

Sell Me Silver

Whenever you take a tour, the tour company will try to get you into local merchant shops that they have agreements with so that everyone can be happy and rich. Here, I was taken to a shop to learn how to make silver. It really was interesting. Only, when the demonstration was over, I was supposed to buy something. The only problem was that I didn’t go to Asia to buy more "stuff" for my world. I’m trying to become as "stuffless" as possible. However, I did spy some really nice "stuff" in the silver shop. The pedal rickshaw on the display case was an object which I took a liking to. It was really nice and reasonably priced. I thought I’d get a picture of it. The young sales associate in the picture really didn’t want to be there, but I insisted. It was part of the fun.

Crowd At Jain Temple – Udaipur, India

It was the Jain Temple in Jaisalmer. It was in the morning. The Jain religion is very similar to Hiduism in some respects. Both started in India. Both pre-date Christianity by hundreds of years. Jainism also has several concepts in common with Buddhism. There is some people who feel that Buddhism came into being because of Jain theology and concepts. Anyway, there were quite a few people at the Jain Temple on the morning I snapped this picture. Jain temples are considered to be some of the most ornate temples in Asia. I probably should have gone later in the day. There are 7 Jane temples in Jaisalmer. This is the main temple. There is an entrance fee and a camera fee.

Air Asia Ride

This is the plane I took from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur. How many times have I flown into and out of Kuala Lumpur? After this trip a couple of dozen times. I even know which toilets flush well and which don’t.

Rolling Okie

Travel, Adventure, and more…