You can find my “short and sweet” trip updates by clicking the purple “Listen Now” button above, accompanied by a few recent photos and captions of my trip below 😊
In case you missed any previous posts, you can find them here:
https://noahbelkin.substack.com/archive
Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement, endless support, and for following me along this journey. It means the world to me to be able to share my adventures with all of you!
Sending big hugs from South East Asia ❤️ Noah
I always appreciate seeing the Air Asia branding (some of the planes even have a big dragon on them! 🐉). They served us well as our main source of cost-friendly transit for close to a dozen flights we took around Asia on the front end and back end of our trip ✈️
Views of The Patuxay Monument located in downtown Vientiane - The capital city of Laos. Interestingly, built as a memorial to those who fought in the war of independence against France, it looks very similar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris (Check out the cool tree shadow 👀)
Buddha Park - an open-air sculpture park located right outside of Vientiane on the river Mekong. It’s known by locals as Xieng Khuan which means Spirit City, and it’s the quirky setting of over 200 sculptures of various shapes and sizes depicting figures from Buddhist and Hindu traditions 🧘🪷
Pha That Luang – the National symbol and monument of Laos. A unique and beautiful gold-plated temple that has been built and rebuilt for hundreds of years
The town of Luang Prabang is a UNESCO world heritage town, and for good reason! Located on the hillsides at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers, it is absolutely gorgeous and was probably one of our favorite towns in Asia
The old town of Luang Prabang is built in a French colonial style - with tree-lined streets, beautiful cafes, and restaurants, boulangeries, and bistros. The French heritage of the town coupled with the many Buddhist temples make for a very magical place 🧚
Learning about the traditions of the Hmong People - their style of clothes, farming, and cultural practices - was a fascinating experience
Two very cute little Hmong girls at the Village we visited had a great time during our visit - running around, giggling, and playing dressed in traditional Hmong clothing. When I got home, I managed to dig up a few pictures of me as a baby in Mien clothing 😊
Lai Sio and Me (age ~35 and ~6 months) ❤️
Many of the tools the Hmong used are very similar to the ones Lai Sio used growing up in Laos (including these bamboo water storage jugs pictured above)
Another doggy day afternoon a the local market 🐶
The Kuang Si Falls is the top attraction in the Luang Prabang region for good reason. Comprised of tiered waterfalls with various turquoise and azure pools, hiking and swimming in the waterfalls was pretty spectacular
Monks in training enjoying the beauty of the falls. The orang-colored robes, which date back centuries, were likely chosen because of the dye available at the time (safron). The tradition stuck and orange is now the color of choice for Theravada Buddhist followers in Southeast Asia, as opposed to a maroon color for Tibetan monks. The robes themselves are meant to symbolize simplicity and detachment from materialism
The Pak Ou Caves - located along The Mekong River - are only accessible by boat. Initially discovered by a French explorer in the late 1800s, they have now become one of the main tourist attractions in the region due to the thousands of miniature Buddha statues that have been placed there over the centuries
The spectacular Mekong River is the 12th longest river in the world. Starting in southeastern China, flowing through Tibet, Burma and Laos, Thailand Cambodia, and Vietnam before draining into the South China Sea south of Ho Chi Minh City
Yaowarat Road is the epicenter of Bangkok’s China Town and the largest Chinatown in the world! The Chinese have been in Thailand since the formation of the modern country in the late 1700s
A Michelin Star Doughnut Vendor on Yaowarat Road. This was one of the dozen spots we stopped at during our secret food tour of the city. Anton’s mom is a tour guide in Montreal for the same company and they are excellent. We did one in Istanbul which was fantastic as well. If you are traveling into a major metro, definitely check them out here 😋
Some might say my accidental yet tasteful color coordination with the surrounding architecture is a sign from above…others will claim it is a coincidence 😉
Wat Arun - often called The Temple of Dawn, is one of the more remarkable temples in Bangkok. Built in the Khmer style, it stands over 100 meters tall and is decorated with bits of porcelain that were used as ballast (extra weight to provide stability) by boats coming from China
The Reclining Buddha — measures over 150 ft in length. The complex, known locally as Wat Pho also houses the most Buddhas in all of Thailand (394 Buddhas to be precise!) that can be found spread out between four different chapels on-site
It was pretty coo to see the scale of this thing close up!
Built in the late 18th century at the start of the modern-day Thailand dynasty, The Grand Palace is one of the main attractions in Bangkok serving as the residence for multiple Thai kings, their royal courts, as well as multiple branches of government, including defense and treasury departments. To enter The Grand Palace, shoulders and legs must be covered. Vendors sell very comfy (and very cheap) pants right outside. Although purple is my favorite color, I was kind enough to let Big Tony expand his wardrobe pallet🎨 😉
Hundreds of meters of ornate painting line the interior walls of the Great Palace. The paintings tell a narrative and reminded me, although aesthetically very different, of the hieroglyphic images in Egypt
Flying into East “Gulf of Thailand” to visit the islands of Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan, and Ko Tao 🇹🇭🏝️
A funny sign I saw outside one of the restaurants we ate it…I guess it is a lot less funny if you didn’t see the sign (and are a big fan of petting cats!). It is times like these where I am thankful to be a dog guy 🐶🍀
Climbing through the tropical terrain of the island of Ko Tao
The view from John Suwan- A great lookout point to see the island and the half-moon beaches.
Although I didn’t make it to the famous/infamous Full Moon party, I did get to see the full moon! 🌝
Thai Couples Massage! For $10/hr, it’s going to be tough getting reacclimating to US prices 🙈
“Two fierce Canine Security Guards Protect Local Artisan Market” - NY Post 😜
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