i cannot say enough about Vang Vieng and Laos. It has been such a wonderful place of healing for us. There are so many adventures for us to go on and places to explore. And since it is monsoon season there is also lots of downtime to relax cozy in our pjs all day while it rains. There are so many fun and interesting things that make this town so cool and interesting.
almost all the restaurants have these cozy couch-tables to lounge while you eat
the nice supermarket in town, almost every place in town you have to take off your shoes before you go in, the floors are always freshly swept and mopped so it is so nice to walk on with our bare feet
our favorite fruit lady, we drive around town on our motorbikes everyday searching for her to get our daily bag of fruit
2 mangos peeled and sliced and about 20 rambutan (the red balls with green pokies sticking out) is 10,000 kip ($1.25 US)
jarrett at the ATM getting out 1 million kip-our first time to be millionaires! (that is $125USD)
mmmm, what is this wonderful treat the street vendor is grilling up?
bats!!!!
a traditional Lao toilet, this falls under the “interesting” parts of travel-no toilet paper
yes, that is what you think it is for-just.can’t.do.it….i carry toilet paper in my bag now
coffee on the street-fresh ground Lao mountain coffee
sooo delicious! $1
all restaurants are open air-what a view!
one of the many bridges to the other side of town
fresh delicious and handmade food at every place-raw egg rolls
the streets are lined with little mini markets that have almost anything we need
the widow-maker. I have the HARDEST time using these still! it is very common for most of the less developed countries that we have travelled to have electric showers. The water is heated right above your head by electricity-yikes-I just try to go fast and think happy thoughts. (the circuit breaker switch right beside it does not help)
the Laos wal-mart. While searching for something special for a celebration we have planned for Wylder (as soon as it stops raining!) we came across a HUGE market hidden behind some mechanic shops. We made quite a stir there, I don’t think they see very many tourists at that market.
anything you could ever need
conner hit the jackpot-he was so happy to find TOYS!
i am so glad we travel with 3 small suitcases, I LOVE to shop and I wanted to so bad, but I knew I had no where to stuff it!
how much is that sexy man?! bag him up, I’ll take him
the locals ride around on these motor wagons a lot. They pile in the back, it is a motor hooked up to a trailer and wheels that a man directs with 2 long poles-so smart!
the fancy version of a Lao toilet, yes it is a sink sprayer and yes it is for your butt
we are loving all the new things we discover everyday! bring it on!
I would LOVE to go with you on your travels!
Except for the bats. And the lack of toilet paper.
haha, i know, those things surprise us out of nowhere sometimes! who would have thought it was ok to not use tp!?
Just a thought….maybe trade in one of the small suitcases for a bigger one, have that man you purchased carry it on your travels…..that way you could do what us ladies do best -SHOP!!!!
Love the photos, as always, thankyou!
bahaha! i know, i should:) i am scared to get a big suitcase-it would be over 50 lbs every time i know. our little ones are always over 40. When we rent a house, i can get my fix-hehe
So glad you are loving Laos and that you found the bats. We have come to love the “butt sprayers” as my kids call it. I can’t help but think how awesome that thing would have been in my cloth diapering days:)
haha! jarrett uses them on the boys, i just can’t yet.. maybe one day. And yes they sell those for cloth diapers now! i had one for Trek:)
That shop looks amazing! It would be so hard NOT to shop…there sure looked like so really great things to buy.
Cant believe they cooked bats? Here we consider bats so dangerous as they pass on fatal diseases to horses/humans? cant imagine eating one?
And the toilets! They are so low to the ground, and yep I would be carrying toilet paper with me as well!
that is good to know about the bats, i was thinking about trying one next time, maybe i will skip it!!! and yes it was hard not to shop, it was all SOOoo cheap!
How cool! What fantastic adventures! Did you try the bat??
no! maybe next time….:)
BATS!!?? Did you try it?
haha, not this time, maybe if i get brave i will the next time we see some:)
soooo cool! I love reading your blogs and seeing all of your pictures! so cool…minus the bats and the toilets;) I hope you guys are having soo much fun, looks like it! You look beautiful as always! and your boys are super handsome. love and miss you guys
thanks sweet sister
Very interesting! We are so blessed and fortunate to have “luxuries” such as toilet paper & toilets high enough to sit on! We take so many things for granted….I came to appreciate several things when I went to the Netherlands to visit Paige. You had to pay for the packages of ketchup at all the fast food restaurants, you had to pay 75 cents-$1 to use a toilet anywhere, and a glass of water was NEVER free! Amazing how different things are across this world. Glad you’re discovering new adventures & having an amazing time! I say buy that handsome man & make him tag along with you!
that is soo expensive! 1 buck for ketchup-lame! and the squat toilets about kill me! i am not that in shape! i totally bought that hot guy at the market:)
Interesting indeed! Not so sure about the bats, though – they looked a little extra crispy, too! I wonder how they capture them? So glad you’re loving Laos. Thanks for sharing your adventures with all of us – love the pictures:) Love & miss you.
i wonder how they capture them too? i will ask if we see some more-love you too
Chelsea…you’re cracking me up!!
I’m pretty sure I’d be carrying some TP with me too. I’m so glad you guys are able to embrace every moment and find all the nooks and crannies of your destinations, they truly are interesting and amazing! You are all in my thoughts constantly and I am loving all of the pics! Love you
oh the toilet paper who would have ever known?! it has been soo very special to explore with my 4 guys, missing sweet trek a lot, he was the best travel buddy. love you so much too
You take great photos. What camera do you use? I just realized how much Conner looks like you. Your boys are so cute..love Peyton’s toothless smiles. Hehe. -Marie
that makes me so happy that you think conner looks like me:) i think so too. thank you about the photos, it is this camera http://www.amazon.com/Canon-6-3MP-Digital-Camera-18-55mm/dp/B0000C8VEK/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343257772&sr=1-6&keywords=canon+eos+rebel this is the older model that you have to buy used which i did for $200. the newer model is $500 which i really wanted, but thought i would try the older one to save some money. it worked out and i am sooo happy with it!
Thanks Chelsea! That’s interesting because my friend just recommended the Canon Rebel T1i which, I think, is the newer one that you were talking about.
I’ve been searching for a used one too. With 2 very active kids, I need a camera that can keep up..or I’ll end up with lots of blurry photos (which I always feel bad about, because you can’t re-capture moments). Thanks for the input.
I didn’t want to overdo the compliments but you look like Katie Holmes, just a much happier version. Keep smiling, my traveller friends. Stay safe! Stay away from bats.
i hope you get a new camera=it has changed my life, it takes the picture so fast so I don’t miss anything! i had a photographer friend help me set the camera on all the right settings so all I have to do now is point and shoot:) and you could never over-comment-they mean so much to me! thank you for your sweet compliment-that is so kind-xoxo
Thats all so neat…but not the bats…thats kinda gross!! eekk!! Have fun!!
haha, agreed bats=gross
No, seriously!? BATS! I love the poor man’s bidet sprayer in the last pic…I’ll have to remember that for my hubby
He wants a bidet so badly…oh, wait, I’ll just get him a bucket of water and a scoop. Fabulous! And that motorized cart thing is awesome! Widow maker shower, YIKES! Like EVERY building code is violated there…I love the third world, though, for all these reasons…minus the bats on a stick. That’s just wrong. 
I Jarrett doing any writing? xoxox
haha, yes just put a bucket and scoop and let him figure it out:) and yes every building code is soo violated! Yes, Jarrett is on a roll writing, he is nearing the end of almost 3 of his novels, we are getting excited to get them out very soon!
Sooo cool! Looking forward to hearing more
Go Jarrett 
And by, “I Jarrett doing any writing?” I meant , “Is”
I am tucking away these bits of knowledge you continue to share. Toilet paper, electric showers, how/where to eat (no bats or bugs), motorbikes ect. Total awesomeness! Love and prayers abound for you guys. Shannon and I were together this weekend and you were a part of “us” so very much.
haha, yes you will go fully armed with tp on your next vacation to Laos/Thailand:) that makes me so happy that you got to visit with Shannon-I am jealous and feel special that I was apart of it. xoxo
Oh my, nothing like a Delishes BBQ-Ed bat for lunch … Ish! What amazing adventures you are on each day and what a beautiful place to explore. We cannot wait to see what you have in store to celebrate our sweet wylder. Sending love and big hugs …
Steven and Shannon
i can’t either! we are waiting and ready, the rain just has to stop first! the river has risen 5 feet in the last 3 days. and yes, doesn’t crispy bat sound lovely?