Buddha Park

Today let’s leave behind the below freezing weather in NYC and take a little armchair journey to southeastern Asia. It is late April, we are in Laos, and it’s one of the hottest times of the year. It’s humid. The water fights during Songkran helped keep us cool, but by the time we get to Vientiane we are a… Continue reading Buddha Park

Huay Pha Larm, Laos

During my time in southeastern Asia, I spent two days on a slow boat traveling down the Mekong river in Laos. Along the way we stopped at the small village of Huay Pha Larm, which has about 500 people, 80 families. Most of the villagers work in the nearby rice farms. The children ran down… Continue reading Huay Pha Larm, Laos

Songkran

Here’s what I knew about Songkran before I found myself in the middle of it in Laos: -nothing Here’s what I’ve since learned: Songkran is the New Year celebration in Thailand and Laos. “Songkran” comes from a Sanskrit word that means “passing” or “approaching.” It represents the sun’s movement and marks the beginning of the… Continue reading Songkran