Christmas in LAOS 2010

We left the US on December 14 from Chicago arriving in LAOS on December 16. Kris and Khamko met us at the airport. We are always amazed at how the plantings in their yard grows from year to year.




They have lived in this house for 7 and 1/2 years. They planted all the trees and mango bushes.









After arriving on Thursday the 16th, we all left on Saturday for a visit to Phuket, Thailand. Kris and Khamko made arrangements for the Resort where we stayed. Our trip began in Vientiane taking a bus to Udon Thani in Thailand. Here we are at the bus station.





There are usually many persons who take the buses to various towns in LAOS.








We flew from Udon Thani to Phuket. Arrangements had been made to have the Resort to pick us up. The airport was about 45 minutes from the Resort.





Our hotel was on the bay side of Phuket, but there was a free shuttle that took us to the ocean side. This is the front entrance.












Our rooms were on the top floor and we had a nice view of the bay.







Here are some photos of swimming on the ocean side. Andy enjoyed swimming in the ocean and playing in the sand. Kris and Andy also kayaking.






























At the hotel, breakfast was provided. It was a hugh buffet that was more than adequate. Fresh fruit, pastries, eggs, french toast, fried rice, fried noodles, various sausages, coffee and tea. That was the menu.

We returned to Vientiane on Friday, December 24 after spending the night in Udon Thani.

At Kris and Khamko's, there are three persons who live with them. Mao, cousin who has been with them since Andy's birth, Codd, a nephew and Tou a cousin.






Mao at work in the kitchen. She is a great cook!












Andy, Codd, and Tou examining Andy's Nintendo










On Christmas Day, presents were opened at 10:00 am, by Andy's request.















































On Sundays at Kris' church, we see a connection to Goshen. On the wall in front of the room, is a wall hanging that was pieced by a friend of ours, Janet Shellenberger, and quilted by Mom Peachey. Janet was a health consultant with MCC.

Every afternoon, Andy has his time to exercise. It usually involves badmintton or soccer.





Andy is dressed in the yellow uniform. His friend Ai was playing also along with Codd.












Grandpa gets talked into playing badmitton.









Most mornings, Grandma walks and occassionally Grandpa joins her. In the morning, the streets are very busy. We also have seen preparations for the New Year celebration. It's impressive to see the construction that is occurring in the city.





As you can see, if the street is congested, the motor scooters will use the sidewalk. Care is needed when walking in the early mornings.













One of the many new buildings.












A street scene preparing for New Year celebration.









One of our favorite places to walk is at Thaut Luang. This is a special place for Buddists. The buildings are ornate and beautiful.


This is That Luang stupa. It was originally built in the 3rd Century. The stupa is a national monument and national symbol for LAOS. It is believed to contain the breast bone of the Lord Buddha.








There are several other buildings on the grounds.

































On our way back to Kris', we stop and buy bread for breakfast. Interestingly, this woman called us Grandma and Grandpa since we have purchased bread from her other years.

Ludwigsburg to Frankfurt, Germany

The last week of our trip was the Bike and Barge event. We boarded the barge in Ludwigsburg and sailed the Nectar, Rhine, and Main Rivers on our way to Frankfurt. The Merlijn, is a converted sand and gravel barge. Henk and Jantien, the owners, converted the barge in 2002 to a 24 person Bed and Breakfast Barge.

The bedrooms were on the lower level each with complete bath.

In the dining room were two long rows of tables where we had our breakfast and dinner.







Breakfast was a buffet of typical Dutch fare.












Dinner was always a 3 course meal and included local specialities.








The crew consisted of the owners, Captain Henk, Chef Jantien, Steward Rene, Housekeeper Natalia, Tour Guide Jack, and Jack's spouse, Marianna, who was the "Sweeper". The sweeper was the last person biking. She and Jack communicated by radio to be sure everyone was safe.

The deck of the boat was a relaxing place to visit.





















Bicycles were also stored on part of the deck.








We biked through many interesting towns and cities. Some of the towns and cities were: Besigheim, Bad Wimpfen, Heidelberg, Manheim, Worms, and Mainz.





Here we are on the path. We saw many farm and vegetable fields.













This house in Bad Wimpfen was reportedly the narrowest half-timbered house in the town.








In Heidelberg, we had a 3 hour walking tour of the town. It is a university town. Many of the cities that we visited were destroyed during the war. So what we saw were modern buildings. In the small towns, we saw more of the old style buildings. Some dated back to the 12th century.







This is one of the older streets in Heidelberg.

















On top of the hill, was a huge fortress complete with a moat and wall. This photo only shows part of the fortress.






In Worms, we noticed the hot air balloon above the tower.

Our last stop was in Mainz.







In the busy market square was the Gutenburg Museum and a statue of Gutenburg. In the museum were two original Bibles that were printed.










Also, St Stephens Church contains 9 stained glass windows by Marc Chagall, a Jewish artist. He created these as a sign of Jewish-Christian solidarity in 1978.

Four of the six biking days, we had a picnic lunch along the bike paths.

We biked a total of 138 miles. The bikes were typical European commuter bikes, 7 speeds and weighed approximately 45 pounds! Not what we were familiar with, but satisfactory. The bike paths varied from paved to dirt to cobblestone so these bikes were up to the task.

Dachau Concentration Camp, Germany

We made a brief stop at Dachau. A visit to this site always leaves a lasting impression regarding the cruel treatment that humans inflicted on fellow humans.




This was one of the bunkers where prisoners were held. Cells were small and sometimes prisoners needed to stand for hours.











These bunks were where most of the prisoners slept. They were very small and as you can see close together. Very little private space.








No privacy when the bathroom was used.








Facilities for washing.









Many persons either died or were killed while at Dachau. Use of the crematorium and gas chamber were common.





Jews, professionals, intellectuals, artists, and religious leaders were killed in these ovens.













Some persons died in this gas chamber.









Dachau leaves a lasting impression.

Salzburg, Austria

The day was spent in Salzburg. We visited here 22 years ago and it is one our favorite places.





On the hill in the middle of the city is the Fortress - Hohensalzburg. It was both a Castle and a Fortress. It was built between 1088 and 1681 by the Salzburg ruling archbishops.







The view of the city from the Fortress. At the center of the picture is the Cathedral. Reportedly, the Cathedral can hold 10,000 persons. It has 5 organs. As a church, it has been in existence since 775 and is the third structure on this site. In WW II, it was badly damaged but restored in 1959.






















Here we are in a photo as members of the Von Trapp Family. Can you find us?

We did a 4 hour tour of the Sound of Music locations. It was interesting to see the sites used in the movie.

Our first stop was the gazebo. This is where Liesel got her first kiss.












The next picture is where Maria went down the lane singing, "I have confidence in me".






The scene in the movie where Maria and the children were in a boat on the lake and upset was shot at this location.







Our final visit was to the church where Maria and Captain von Trapp were married.