Cool things to see along The Mekong!

Am busy today so don't have time to blog properly, so I'll just show you some things that are really cool and kinda mind-blowing I spotted traveling down the Mekong.

See this? This is absolutely the best:

Know what it is?

This is a gas station. Yup, this is what a petrol station looks like along the Mekong river. Don't believe me? Here it is again, only closer!

Petrol pumps!

They give full service too. Don't wipe your windows, but! And I LOVE the sexy girl calender they have back there in their workshop!

And here's something else that's cool. Longboats have airline seats. Check it out:

No seat belts, however.

And the richer the boat-owner, the more high-tech the airline seats. Let me see if I can find a photo of a rich-man's longboat:

And why not have airline seats!
They take long journeys here!

And we were meant to visit several "Royal Warrant" villages but never got around to it. It was just too freezing with all that rain and drizzling, so decided to do it another day and then didn't. Holiday's have a habit of getting away on you.

However, if you don't already know, a "Royal Warrant" village is one that the Laos Royal Family decided, centuries ago, was the best at doing something in particular, and so was endorsed by them and given a special seal and title. Like, there is a Silk-Weaving Royal Warrant Village, and a Tile-Making Royal Warrant Village (those were the ones we were planning to visit), and a Pottery-Making Royal Warrant village, etc, etc, etc. Although I really think there should be a legal gray area about hanging on to your Royal Warrant after you've killed your Royal Family, I like that no one is surrendering a thing.

There is even a Pak Ou Caves Care-and-Cleaing Royal Warrant Village, which is this one:

The Pak Ou Royal Warrant Village

But I really only wanted to show you this one:

Sand-Gatherers Royal Warrant Village.
Still plying their royal trade.

OK, like me you can't help but wonder how you actually become a Sand-Gatherers Royal Warrant Village, right? Like, how does one select a truly great sand gatherer? How does one BECOME a truly great sand gatherer! "Love the way you tote that bucket, Sinham!" And did they have competitions or something to select which village toted buckets the best? So bizarre, I love it!

And people live on their longboats. Noh's old family friend who took us to Pak Ou lives with his wife on their boat.

Their sleeping platform.

And his wife was such a honey too. She actually brought along her massage and pedicure kit to give me a pedicure and foot massage on our journey, but was too shy to offer ... and I didn't know until after we got back. What a darling! So sorry I didn't take advantage of her outstanding hospitality.

And the final cool thing we saw was the prison farm:

So Fiji, right?

Apparently this place offers the best trade education in the country. Isn't it a shame that, thanks to the French colonial gross negligence and mismanagement, it has to come to this to get a decent education around here. Shame on you, France, shame on you!

So that's it. A little piece of the Mekong for you to enjoy. Shame I can't offer you a foot massage and pedicure on your journey. And isn't it great I also got to again castigate France!