Buengkan

    

      Took a bus to a small city south of Nongkai called Buengkan, famed for the waterfalls and Phu Tok a sacred mountain. I arrived and made my way to a hotel, I saw on a website...right on the Mekong again! There was some action there as well, an annual festival had just started...reminiscent of the Ottawa Exhibition....so if you're from the Glebe....stay away for the 1st 2 weeks of September, hahaha....Glebe. There was also going to be a market that comes across from Laos, that I would enjoy.

The festival along the Mekong 

     I arrived at my hotel and paid an extra $1.50 for a room with a view, the river, again...lol. There was actually lots going on, the street below me was teeming with people, working away at setting up tents and stalls, there was a merry-go-round, bumper cars, and a Ferris Wheel right beside my room as well. My new friend, Pai, told me it was an annual festival that Buengkan has for the 2 weeks to start September. I went and walked the street and checked out the action, there were games, clothes, toys, electronics, and alot of food. I spent some money on my new phone, getting a memory card.

    Pai took me to a temple/park at the Navel of the Mekong, which is the deepest part of the river at over 100 meters deep. The Temples are strewn about this property consisting of gardens and large rocks. A very picturesque place, to be sure. 

   There was alot of rain during my stay here, which kind of made my stay a little longer than planned, but it worked out well, I saw more of the city as I had more time and I was able to get comfortable with my neighborhood. I walked all over the place, I found a bakery that had good cakes and donuts to have with coffee. I sampled many foods, such as Thai Spaghetti, street vendor sausage, and mango salad, except the salad had fish in it....other than that, it was good. Because of the rain, I saw a trend that intrigued me, the moto drivers held an umbrella as they drove around town to keep dry...was pretty neat.

    Went to a Laos market, which comes to town twice a week for the mornings. There were many different items to sample here, I saw a monitor lizard, tied up and ready to be cooked, or as a pet....was not sure. There were several exotic fruits, and many bugs...mostly beetle like, with spices and there was also large larva looking things. I tried 2 different beetles but stayed away from the larva....looked too meaty for me. Tasted like the spice they were prepared with. was a good market.

I used the legs as toothpicks afterwards

    On Saturday, September 5, my friend Pai came to pick me up early and together we went to the falls that were near, I really had a lot of fun there, but noticed I was only Westerner there and subsequently, the only person without a shirt. Met some nice young people who invited me to shoot the falls with them. I told them no, that I was too scared, and too old. The one guy, Tom, who was 25 years old, asked again and I agreed. We went together and it was really scary, but a lot of fun. Every time we bumped into a wall or rock, Tom was quick to ask if I was okay, what a nice guy!

    Pai and I then went to a roadside restaurant for Thai soup...similar to Vietnamese Pho, very good. I say restaurant, but really is a tarp with a table or two beneath it and the owner cooking right there. From lunch we made our way to Phu Tok, "Temple of the Table Mountain" is a really serene place where monks from all over come to meditate. It has 7 sets of stairs to reach the summit, they represent the seven step of spiritual enlightenment. Inside caves or on cliffs you will find meditating huts at the different levels.At about level 2, we come across a monkey on a wire who actually seemed to pose for a picture....cheeky monkey! Up to level 5 is pretty straight forward up many steps....many steps. In fact, we arrived at said level and my friend Pai, decided she would just wait for me there. It was a nice spot to rest with a meditating cave/hut there. This is where things got interesting, I was alone and the steps/ladders were getting creakier and wobblier. The wooden walkway around the mountain was reminiscent of something Indiana Jones would come across, with a flimsy railing between you and a long, long fall to jagged rocks and tall trees, I think to myself  "self, this isn't too safe", then I turn the corner to find the railing is no longer there for the next portion...."much better" I think. I make it to level 7, and thanked the Buddha there and made my way back to meet Pai at level 5, where we pay our respects to whatever Deities are there.

The path to the top

I expected to see a huge rock
rolling towards me

    

I really think he wanted this photo op

      What a great time I had in Buengkan, the city itself was not as prosperous as Nongkai, but it had it's charm and the people here were awesome and very welcoming.