1. Brad and Joanne’s Asia Holiday Following is a short Powerpoint collection of some of the many photos taken while we recently travelled through Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. I hope you enjoy them as a small snapshot of our experience as much as we did. What they do not capture are the sounds, heat, humidity and smells that are so much a part of Asia. Imagine an open garbage bin, mixed with fish sauce and engine exhaust in a constantly noisy, steamy sauna and you are getting close. I also took a snap from each hotel room we stayed in to capture the exciting skyline that hides behind the street facade that is Asia

2. View from Bangkok Hotel View from our Bangkok hotel. A hot, smelly and dirty city that we were glad to leave.

3. Bangkok does have plenty of beautiful temples that are so ornate they can defy description.

4. I told you they were ornate. Very impressive.

5. We enjoyed a few Singha beers on the overnight train from Bangkok to Chang Mai.

6. Riding an elephant in the jungle of northern Thailand was a highlight.

7. Villagers were very poor and the kids very cute. We bought some trinkets to help their income stream. The bracelet, not the child.

8. This is typical of the roadside restaurants we often ate at. Yes it is a restaurant, note the woman in the kitchen at right.

9. The view from our hotel in Huay Xai, Laos. The building next door is a flash restaurant.

10. Villagers on the Mekong River in Laos are very poor and have extremely limited knowledge of and contact with, the outside world. Underwear also.

11. They do enjoy a smoke though, even 5 yo olds would have a toke.

12. This lady is only 24. Hard life. We were glad she held her shirt closed for the photo.

13. Sunset on the Mekong River was magic.

14. The view from our guesthouse room at Pakbeng, Laos. No power or hot water. The shed is the bakery.

15. Kids are cute everywhere, even in the poorest villages of Laos.

16. ditto

17. Not a bad little boat to cruise down the Mekong River on? We spent two full days on this.

18. Beautiful scenery, huge rivers and ancient culture.

19. Giving alms to monks at Luang Prabang (at bloody dawn!)

20. Crikey, there were heaps of them!

21. We managed to fit 8 people in each of these vehicles called jumbos

22. View from the guesthouse at Vang Vieng. Beautiful scenery, dodgy town.

23. We used local transport which was “colourful” not comfortable. Spent 6 hours to travel 200 klms in this bus. Note the timber floor and luxurious seating. The bus had no suspension either.

24. The world is shrinking. We managed to catch the NRL Grand Final, even in the backblocks of Laos.

25. Kids manage to get to school all over the world

26. The Education District office in Vang Vieng, Laos. This was the most substantial building in town and most staff seemed to stand around talking. Familiar?

27. Need I say more. Sign on the street of Vientiane, capital of Laos.

28. Typical home in the countryside. I will never complain about a mortgage again.

29. View from our hotel in Vientiane, capital of Laos.

30. Can’t a kid some have privacy when trying to take a bath?

31. Night English school (8pm) in Lak Sao, Laos. Theses kids have been at school since 7am and still cannot get enough teaching. Kids in NSW could take a leaf from their book.

32. Sometimes we needed to take a break from busy holidaying and enjoy the national brew.

33. Then they jam 6 people into hot, steamy, smelly toilet called the Reunification Express to Hanoi. Note no mattresses, just a bamboo mat on hard wood. Toilet was a hole in the floor.

34. The French had a unique way to keep the locals in check – terror!

35. Hanoi – home of Bob the builder.

36. Typical quiet street in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. This starts at 5 am daily, just ask Rick!

37. Machine shop on a main road in Hanoi. Note the OHS being ignored. The fellow on the left is actually forging hot steel on the footpath. People just walk around him.

38. Rebels without a cause. Minsk is good bike from Belarus ya!….crap!

39. A flash restaurant, note the seating and it even has walls! More boiled chicken and steamed morning glory.

40. A gathering of primary school staff about to dine out in this restaurant in rural Vietnam (Binh Xai).

41. Kitchen of a home we stayed at in rural Vietnam (Binh Xai). This is a well off family. Many others cook on the floor of the house.

42. Close up of the wood fired stoves in the kitchen. Don’t complain about your old oven at home ladies.

43. Everyone was curious about a tourist.

44. Jo made friends everywhere with her clip on koalas.

45. We shared some resources with schools who had almost nothing.

46. Shopping is not often done indoors.

47. Typical butcher shop. The stick with a bag attached is to keep the flies away.

48. We spent many a balmy evening enjoying beer at this Hanoi street stall for 15 cents a schooner. Tough but someone has to do it!

49. View from our Hanoi hotel room.

50. Plenty of work for electricians

51. And to combat the hectic traffic, a must have………….