Hut on a mountain top, a photo from Vientiane, North

Photographer's Note

‘Vang Vieng - Hut on a mountain top ’

Five more pictures dedicated to the beautiful karst mountains around Vang Vieng.

Near the town there are several viewpoints on mountain peaks.
To reach some tops you must be a climber. But other points can be reached by just a very steep hike and with a lot of sweat :)
However, no climbing equipment is needed for the top I’m showing here.

I had trouble finding the place where the trek began and had already gone astray a few times.
That meant that it was already afternoon when I reached the entrance of the path at the bottom of the mountain.
There was a man in a cabin where I had to pay a small entrance fee and he assured me that in an hour I would get all the way to the top where there was a primitive hut. It turned out that I needed more than two full hours to get to the top.

On the way up I was passed by a few tourists who were in their 20s and almost ran up the mountain.
Why had I waited until my retirement to go to Laos???
The thought that I could also have gone on a holiday to Benidorm came to my mind … However, not anymore when I reached the top, could recover on the bamboo bench and enjoy the views.
I had really come to love this karst landscape.

Back down went faster but was almost just as tiring. I had to be back in Vang Vieng before dark (another long walk) because there was no lighting outside the town. For safety I had brought a flashlight but I got there on time.
In town I met the crowd who had once again been tubing for a day …

mkamionka, Fis2, holmertz, pierrefonds, Royaldevon, pajaran, jhm, ChrisJ, worldcitizen, Ilonka1974, burmaman, adramad, COSTANTINO has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mkamionka (75079) 2021-01-31 0:06

Hi Paul,
I appreciate very much your travel advice. Even though Laos is not on my list at the moment it is always nice to hear what you can expect in each country. I bet I will wait with the decision to go to Laos until my retirement, ha ha, but I think I am in a poor shape already.
Beautiful views! It was worth to climb there. This main view has the advantage of the foreground as well which adds some original framing.
Great level of contrast -it feels so realistic.
Excellent reportage!
M

Fis2 (171877) 2021-01-31 0:29

Witaj Paul!
A very interesting place, hut on a mountain top makes impression.
Wonderful view, I like mountains.
Good framing, colors and light.
Well done.
Nice sunday.
Krzysztof

Silvio1953 (222847) 2021-01-31 1:06

Ciao Paul, fantastic landscape, lovely composition with beautiful natural frame, wonderful naturtal colors, excellent clarity and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

holmertz (103584) 2021-01-31 1:14

Hello Paul,
Five photos all showing a beautiful scenery. The main photo and WS #4 are the most interesting for showing parts of the extremely ramshackle hut that was the goal of your tiresome trek. I wouldn't touch or step on anything seen here for fear of making the entire structure collapse. But I am sure this was after all more fun than a day at Benidorm.
Best regards,
Gert

jmdias (116405) 2021-01-31 4:30

paul

a nice use of these rustic shapes of the hut as a frame to the hilly landscape we can see ahead. we have the local mood in the image.

here another day of rain, in these last two weeks we had 350 mm of rain. UK have 800 mm during a year..

take care

jorge

pierrefonds (115488) 2021-01-31 4:50

Bonjour Paul,

Des beaux souvenirs de votre voyage au Laos, la prise de vue permet de voir les des détails de la hutte en bambou et des montagnes. La lumière rehausse la beauté des couleurs. Bonne journée.

Pierre

Royaldevon (86400) 2021-01-31 6:58

Hello Paul,

An excellent series giving people (like me) who have never been to the country, a very realistic impression of the terrain, the vegetation and (from your notes) the people.

I love your narrative of the climb and of your regrets about leaving this trip until 2019. But ... I wonder if you would have had the time or the same inclinations, had you visited this place as a youngster. Your determination could easily have been the speed at which you ascended and descended the mountain, rather than looking around, absorbing the beauties of the scenery and the delights of learning about a different way of life.

Your photographs are a very well documented record of your amazing journey. The only regrets are that it was cut short. Maybe later in the year, this pandemic will be under control and you will be able to return.

My warm regards,
Bev 😊

pajaran (117001) 2021-01-31 8:24

Pozdrav.
interesantan i lep pogled, dobar tekst ...
Lep vidikovac i planine, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom i perspektivom.
Dobar rad sa lepim fotografijma u radionici.
Lepo mesto za odmor sa lepim pogledom.
Lepe fotografije i priroda.
Zelim vam lepo popodne, sve najbolje.
Paja.

jhm (211738) 2021-01-31 9:58

Goedenavond Paul,

De wankele constructie van dit bouwsel geeft u de kans om een goede foto te nemen.
De gekozen hoek met aangenaam licht en de bergen in de diepte zorgen voor een heerlijke samenstelling.
Heel mooi foto werk Paul, bedankt voor het delen.

Nog een prettige zondagavond,
John.

kasianowak (17676) 2021-01-31 10:12

Hi Paul
Benidorm?? That certainly doesn't sound like you. :-)
The landscape is magical, the shapes of the mountains are so unusual. I like the way you framed the distant view with the roof of the hut. Maybe you should consider yourself lucky to reach the summit late in the afternoon as the light is really beautiful.
It's so refreshing to see your photos from Asia when travel there is banned.
Best wishes
Kasia
PS. I also suffered from food poisoning in Pakistan (only when eating in local homes), Bangladesh (when NOT eating in local homes) and North Korea (every time we stopped to have meat from roadside grills). I was fine in Bhutan, Nepal (even though I wasn't careful at all and spent a lot of time with the families affected by the earthquake), India, Indonesia, Burma and many many other countries. Afghanistan was the worst by far. But Bangladesh had the most long term consequencies, I may write about it on TE one day.

Tue (93374) 2021-01-31 11:32

Hallo Paul,
Wat je noemt een hut met uitzicht. De rotsige bergtoppen zijn prachtig, zeker in dit heldere zonlicht dat mooie contrasten geeft. De houten hut zorgt voor een mooie voorgrond en diepte.
Lars

lousat (139960) 2021-01-31 12:38

Hi Paul,your notes make me laugh .. it often happens to me too, during a tiring excursion, to hear my friend say "but wasn't it better if we stayed on the beach?" .. ahaha .... difficult trip but the views pay off the effort, and you returned in time, so ... congratulations! Have a nice week and thanks,Luciano

ChrisJ (172408) 2021-01-31 17:47

Hi Paul,

This rickety bamboo seating reminds me of a lookout in Banaue, Philippines, although I was fortunate to be driven there by jeep. I also remember the high heat and humidity of Ko Samui in Thailand and climbing up to a steep lookout overlooking the Angthong Marine National Park from the summit. I had a quick swim at the beach to wash off all the sweat before boarding the return boat. Nice view of the karst scenery. Tfs.

ifege (49363) 2021-01-31 19:56

Hi Paul
A great series featuring the mountain top with views of the range. Fascinating structure too. And the things we do in retirement - I've done some iffy things too but I think I would have baulked at this climb. Well done!
cheers
Ian

emka (158744) 2021-02-01 0:32

Hello, Paul, I like to read about adventures like this. It is the real spirit of TE, not the long pasted description, repeated over and over again. My favourite is in Workshop 4. It seems you climbed really high. Maybe I would also like to get there, but by no means to step on these wooden platforms.
When someone is addicted to travelling, like you, Kasia or me, one have to risk and use the opportunity when it appears, there is no reason to put off, because it may never happen again. Who would think just a year and a half ago that any journey would be a dream only?
Best regrads Malgo

worldcitizen (16226) 2021-02-01 12:28

Hello Paul,
These are all great views; I think I prefer the "room with a view" in the WS, but this main photo has a nice view of the mountains, too. The railings made from natural materials don't look too sturdy, and that reminded me of a book I once read. A woman was vacationing in Thailand, climbed up to a spot like this, leaned against a similar railing and then it gave way. She fell quite a distance and was paralyzed. I don't mean to associate your photo with such a negative event, but that's what first came to mind when I saw these photos! That story left an impression on me. Take care...

Ilonka1974 (10307) 2021-02-03 10:20

Hi Paul,
I love this kind of place...amazing scenery...well done!
Best regards
Janusz

burmaman (1336) 2021-02-03 10:52

Hello Paul!
you should never ask in SEA how long it takes even when you are in good condition like in your 20ies, especially at bus rides.Especially in India. Time does not matter, the next life will be better!
I had a strange experience in India in 2003. I was waiting at a platform for my train from Agra(Taj Mahal) to Dheli when there was an announcement in Hindi and english."the train has a delay of about one hour", nothing happened, nobody was angry.Noboday had a mobile phone then.
About 90 minutes later they repeated the announcement, another hour....
Finally I reached Dheli and had a fantastic diner at my hotel.I would have liked to have filmed that and compared it to today in a European city....
Best regards,Ronny

This fantastic view was your reward and this seems to be a fine place to have a rest.Hope you had enough, now lukewarm water with you.
The Ws photos are good ,too.
Regards,Ronny

adramad (73418) 2021-02-03 11:13

Hello Paul.
Impressive the view of these mountains with peaks so peaked, this close-up I do not know if it corresponds to a viewpoint or cafe, but it looks very rustic and very basic.
Point of view, sharpness, lightness, color and the chosen composition are excellent.
A very beautiful photo. I like.
You have a good day.
Best regards.
Luis.

COSTANTINO (117726) 2021-02-03 22:14

hello dear Paul and have a nice day
all your last photos have a great
priginality!!!I always like your
useful notes describing your photos...
because near the town there are
several viewpoints on mountain peaks...
i am impressed by your thoughts....
to reach some tops you must be
a climber...
regards
Costantino

GyurMaster (25018) 2021-02-06 2:32

Hello Paul,

I'm afraid of the heights so I don't know if I would have walked down to the parapet. Anyhow, the resulting photo is quite stunning.

Best Wishes,
Gy.