Luang Prabang - Laos including the Post Office

 

Travellers Century Club Award - Visiting Every Country and Territory

 

I often forget that this blog is more then about postcards and includes Travel. So more and more you will see photos here from the previous trips since I now have the full set of postcards more or less. Of course there is always more interesting places to visit and that will continue 

Above is a presentation I made at the Travellers Century Club meeting in Los Angeles in December 2022. It detailed some of my travels and stories including Post Offices and Postcards. This one shows a Posrcard from Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. 

Here receiving an award from the Travellers Century Club for visiting all 330 "Countries and Regions " .

Finally here is a closer photo of the Globe award. It is very nice indeed and the base is inscribed " World Traveller - David Langan - Laos Nov 2022 " . This was my last Country on the list to visit. The Globe sits proudly near a window at home and slowly spins by itself when in the sunlight . 

London - United Kingdom

 Europe-United Kingdom-England-London Was here for a weekend visit . Being winter it was dark early so this postcard gives a feel for London at night. I had been here a few months before for the Queen's funeral . I could not find a postcard of The Queen anywhere . Enjoyed London as always. 

Very pleased to see that this postcard did get a postcard. Rare on my last UK postcards. I in fact posted at Gatwick Airport . Perhaps that was the trick . 

Luang Prabang - World Heritage Site

 Asia-Laos-Luang Prabang  This is the Wat Xiengthong Buddhist temple . One of many temples here. I think I visited about 4 or so. The shape of the temples are very special and unique. 

This was my last card posted from my last country to visit. To celebrate this I have used gold foil stamps. The postmark at Luang Prabang was not in good condition and in fact they cant amend the datestamp. If you look you can see it says 2021 when in fact it was November 2022. 

Kuang Si Falls- Luang Prabang

 

Asia-Laos-Luang Prabang This is the waterfall at Kuang Si Falls. Took a day trip and it was very enjoyable. I searched for this postcard so I could remember how wonderful it was. 

Not a very good postmark from the Post Office in Luang Prabang . There was a small philatelic counter and an even more impressive commercial shop beside the Post office selling a large selection of stamps and postcards 

Luang Prabang - Laos

 Asia-Laos-Luang Prabang  This is Wat Viscoun which is a Buddhist temple of which there are many in luang Prabang . This is the most popular town to visit in Laos. There is certainly a laid back feel about the place. A World Heritage Site. 

These stamps were purchased at the excellent Philatelic Section in Vientiane . The stamps on the right are unusual in that they are not perforated and I had to use a scissors to cut the stamps from the miniature sheet. 

Vientiane - Laos

 

Asia-Laos-Vientiane This is the Haw Phra Kaew Temple . In fact it is no longer a temple but a museum but it is a great place to visit. Originally built in 1565 , it has been rebuilt many times. The setting in the garden is beautiful .

These stamps were issued in 2021 to celebrate the commencement of the new train service from Vientiane to Luang Prabang. It was built in association with the PR China. Included here you can see one of the new train stations, train and bridges built. I had the pleasure of using this new service and I have to say it was excellent. 

Vientiane - Laos . Last Country in the World to visit.

 Asia-Laos-Vientiane This postcard is historic . Reason being it is my last Country to visit in the world . As strange as it may seem , I decided this in 2004 to either be Cambodia or Laos . Easy countries to visit and everyone who has been has has said how wonderful they both were. Well I have to agree. Vientiane is laid back compared to other Asian capitals. This is the That Luang gold covered Buddhist stupa in the city centre. I was just there one day after a festival and it was officially closed, but a gate was open so able to see around . Impressive . 

To mark the special occasion this is a gold foil stamp. Luckily the Philatelic counter in Vientiane was by far the best in all the countries I visited on this trip. Including the staff who were helpful and knowledgable . 

The Bayou Temple - Siem Reap

 Asia-Cambodia-Siem Reap This is showing The Bayou Temple also known as Angkor Thom . Built is the late 12th century. Part of the World Heritage Site . 

The Post office in Siem Reap was well used to getting tourists. They had choices of stamps and well maintained. 

The National Museum Phnom Penh

Asia-Cambodia-Phnom Penh The National Museum which is a very worthwhile place to visit. The building itself is also of interest designed in typical Cambodian style. 

 

A nice clear postmark from Phnom Penh. The stamps were from the small selection available at the philatelic counter. 

Phnom Penh-Cambodia

 Asia-Cambodia-Phnom Penh This is the Genocide Museum in central Phnom Penh. It was a school prior to being a prison during the time of Pol Pot. My first location to visit on arrival in Cambodia. A sobering start to my visit. Part of the history of this dreadful period of time in the 1970s. . 

I am not sure if I have ever heard of World Post Day? I have now lol. The central office had very limited supply of philatelic stamps. 

Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam

 Asia-Vietnam-Ho Chi Minh This is one of the most famous Post Offices in the world . The Building was constructed in the late 19th Century when Vietnam was part of Indochina . It is very impressive and has a lick of paint since my last visit in 2007. One of the key tourist sites in this city. 

The inside of the building now has many little tourist shops. There was no philatelic counter , but just some older stamps and covers at shop prices. Little did I know that the best place to buy stamps was the office in Hue. Interesting that the postmark is showing Saigon. This is now the older part of Ho Chi Minh.

Halong Bay- Vietnam

 Asia-Vietnam-Halong Bay An amazing location . I had always recall seeing a James Bond film that was showing a similar scene . The weather was perfect . Spend an overnight on a small cruising boat here. Exceeded my expectation . A World Heritage Site .

A lot of stamps here due to the low value of many of the stamps. Tried to find a post office in Halong Bay, but the one I went to was closed and had moved to a unknown location. So this card was posted in the next stop which was Ho Chi Minh. 

Hanoi - Vietnam

 Asia-Vietnam-Hanoi The capital of Vietnam . Certainly more laid back then Ho Chi Minh City. A very enjoyable city to visit. The Huc Bridge with its striking red colour stands out. In fact you can see it if you walk across the street from the main post office. The Hoa Prison is a big draw and was known as the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam war. 

More food and Ho Chi Minh of one of the stamps. Every Post office gave me different prices for sending a postcard international ! 

Hue - Vietnam . World Heritage Site.

 Asia-Vietnam-Hue This is the Royal Palace in Hue, built in early 1800s. The last Royal family in Vietnam. The postcard looks great, but in reality it was less interesting then I had wished. Quite a large complex. A World Heritage Site. 

A very colourful set of stamps here. The Post office in Hue was by far the best Philatelic counter in all of Vietnam. I did not know this at the time and only bought a few stamps. I had anticipated that Hanoi would be the best. But not the case. Food is such a big part of Vietnamese culture , there are many stamps showing food. This is one. 

Hoi An - Vietnam

 Asia-Vietnam-Hoi An. A well preserved example of a South East Asian port from the 15th to 19th century. The vibe is amazing and my favourite location that I visited in this country. A melting pot of senses and views. 

Not very exciting stamps. Thats what you get when you start your visit to Vietnam in a central city . I love the red though .. Very Vietnamese colour. 

Siem Reap-Cambodia .

 Asia-Cambodia-Siem Reap My first time to Cambodia and a pure pleasure to be here. The main reason to be in this region is of course Angkor Wat. The largest religious monument in the world . It is amazing to visit the different areas of this vast complex. I love this postcard because it is made of wood and made in Cambodia. A wonderful souvenir from this country. 

I had purchased these stamps from the counter at the main post office in Phnom Penh. Very helpful staff and clear postmark.10/10.

Bagan- Myanmar - World Heritage Site.

 Asia-Myanmar-Bagan Showing the Shwezegone Pagoda . Bagan has so many temples and pagodas. It is breathtaking and was amazed how good condition they were all in. Bagan is a World Heritage Site. 

As per the rest of Myanmar this is postmarked and handed back to me. In fact the post office here did not know that there was a limited postal service to international countries. So I did mail a postcard back to Ireland. I dont expect to get it though .. Lets see. 

Mandalay - Myanmar

 Asia-Myanmar-Mandalay Showing statures at a temple -Mandalay Hill. The city itself was not interesting but had many temples and worth visiting . 

Due to lack of international services I had to get this card stamped at the post office . It did not go in the mail. 

Yangon - Myanmar

 Asia-Myanmar-Yangon It is very rare here to have a postcard from a new country . In fact this is my last set of postcards from new countries and they are all in Asia . Organising a trip to Myanmar was not easy with special insurance and waiting on covid rules to be relaxed to visit. However that being said it was well worth it. The Shwedagon Pagoda is amazing . Photos do not do this justice . A unique pagoda for sure. 

The Post office in Yangon was a bit of a disaster to say the least. The Post office from the early 1900s has seen better days. The stamp counter was just at the entrance and they had a few stamps as above that was it. No philatelic counter. To make matters worse there is currently only postal service to 5 surrounding countries in Asia. Apparently there is an ongoing issue with the airlines contacts since covid. So this card joins Guatemala, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia  and Somaliland that was handed back to me. I did send a card via Malaysia and fingers crossed lets see if that gets through. 

Photos from Hoi An - Vietnam

 Hoi An with plenty of lanterns 

Japanese Bridge 

Main Post Office Hoi An 

Hoi An - Vietnam

 Asia-Vietnam-Hoi An My second time in Vietnam and my first time in Hoi An. This World Heritage Site town is amazing . I was aghast how beautiful it was. Day or night . The town is full of Lanterns and took many photos of such. A great vibe and a must visit in Vietnam. 

 

I normally start in the capital city if touring a country . The main reason is to stock up on special stamps at the main post office, However on this Asian trip I made an exception . The Post office in Hoi An had no selection of stamps and in fact it was mostly the case in Vietnam . More on that later. The Bridge on the definitive stamp is in face here in Hoi An. Crossed it a couple of times. An old Japanese Bridge from the 18th century .