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AdVentures into Laos is delighted to introduce a cutting-edge feature to this web-site. These new IPIX visual images are interactive, making it possible for users to step inside images taken in Laos and navigate a full 360 degrees, using their mouse. I invite you to click on any of the following thumbnails below that will open up the corresponding IPIX photo. By being placed inside the photograph you will gain the feeling and experience as if you were in Laos yourself!
I first began to explore taking IPIX photos on my first Laos trip last November. I was using a Nikon 900s camera with fisheye lens. The camera and IPIX kit arrived the day I left. Two factors were against me. First the Nikon 900s camera had had reported problems with the swivel connection and while mine at delivery seemed fairly tight, over the proceeding days while in Laos it became more progressively loose until it would not hold its rotated position. The alignment of IPIX photos must be exact and this didn't help at all. When I returned I sent the camera back to Nikon and after a month had it returned and realized that what I had thought was "fairly tight" was in fact loose, and it was a completely different camera with the the new swivel connection. Oh, well. I did take one IPIX photo on a boat when we were going to Champassak to see Wat Phu. I also was not familiar with the logistics of taking Ipix photos and never felt quite comfortable and ended up relying almost exclusively on my Canon EOS cameras and traditional photography to record my experiences in Laos. On the trip this summer I had upgraded my camera to a Nikon 950 and brought a PowerBook G3 which I could use to build my IPIX images and learn what worked and what didn't and could email back IPIX photos to be posted on this web site. I had a beta version of the IPIX Mac Wizard software which worked OK, but now that I have the 2.1 version I can see where I was at a disadvantage. Below you will see that some of my thumbnails are hemisphere shots which I don't like and prefer the traditional thumbnail view which gives you the viewer a better idea of what the IPIX photo might be like. On the beta software, it would only save good hemisphere shots so I'm stuck using them.
I love the IPIX technology and while on the surface it's easy to use, to create IPIX photos with compelling content and "seamless" hemispheres requires planning and foresight, just like taking "good" traditional photographs. It requires a whole different mindset, you have to use a tripod (almost always!) and take two 180 degree shots, you take one shot, rotate the head and get on the other side of the tripod and take the second shot. Easier said than done sometimes, depending on your location, and of course you're more conspicuous than when taking a "simple" film camera shot. Plus, it's more time consuming and compositions need to be fairly static. Also, it's necessary to change adjustments on your digital camera and the white balance settings and exposures for both 180 degree shots are critical.
Here you will see 24 images taken this summer which are of varying quality, but I thought worth posting. Some really take advantage of the IPIX technology, and some give the viewer a glimpse into an aspect of Laos that might not otherwise get through traditional photography. I have learned a tremendous amount and finally feel like on my next visit to Laos that I will be able to fully take advantage of the IPIX technology. The sales staff and tech support people I've dealt with have gone out of their way to work with me as I've needed help, both in using the camera and software, and lately in mastering how to post IPIX images on this web site. I hope you enjoy the IPIX photos and I appreciate any feedback you may have.
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When Thavivanh and I were walking around Buddha Park (read more below about the origins of the park) we were overtaken by this group of Dongdok National University of Laos students. They asked if they could get a group photo of themselves with me included (I would love to have a copy of that) and then I asked if I could take their photo in front of the "Heaven, Earth, and Hell" sculpture. They are the future of Laos. |
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Thavivanh, my Vientiane tuk tuk driver, Lao teacher and friend took me to the That Luang and we discovered a primary school still in session (around July 16 many of the schools had already begun their summer break) behind That Luang. We walked onto the school grounds just as they had a break and the curious students swarmed around us. |
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Before I went to Laos this summer a friend told me about a private school in Vientiane named Sunshine School and suggested I drop by. Well, I did, and had a chance to talk to the director, Suzanne Schneider and the deputy director, Ms. Sylvia Cabanban and was extremely impressed. They let me walk around the school and I came back another day to take photos which you see a few of below. The teachers seem very dedicated and the students quite motivated. |
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The day I went back to Sunshine School I arrived in the late morning as many of the younger classes were beginning to eat their lunch. The children were so well behaved and I liked their classroom. It looked like a fun place to learn. |
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Another class eating lunch, this time outdoors. |
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This was a class of older students who were playing some kind of sorting game. There were teams of students and one student was given a number of these cards of Lao characters and they had to run to the center where these piles were and sort the characters appropriately and then race back to their team where another member raced up to sort their cards. They looked like they were having great fun. |
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This IPIX photo is not the best, you can see where the seams don't match. I didn't compensate for the flourescent lighting and change the white balance accordingly. But, I still want you to see what was happening in this class. There was a great rapport between the teacher and students and the teacher would pin a Lao character on the back of a student and then they would have to ask questions of their classmates to determin what the letter was. |
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The wats are not only places of worship, but home to many monks. "Tourists" are free to walk through the wats and take pictures, and an added bonus is taking the time to talk to the monks. Many are in the process of learning English and want a chance to practice what they know. These two were curious about my "IPIX" camera and we ended up chatting for about an hour. The Lao are very friendly. |
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This was inside Wat Si Muang. It's a little hazy, but this wat is the most frequently used in Vientiane and is considered the home of the guardian spirit of Vientaine. My friend Thavivanh showed me how to make an offering of marigold and incense to Buddha and then go into the "front hall" and kneel in front of the monk who tied a Bacci string around my wrist. It was an auspicious beginning to my stay in Laos. |
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These Buddhas were quite smaller than the one below, but seemed to be quite popular as evidenced by the burned incense sticks, flowers and candles left behind. This was in the back of Wat...? |
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I should remember the name of this wat, but it escapes me right now. I like the gold Buddha. |
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The following two shots are of entrance ways into wats. I like the dragons. |
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The entrance sculptures and doorways to many of the wats were quite elegant. |
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This is the famous That Luang which this IPIX photo doesn't really do justice. I hope to go to Laos in November and attend the That Luang Festival which will will make this whole area come alive. |
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This is outside Wat Si Muang in Vientiane. |
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Wat Si Saket. It is quite a sight to see all these Buddhas. Well worth seeing. |
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Xieng Khuan, also known as Buddha Park. An amazing park that features a collection of Buddhist (and Hindu) sculputre that is about a half hour tuk tuk ride from downtown Vientiane. The park was designed and built in 1958 by Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, a yogi- priest-shaman who merged Hindu and Buddhist philosophy into his own unique "religion." He ended up moving to Thailand where he designed and built a similar one in Nong Khai. |
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I should remember this wat, but I don't. I'm hoping that somebody will view the IPIX photo and let me know. You see the drum tower in the background and when I was in Luang Prabang in July, there was one afternoon when monks at the wats were hitting the drums and gongs which reverberated across the city. I'm not exactly sure how it worked, but it seemed there was a domino effect where one wat began as one wat left off. It was amazing. |
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Market in Nong Khai. Nong Khai is the city opposite Vientiane and a good spot to spend the night before crossing into Laos. I would highly recommend the Phanthavy Hotel where rooms were clean, americanized and only 500 baht, about $14. The market is fun to explore and you wouldn't believe how cheap those watches were! |
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Food market in Nong Khai. June is a great time to purchase fruit and this was my first introduction to lychee fruit. You could get a bag for 15 baht and they were great to snack on if you were going on a bus. You peel the red rubbery spined skin and eat the white flesh that surrounds that large seed. Chou also introduced me to a fruit we called "monkey brains" that was quite good. |
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This was taken outside the Talat Sao Market in Vientiane. There are a number of food stalls and this one was my favorite for getting a cup of Lao coffee. |
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When we went to Vang Vieng it was raining lightly when we got off the bus. We ate a lunch of "fer" and then walked down the street and checked out the first guest house we came to, about 50 yards down the road. This is where we stayed for 17,000 kip a night, about $2. The sheets here were a little musty, but the overhead fan kept the few mosquitos off and made sleeping bareable. You can look at the bathroom below. |
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This is the bathroom that is attached to the above bedroom. If you want to travel cheaply expect to share bathrooms or have bathrooms somewhat similar to this. Squat toilet and cement water basin where you use whatever container is provided to "flush" the toilet and to pour over you when you bathe. In economy guest houses there will be no hot water, which considering the hot weather, isn't that necessary. I found it easy to get used to. |