Grandson Visiting

The last two weeks had been hectic, yet memorable and happy times for my wife and I. Our daughter and her hubby brought their 3 month old son (our grand son) back home to stay with us for two weeks for the Christmas season. Our grandson had enjoyed his first trip from Singapore to Petaling Jaya. It seems he slept most of the time during the journey.

The few days before their arrival, grandpa and grandma were busy scouting and shopping for baby necessities. We want our grandson to be comfortable and enjoy his stay with us. The two old folks had lost touch with what are necessary! So it is "re-learning" time and to update ourselves with modern parenting.

The first thing we looked for was a baby cot. Never knew things had changed so much. There are so many baby cot models in the market. There are also models with an electric timer to rock the baby! We finally settled on one with a chrome structure, with five springs and with all the safety fixtures, without the timer. Got it assembled. Looks very nice and am sure our grandson is going to be comfortable in it! My daughter brought along his own sarong (hammock) which he is so used to it in Singapore.

Baby Cot for my grandson

The next things to look for are diapers. In our days, we use washable cotton cloth nappies! But now things are more convenient with disposable diapers! Modern parents are so lucky. Again there are varieties of them, ranging from the baby's age!

Baby Disposable Diapers

Then we need to get ready a baby bath tub. Again with modern parenting, there are various models and with accessories like a net frame so that the baby will not slip while having his bath. Young mothers need to handle their babies carefully while bathing them. Need to get some baby bath lotions, detergents specially for baby clothings, detergents for milk bottles and wet swipes for cleaning after his poo. Grandma also decided that grandson needs toilet training. So in the shopping basket was added a baby potty!

All the baby's needs

Finally, the long anxious wait for our grandson's arrival came. He has grown from the last time we saw him when he was borned. He is very cute!

With his grandmama

And he loves sleeping in his baby cot with his teddy bear hanging on top, watching over him. And he will smile at his teddy bear from time to time before going to sleep!

Comfortably asleep with his teddy bear watching over him

 

We are enjoying taking care and playing with our grandson. He is so lovable and cute, especially when he smiles at us!

With his iresistable smile

He loves sucking his thumb

Time passes very fast. This Saturday he is going home to Singapore. It has been a wonderful and enriching two weeks for his grand parents, uncle and aunty. We will all miss him. We look forward to seeing him again during the Chinese New Year! He will receive his first Ang Pows (red packets) from us!

Back to My Morning Exercise Routine

After being away for 3 weeks, it is nice to be back to my daily routine back home. One of them is my morning walks in the park. Had been so busy working the whole day in Vientiane, Laos, I hardly had time to enjoy my morning nor evening walks on a regular basis like I do back home. This trip, I managed to go for my morning walks along the Mekong River on the two weekends I was there. The air is very fresh along the Mekong river in the morning, but it is too near the main road with traffic already exuding their fumes. During the weekdays, I managed to go for my evening walks for a few times around a small park facing my hotel. But the walk is not very pleasant with the exhaust fumes from the evening traffic.So, it is very nice to be back for my walk this morning at the TTDI Park. So very refreshing!! Something I missed and long for when I am away.

Nice pavement for walking exercises along the Mekong River

Small Park in front of my hotel room in the evening

Beautiful TTDI Park back home

Farewell Dinner, Leaving Vientiane

Times seems to fly by so fast and it is time to leave Vientiane again.

My 3rd consultancy mission to Lao PDR this year ends today and tomorrow morning I leave for home.

It has been an enjoyable and productive mission, working with very pleasant and professional officers here.

We have come to known each other very well and able to work very cohesively and professionally since 2009 to achieve our project goals. We still have a year to ago to complete the the project.

I am always happy to come here and also happy to leave for home.

We enjoyed a farewell dinner at a French restaurant, The Europe Steak House in Vientiane.

My Lao colleagues came with their families to bid farewell to me.

This is my second time dinning in this restaurant.

They serve delicious western cuisine like beef steak, lamb steak, pork steak, pizza and others.

The house bake buns are just fantastic, and there is always a request for more.

Wine is good here and so is the bill!

Will be back here soon early next year.

Will miss the familiar "Sa Bai Dee" greetings (welcome and how are you in Lao).

Kop Cai (Thank you in Lao) to all my Laotian friends for the lovely meal.

Me and my Lao friends and their families

Resort Concept Restaurant, Vientiane

I had an interesting experience eating lunch in a "Resort Concept Restaurant" in Vientiane yesterday afternoon on the way back from our visit to the organic vegetable farm. The restaurant is built around a lake, with individual "huts" for the privacy of the guests. This speciality "Resort Concept Restaurant" is fast catching up in Vientiane, with fishes swimming in the lake. The guests can buy fish food and feed the fishes while eating their lunch or dinner. The restaurant we went to is the Ngong Ngum Restaurant, near to Vientiane city. 

We had grilled talapia fish, spicy steamed talapia, fish soup, papaya salad (som thom), steamed sticky rice, fresh salads, wet noodles and grilled chicken eggs which was innovatively prepared. A small hole is made at the end of the egg. The egg white and yolk are than poured out. The egg is then beaten with pepper and salt and poured back into the egg shell. The eggs are then strung with a bamboo stick and grilled. Taste good and nice.

I am the guest, but I believe it is quite pricy eating at this place.

Individual "huts" built around the lake

Individual hut for privacy

Lunch spread

Grilled Talapia fish

Yummy

Spicy steamed talapia

Fresh salad

Papaya Salad (som thom)

Fish soup

Wet noodles, baby egg plant, sliced lemon grass, red onions, long beans, garlic

Grilled chicken eggs.

Grilled egg, no yolk?

Organic Vegetable Farm, Vientiane

Yesterday after visiting the Organic Vegetable Market in Vientiane, Laos, I visited one of the farms that supplies fresh organically grown vegetables to the market. The 8 hectare farm is located at Thaxang, about 60 km from Vientiane. It is operated by 16 families, working together for the the last 3 years as an Organic Farming Group. It was a pleasure to visit the farm, with all the freshness around and the friendly farmers who are so willing to share their organic production system experiences with visitors. While I was there, some urban folks came visiting with their children. I suppose it is a good education for the children to learn how the vegetables they eat are being grown.

In this small size farm, various vegetables are grown under rain shelters. Morning glory, tomatoes, lettuces, coriander, egg plants, chillies, mustard, cabbages, carrots, lemon grass and others are nicely cultivated on beds and growing very well. As an organic practice, the farmers use paddy husk as mulch on the vegetable beds which would eventually decompose and provide nutrients to the plants. The paddy husk mulching would also reduce moisture loss from the beds. Paddy husk is abundantly available at no cost, as there many paddy farms in the vicinity. The paddy farmers had just recently harvested their crop.

The organic farmers are using under-ground water to water their vegetables. Pipes are sunk into the ground and water is pumped out using a motor. The farmers are applying cow-dung as fertilisers. As a requirement for organic farming, no chemical pesticides or inorganic chemical fertilisers are applied. The farm, under the guidance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, is certified by a reputable Swiss Organic Certification organisation.

According to the farmers, although people are aware of the value and benefits of consuming organic products, they are still not willing to pay a premium price for the products. However, the incentive for the farmers is that they now have ready market access for their organic produce. Their produce are sold in the Organic Market in Vientiane.

I wish the farmers every success in their organic farming business. Farmers practicing organic farming system face higher risk than farmers practicing conventional systems, especially in the management of pests and diseases, and agronomic practices. There is no "quick fix" like spraying chemicals to rid the farm of pests and diseases. Failure to comply with the requirements of organic practices and protocols may lead to the withdrawal of their organic certification which is a highly prized Quality Assurance statement for food safety.

Blogger in blue T-shirt with the farmers

The organic vegetable farmers

Vegetables growing under rain shelters

Lettuces growing very well

Coriander

Farmer tending the farm

Tomatoes

Morning Glory

Bushy Coriander

Rain shelters

Under ground piping

Visit to Organic Vegetable Market, Vientiane, Laos

Agriculture is the most important sector of the Lao economy, accounting for more than 45% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and almost 80% of employment in the country. Lao agriculture traditionally focuses on rice production, livestock rearing and production of export crops such as tea and coffee. Over the last few years, farmers have diversified their production into corn (maize), vegetables, beans and other crops.

Organic farming is gaining momentum in Laos and there are now many farmers' groups producing organic fruits and vegetables. With the support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), markets selling organic vegetables and fruits are available in a number of major towns in the country. The markets are set up to help educate and inform consumers about organic production systems in Laos, and on the benefits consuming organic products. The farms producing the vegetables for these markets are certificated as organic by the MAF.

The organic vegetable market in Vientiane, Laos is open from 6 am to 12 noon on Saturdays and Wednesdays. It is located in the car park lot of That Luang (Golden Stupa). There are about 20 stalls selling freshly harvested organic vegetables and fruits. These vegetables and fruits are planted by various organic farmers' groups in the Vientiane Capital Province.

When I visited the market this morning, there was quite a crowd there buying the vegetables.