One More Bug!

Sorry I didn't get this picture in with the original post. I knew I had it somewhere. It just took me a while to find it.

Walking stick.

Too Cute

With all of the baby blogs out there these days I decided to put up something in the cute category. I think it is a pretty solid entry.

The locals brought him out when we were doing recon work. They wanted us to buy him. We politely declined.

Helo Photos

Sometimes when you go out on reconnaissance trips you have to land the helo in some strange places...

Just a cool photo from the ground.

Rural Housing

I sifted through the several thousand photos taken by a bunch of us this last mission and found a few that do a good job of showing what rural houses look like in Laos. The are above ground wood houses constructed atop stilts. Nicer ones will have single panel wooden walls, but many will simply have woven walls. The houses are raised because is allows for out of the rain storage without having to build an additional structure. Animals are also frequently stored under the house. Many have thatch roofs, but wealthier families with have corrugated metal.

Kids on a log!

It torrentially rained on us one day while we were waiting for the helo to come get us so we hid under a house near the LZ. The pigs, chickens, and goats were in their with us trying to stay dry, but the rain did not deter the kids in the area from coming out hoping we had candy. I am glad that we did that day.

Random odds and ends...

Building the supply shack.

The doctor treating local patients.

A village elder.

Just some of the gear...

Shaggy or Shaved

It is time to vote folks. Which do you like better, shaggy or shaved? Leave your answer in the comments.

The Team

The team with the Mi-17 in the background. The locals refer to it as the flying elephant. The smaller helicopter we use is the flying water buffalo.

Tough digging under the sun.

Excavation in progress.

Wet screening.

Recording the stratigraphy.

Hangin' in the break area.

Bugs!

These are just a couple of the creepy crawlies that I encountered on my last trip out.



I had seen a few of these before in Laos, but this was the first time I had my camera handy.

Ridge Top HLZ

We used a variety of helicopter landing zones this last go around, but this one was definitely the most scenic.



Sorry about the marks on the pictures. The lens got dirty. It was a rough day.