A few palms from Laos and Cambodia

[LJG]

OK, so I got back from a three week trip to Laos and Cambodia. I took a few palm pictures and figured I would show some from their natural environment.

First up is Livistona Saribus in Laos. Here is what they look like naturally clean when pushing out past canopy. No way to get scale since it was like 80 feet or taller.

Close up

Baby one on Jungle floor

[LJG]

Next was Arenga westerhoutii in Laos. This was a VERY impressive palm. I never knew how big Arengas could get. It was hard to get scale again but you get an idea how big this palm was. The leaves had to be 25 long.

Nice brown underside.

Another massive palm. Corypha Utan (for anyone that has been to Luang Prabang, Laos, this was at a temple in "Whiskey Village"). To give you an idea for scale I am next to it. I am 6 foot 5 inches tall, 250 pounds with 6% body fat, six pack abs and arms so big I usually must were sleeveless shirts.

[LJG]

Final palm pictures I will post were from Cambodia at the Angkor Wat Temple. Borassus Flabellifer. These palms were like Washingtonias in SoCal. Everywhere!

These orange Ninjas were all over Asia!

Me, a sunrise, a few palms, and no one else at the Angkor Wat.

Old one.

[BS Man about Palms]

a "semi-solo" PRA I see....

[paulgila]

amazing stuff,len.

who needs dypsis?

cant wait for more.

[Kris]

Dear Len

thanks for the tour & i love the corypha still very much... And i must say i was not bored...Since iam never a fan of the dypsis.Sp

thanks & love,

Kris

[paulgila]

[Tyrone]

Great palm pics, and not boring.

Tyrone

[Jeff Searle]

Len,

Excellent pictures and I'm sure the trip was equally as good. I hope you have lots more to share, as this is a very interesting palm-rich part of the world that we don't see much or hear about very often.

I don't mean to come across as nosey, but what was the reason for going there? Vacation?

Thanks,

Jeff

[SubTropicRay]

Those are amazing shots Len. I'm going to share these with some of my Laoshen co-workers.

[Peter]

Great shots Len; please post more if you got 'em.

[PalmatierMeg]

Great photos of awesome palms. Thanks, Len.

[realarch]

Wow Len, sounds like a great trip. Looking forward to more photos and info on your trip.

Tim

[Okie]

Great pics. Thank you for sharing.

Edited December 10, 2008 by Okie

[BigFrond]

Len,

I don't mean to come across as nosey, but what was the reason for going there? Vacation?

Hmmmm...????

[Kim]

Looking forward to your next installment, really enjoying your photos. Could you please play tour guide and add more info? Not boring at all.

[LJG]

Jeff, without stepping foot in Europe I have been to over 30 countries. I enjoy the third-world and harder to get to places. The main reason was the Angkor Wat temples for this trip. I have dreamed about going their since I was a kid. I have hit Tikal and Machu Picchu. Only fitting to hit Angkor Wat. Laos was close to Angkor Wat and from friends I have heard it was a killer place not ruined by tourist yet. Laos turned out to be a gem and it highly recommended. So yes, it was vacation. No wife and kids as wife is a '5 star' traveler. So every 2 - 3 years she gives me 2 - 3 weeks to head out. What a woman!

I don't mean to come across as nosey, but what was the reason for going there? Vacation?

Thanks,

Jeff

[osideterry]

Great photos and fun thread. You'll have to pardon me for not finishing this reply properly. I need to go re-measure myself - I must be close to 7 ft tall!

[paulgila]

cant believe you went without me,len.i thought we were acquintances.

[bubba]

Thanks for the Palms and the incredible shots of Laos and Cambodia. I showed your Travel Log to a retired partner of our firm(now pompus author in winter residence).He was an Officer in the US Navy SEALS, who was on special assignment to the CIA directing covert paramilitary Vietnamese units in the Mekong Delta during TET and many other operations.

You taught him something because he always thought those palms(Borassus)were Sabals. He wrote a great book aptly named Split/Vision,as it details his War experience followed by his experience in a return in 2000 as a civvie writer(a spook he be no longer).He also apparently spent some time in Cambodia and Laos.(please do not tell Mother Russia)I am his literary agent and his book can be purchased on Amazon and his name is John S. Wilbur Jr. and the title again is Split/Vision.

[paulgila]

hows that for crass commercialism?!?! right in the middle of lens thread

just kidding,bubba.

[Shon]

Very cool Len. That utan is huge.

[paulgila]

glad you finally learned how to post pix,len.

[bubba]

Now that title again is....I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.

[Jeff Searle]

paul,

i notice you always use lower case letters when you start a sentence. i would try to start off with a large letter( it's called capitilized) when beginning a sentence. it looks better.

just trying to help,buddy.probably everyone else has never noticed, but it's starting to irritate me alittle. thanks.

007

[BS Man about Palms]

paul,

i notice you always use lower case letters when you start a sentence. i would try to start off with a large letter( it's called capitilized) when beginning a sentence. it looks better.

just trying to help,buddy.probably everyone else has never noticed, but it's starting to irritate me alittle. thanks.

007

By jove I think he's got it!!

[paulgila]

jeff why is it always about YOU?

i never mention this but my "shift key finger" was horribly disfigured in a guitar string-changing accident & i am quite sensitive about it

so i will ask you to stop drawing attention to it.

[paulgila]

serious question len: those l.saribus look like they have been trimmed but thats a long way to climb.do they just not hold leaves near the horizontal?i never knew they got so tall.

more pix,please.

[LJG]

Paul, I do not think they are trimmed. If you look close it seems jagged edged like wind snapping the dead ones off. But who knows. Even though they were deep in the jungle, maybe someone gets use out of something and climbs up? Not sure how.

I am going to post more picks later. I have a few more.

[Salvades]

Definately not boring. Fantastic shots. I love the Arenga westerhoutii, just beautiful!

[paulgila]

the temple shots are evry cool.

[realarch]

you sure it's not your middle finger that's horribly disfigured?

[JakeK]

awesome trip Len. Can't wait to see more photos.

[paulgila]

you sure it's not your middle finger that's horribly disfigured?

yup,that ones fine.

[freakypalmguy]

Cool stuff Len. I never get a hall pass like that.

[mpiodi]

Great, fantastic pics - even if I didn't succeed to download all the pic with my very slow and impotent african server.

If I imagine my livistona will become as those on your pictures..... Thanks a lot!!

[Jeff in St Pete]

Excellent photos Len! Thanks for posting them.

[steve 9atx]

Len

Thanks for the pics. This part of the world is definitely on my medium term to-do list after

a South America trip in '09. Have you been to Thailand as well?

Steve

[LJG]

Twice Steve. We hit Phuket and Koh Samui in Thailand this trip.

Len

Thanks for the pics. This part of the world is definitely on my medium term to-do list after

a South America trip in '09. Have you been to Thailand as well?

Steve

[LJG]

OK, so I figured I would throw up some no palm tree shots. First Laos.

Here is the town we stayed in. Luang Prabang. You can see why we liked it. Very mellow. This is the main street. You do not find that everyday in SE Asia.

1 day hike. View from top.

Rice farmer with our guide. Lets just call him "Ed". Trust me, it is much easier this way.

Their village.