Long Cheng Walkaround

[bsacbob]

Since we arrived late evening, we decided to spend the next day in Long Cheng and have a stroll around, here are some shots to add to those from my earlier visit back in April 2015 http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-...ns-outs-long-cheng-tieng-lima-site-20a-2.html

Vang Pao's house, if only these walls could talk back in the day the building had AA guns mounted on the roof.


2015-11-14 08.54.55 by bsacbob, on Flickr


Various Air America/ Military buildings lay empty the only ones that have been restored appear to be the Lao armies camp.


2015-11-14 09.00.07 by bsacbob, on Flickr

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2015-11-14 09.00.39 by bsacbob, on Flickr

2015-11-14 09.04.08 by bsacbob, on Flickr


Walking through the gardens near the ramp, this pig being scorched of it's fur ready for the butcher.


2015-11-14 09.07.02 by bsacbob, on Flickr


Propellant canisters being used as building supports.


2015-11-14 09.08.04 by bsacbob, on Flickr


On the ramp area Russian 4WD parked next to the bomb proof buildings i asked to look inside and was politely refused by the military we sat drinking with.


2015-11-14 09.11.44 by bsacbob, on Flickr


2015-11-14 09.16.57 by bsacbob, on Flickr


Dinner bell.


2015-11-14 09.14.20 by bsacbob, on Flickr


Behind these substantial buildings on the ramp i notice some other stone buildings, maybe these could be the remnants of the CIA bar and the famous drinking bear Floyd ?


2015-11-14 09.15.19 by bsacbob, on Flickr


Shot across the ramp, over in the right of the picture is some sort of vented workshop, the army guy's said next year we would be free to look inside they said it housed various aircraft parts.


2015-11-14 09.20.26 by bsacbob, on Flickr


In the distance the abandoned Wat, next to it is the living accommodation for the monk who will arrive in December.


2015-11-14 09.40.07 by bsacbob, on Flickr



This structure and tower adjacent in just down from the wat no information of its purpose but it's isolated from the rest of the buildings.


2015-11-14 10.29.55 by bsacbob, on Flickr


Tower of some kind to the left of the shot.

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New home for the monk.


2015-11-14 10.34.48 by bsacbob, on Flickr


Some more of the Wat Sergio managed to grab a great picture of the internal whilst balanced on an old table, hopefully he will share it here.


2015-11-14 10.34.55 by bsacbob, on Flickr


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2015-11-14 10.46.54 by bsacbob, on Flickr


Untitled by bsacbob, on Flickr


Untitled by bsacbob, on Flickr


Untitled by bsacbob, on Flickr


Walking back i stopped to give out some sweets, this smart little girl didn't have hands big enough so rolled up her jumper.


2015-11-14 12.49.07 by bsacbob, on Flickr


Steve preparing for takeoff.

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The skyline ridge.


2015-11-14 13.00.04 by bsacbob, on Flickr

 

[kchow24]

Great report, looking forward to it...
By the way, you guys staying in Long Cheng? Accommodation is available there?

 

[bsacbob]

Look In laos accommodation I have put the co ords of the in the long cheng section


http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-forum/accommodation-laos/7604-long-cheng-accommodation.html

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Harrythefinn]

The building with the tower past the wat is the old hospital and new clinic. We had a chat to the doctor and his staff there last time, quite friendly.

Pleasant surprise to see accommodation for a monk being built, progress in a way.

Thanks for the pictures.

 

[Lone Rider]

The building with the tower past the wat is the old hospital and new clinic. We had a chat to the doctor and his staff there last time, quite friendly.

Pleasant surprise to see accommodation for a monk being built, progress in a way.

Thanks for the pictures.

Yes, Harry is right as it is the former hospital with the tower behind it being the water tank. I do have a drawing with the layout of Longchaeng during the war and the open shed which Bob mentions might be the rigging shed where loads (including ammunition, etc.) were assembled to be dropped by plane or delivered by choppers during the day. By the way, in April 2014 there was a young monk resident in the Wat in Longchaeng but during our visit in December the monk was no longer there.

Here is the layout drawing and I will dig through my pictures for the description of each number shown on the drawing. Most of the items shown are the houses of important people within VP's army though.



OK, found also the picture with the description of each number on the map with the layout. The present day Guesthouse is more or less in between the numbers 40 and 41 on the map.



Source of the layout and description: Sky is Falling - An oral history of the CIA's evacuation of the Hmong from Laos by Gayle L. Morrison

 

[bsacbob]

The building with the tower past the wat is the old hospital and new clinic. We had a chat to the doctor and his staff there last time, quite friendly.

Pleasant surprise to see accommodation for a monk being built, progress in a way.

Thanks for the pictures.

Thanks Harry, as you say progress, but you can't help but feel they will destroy the place when it eventually opens up to tourism, while i was there several teams could be seen scanning either side of the runway and along the side access road that runs parallel to it for ordnance, i was told it was for new construction work to take place. I hope the get it right and do some like Vieng Xai and have some sort of audio tour put in place so visitors can fully appreciate the history.

Great layout Auke will certainly help put the pieces together.

 

[Lone Rider]

And here is a screengrab of Longchaeng in my latest Laos GPS map.

 

[bsacbob]

I forgot to mention there is a nice new sign outside the Army camp on the runway saying "no pictures" i suggest people observe so as not to provoke them. The Army are also very sensitive for some reason of pictures around the garage area where the old mobile crane and such like is stored next to the new market

 

[KTMphil]

Some waypoints I made when I was there

And here is a screengrab of Longchaeng in my latest Laos GPS map.

View attachment 41632

 

[The Bigfella]

I forgot to mention there is a nice new sign outside the Army camp on the runway saying "no pictures" i suggest people observe so as not to provoke them. The Army are also very sensitive for some reason of pictures around the garage area where the old mobile crane and such like is stored next to the new market

Indeed. I made sure I didn't take photos of these old trucks

 

[Lone Rider]

Since we arrived late evening, we decided to spend the next day in Long Cheng and have a stroll around, here are some shots to add to those from my earlier visit back in April 2015 http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-...ns-outs-long-cheng-tieng-lima-site-20a-2.html

Vang Pao's house, if only these walls could talk back in the day the building had AA guns mounted on the roof.


2015-11-14 08.54.55 by bsacbob, on Flickr

Some pictures of the house and inside of Vang Pao's house (pictures copyright Houmpheng Manisouk)

 

[Lone Rider]

New home for the monk.


2015-11-14 10.34.48 by bsacbob, on Flickr


Some more of the Wat Sergio managed to grab a great picture of the internal whilst balanced on an old table, hopefully he will share it here.


2015-11-14 10.34.55 by bsacbob, on Flickr

Some pictures of the inside of the wat in Long Chaeng which has now again some monks living there (pictures copyright Houmpheng Manisouk)


Buddhism is alive











The history of this wat is still a bit of an unknown - some stories indicate that the wife of Vang Pao initiated the construction in honour of the Lao people and their religion sometime in the late sixties with the construction finished in the early seventies while other stories have it that the temple was finished in the late sixties by a Buddhist Monk which had ties with Udon Thani. Anyway, the wat was basically abandoned after the war and only during the last few years the Buddhist wat has been open again with a few monks residing at the wat.

The wat under construction (copyright unknown)

 

[2wheels]

I really like this photo of Bob's.
So tranquil.



Have you got a construction date with that photo Auke?

 

[bsacbob]

According to this article it was built in 1972, although i think it was earlier, Auke is more clued up on this.

http://www.unforgettable-laos.com/go...xieng-khouang/

 

[Pounce]

Some from January, I haven't done a report from the last trip & probably won't.

Outside


The front door


Part of the ceiling


Cheeky novice, he tried explain as he showed me around