Montana?

big pine trees, originally uploaded by c_p_lew.

Strange but true, I took this picture this afternoon in Phonsavan. Our guest was staying at the old French hotel, a series of cottages on the top of a hill, surrounded by pine trees. The air was so full of piney freshness and the wind was blowing through the trees; for a moment, I thought I was in Montana.

I walked around, taking pictures. One thing that Montana does not have are the old bomb craters on the top of the hill. The hotel used to have bombs on display but they have been removed.

When I first moved to Phonsavan, I would sometimes walk up here on cold and cloudy days. In the dark afternoons, I'd drink a glass of wine and sit next to the fireplace while watching the clouds race across the sky, or the fog make portions of the landscape appear and disappear.

mountains and flower, originally uploaded by c_p_lew.

Another view from the Phou Pha Daeng Hotel. I'll have to scan some old pictures I've taken from this location - the houses on the outskirts of Phonsavan have grown. The roads on the far hills are about 3 years old - they go up to a gold and copper mine.