Brunei Darussalam - Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

The largest and most magnificent mosque in Brunei, it was built to commemorate the 25th anniversary of His Majesty's reign. Its gold-topped domes tower over artfully landscaped gardens and fountains.

Sent by Valor Lim, from Kuala Belait, Brunei.

The Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque (Malay: Masjid Omar Ali Saifuddien) or unofficially Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque (SOAS Mosque), is a mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei, is credited with building the mosque, thus its name. It is one of the two state mosques (masjid negara), the other Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque. One of the biggest and most striking mosques in the Far East, it was completed in 1958 at a cost of $5 million USD. The Mughal architecture of India had a significant effect on the design (read further).

USA - Utah - Zion National Park (3)

RED ARCH MOUNTAIN

ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH

Gigantic red sandstone monument known as the Red Arch Mountain, towers above the meandering Virgin River.

Sent by CAJW from Texas, USA.

My other two Zion National Park postcards are here and here.

India - Tamil Nadu - Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram

VARAHA PANEL

MAHABALIPURAM

Sent by Sashreek from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

This group of sanctuaries, founded by the Pallava kings, was carved out of rock along the Coromandel coast in the 7th and 8th centuries. It is known especially for its rathas (temples in the form of chariots), mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air reliefs such as the famous 'Descent of the Ganges', and the temple of Rivage, with thousands of sculptures to the glory of Shiva (read further).

Canada - Alberta - Fort Chipewyan

Blueberry picking,

Fort Chipewyan, Alberta.

Sent by Mykalah from Alberta, Canada.

Fort Chipewyan /ˈtʃɪpəwaɪən, -pwaɪ-, ˈtʃɪpəwən/, commonly referred to as Fort Chip, is an unincorporated hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada, within the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo (read further).

Maldives - Oblu-Helengeli

MALDIVES

Oblu-Helengeli

Sent by myself during my trip to Maldives (8th - 11th December 2024). Reached my mailbox on 10th February 2025 (about 2 months). Apparently, other recipients of my postcards from Maldives receive theirs about a month ago. For the past two weeks, I have had heated arguments with Pos Malaysia about bad deliveres in my area.

James Dickson Innes's "Pembroke Coast"

JAMES DICKSON INNES (1887 - 1914)

"Pembroke Coast", Öl auf Holz, National Museum Wales.

Sent by Lili, a postcrosser from Münster, Germany.

This landscape of about 1911 depicts the cliffs at Stackpole Quay looking towards Caldey Island in South Pembrokeshire. It reveals Innes's landscape style at its closest to that of Augustus John, at the time when the two artists often painted together (source).

Bathing Beauty

Bathing Beauty.

Sent by Silvia, a postcrosser from Jüchen, Germany.

Bathing Beauty is a 1944 American musical romantic comedy film directed by George Sidney, and starring Red Skelton and Esther Williams (read further).

Vatican City - Saint Peter's Basilica (2)

Saint Peter's Basilica.

This is my second postcard of Saint Peter's Basilica. My first is here.

Sent by Roberto, from Italy.

United Kingdom - Scotland - Isle of Skye

M24 NEIST POINT

Sent by Team Loch Bay in Isle of Skye, Scotland, United Kingdom. Thank you very much.

Tripadvisor Top Ten Restaurants in Isle of Skye : Loch Bay Restaurant.

The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country. Although Sgitheanach has been suggested to describe a winged shape, no definitive agreement exists as to the name's origin (read further).

India - Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area

Great Himalayan National Park in the Kullu region of Himachal Pradesh, is characterized by high alpine peaks, alpine meadows and riverine forests. The 90,540 ha property includes the upper mountain glacial and snow-melt water source origins of several rivers, and the catchments of water supplies that are vital to millions of downstream users. It is part of the Himalaya biodiversity hotspot and includes 25 forest types along with a rich assemblage of fauna species, several of which are threatened. This gives the site outstanding significance for biodiversity conservation (read further).

Sent by Begum, a Postcrosser from India.

Germany - Cologne

Greetings From Cologne.

Sent by Anni who lives in Cologne, Germany.

Cologne is the largest city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3.1 million people in the Cologne Bonn urban region. Cologne is also part of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, the second biggest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union. Centered on the left (west) bank of the Rhine, Cologne is located on the River Rhine (Lower Rhine), about 35 km (22 mi) southeast of the North Rhine-Westphalia state capital Düsseldorf and 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Bonn, the former capital of West Germany (read further).

Laos - Opa Village

Located on the heights of the Nam Ou, O'pa villages are hard to reach.

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024. 

Laos - I Tu Waterfall

I Tu Waterfall, Paksong, Champasak, LAO P.D.R.

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024. 

Laos - Young Girl KO LOMA

Northern Laos - Young Girl KO LOMA

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024. 

Laos - Young Girl Hmong Khao

Hmong Khao belonging to the Lao ung Group or "Hill tribe Lao", Hmong-Mien language and Tibetan-Burmese origin.

I bought this postcard for my wife during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

The Hmong people (RPA: Hmoob, CHV: Hmôngz, IPA: [m̥ɔ̃́], Chinese: 苗族蒙人) are an indigenous group in East Asia and Southeast Asia. In China, the Hmong people are classified as a sub-group of the Miao people. The modern Hmong reside mainly in Southwestern China and Mainland Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar (read further).

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024. 

Laos - Young Girl Opa

The O'pa are one of the smallest branches of the Tibetan-Burmese family (lolo-Burman), their group is one of the most mysterious of Laos.

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024. 

Laos - Boun Fai

The Rocket Festival ບຸນບັ້ງໄຟ Bun Bang Fai.

The festival typically begins at the beginning of the rainy season, during the sixth or seventh lunar month.

The party begins with the musical performances and dances, parades of floats on the second day and culminates on the third with contests of firing homemade rockets.

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

The Rocket Festival (Thai: ประเพณีบุญบั้งไฟ, romanized: Prapheni Bun Bang Fai, Lao: ບຸນບັ້ງໄຟ, romanized: Bun Bang Fai) is a merit-making ceremony traditionally practiced by ethnic Lao people at the beginning of the wet season in various villages and municipalities in Northeastern Thailand and Laos. The festivities typically include music and dance performances, competitive processions of floats, dancers, and musicians on the second day, and the competitive firing of homemade rockets on the third day. Local participants and sponsors take advantage of the occasion to enhance their social prestige, as is customary at traditional Buddhist folk festivals throughout Southeast Asia (read further).

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024. 

Laos - Ponsavanh - Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang – Plain of Jars

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

The Plain of Jars, located on a plateau in central Laos, gets its name from more than 2,100 tubular-shaped megalithic stone jars used for funerary practices in the Iron Age. This serial property of 15 components contains large carved stone jars, stone discs, secondary burials, tombstones, quarries and funerary objects dating from 500 BCE to 500 CE. The jars and associated elements are the most prominent evidence of the Iron Age civilization that made and used them until it disappeared, around 500 CE (read further).

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024. 

Laos - Champasak - Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape

Wat Phu, Champasak, LAO P.D.R.

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

The Champasak cultural landscape, including the Vat Phou Temple complex, is a remarkably well-preserved planned landscape more than 1,000 years old. It was shaped to express the Hindu vision of the relationship between nature and humanity, using an axis from mountain top to river bank to lay out a geometric pattern of temples, shrines and waterworks extending over some 10 km. Two planned cities on the banks of the Mekong River are also part of the site, as well as Phou Kao mountain. The whole represents a development ranging from the 5th to 15th centuries, mainly associated with the Khmer Empire (read further).

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024. 

Laos - The Buddha Park (Wat Xieng Khuan)

ວັດຊຽງຄວນ : Buddha Park, also known as Xieng Khuan, is a sculpture park located 25km southeast from Vientiane, in a meadow by the Mekong River.
The park may be referred to as Wat Xieng Khuan : วัดเซียงควน, since it contains numerous religious images.
The name Xieng Khuan means Spirit City.
The park contains over 200 Hindu and Buddhist statues. 

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

The matching stamp.

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024. 

Laos - Savannakhet - Hochak Wat Nonglamchanh

Hochak Wat Nonglamchanh. P. Savannakhet, LAO P.D.R.

I bought this postcard for my wife during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024. 

Laos - Vientiane - Presidential Palace

Presidential Palace
Located near SIsaket Temple in the junction of Lane Xang Avenue and Settathirath Road.
The building was first started in 1973 and ended in 1986.
It is a well-known landmark for its imposing yet elegant Beaux-Arts.

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

The Presidential Palace is the official residence of the President of Laos, who, by convention, also holds the position of General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. It is located on the banks of the Mekong River in the capital city, Vientiane (read further).

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024. 

Laos - 4,000 Island

4000 Islands - LAOS

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

The Si Phan Don (Lao: ສີ່ພັນດອນ; meaning '4,000 islands') is a riverine archipelago in the Mekong River, Champasak Province in southern Laos. Si Phan Don is part of Khong District, including the islands and part of the mainland in the east. Si Phan Don is dotted with numerous islands, half of which are submerged when the Mekong River is in flood. The principal islands of Si Phan Don are Don Khong (the largest), Don Som (the second largest), Don Det and Don Khon. Si Phan Don borders Cambodia and historical and cultural ties link the people on both side of the border. Pakse is the closest of the bigger cities in Laos to the area (read further).

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024.

Laos - Vientiane - National Stadium

Lao National Stadium PK 16

Photo © Lao National Football Federation

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

The Laos National Stadium or formally Anouvong Stadium (official name), also known as Vientiane Provincial stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Vientiane, Laos. It is named after Chao Anouvong, King of Vientiane. It is used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 20,000 people. Since 2008, some matches of the Lao League have been played there.

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024.

Laos - Vientiane - Patouxai

Patouxai - Vientiane.

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

Patuxai (Lao: ປະຕູໄຊ, pronounced [pā.tùː sáj] ; literally Victory Gate or Gate of Triumph, formerly the Anousavary or Anosavari Monument, known by the French as Monument Aux Morts) is a war monument in Downtown Vientiane, Laos, built between 1957 and 1968. The Patuxai was dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France. In romanizing the name from the Laotian language, it is variously transliterated as Patuxai, Patuxay, Patousai and Patusai. It is also called Patuxai Arch or the Arc de Triomphe of Vientiane as it resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. However, it is typically Laotian in design, decorated with mythological creatures such as the kinnari (half-female, half-bird). (read further)

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024.