My last full day in Lao, an especially lazy one. Just what I wanted.
So I'll share a few details and show you some pics of this town. And then it's off to eat a dessert crepe I think and maybe by buy another silver bracelet.
At some point I also need to get the guy I bought my Vietnam VISA for me to find the guy who has the key to the safe where they stored my VISA. They keep saying come back in an hour with their cute little Lao smiles. That's how it works here.
I began my morning (around 11am) with a mixed fruit shake. Oh baby. So yum! They are the bomb in Lao. You just gotta make sure the ice they are using comes from treated water.
This is about as verifiable as Ohio's 2004 election returns. But the shakes are so good that when the nice Lao man says 'Yes' (as they do to anything you ask them), you quickly run through a dizzying array of possible consequences (from diarreah to hospitalization), delude yourself, and order a large one.
After my potentially bacteria-ridden shake, I hit the internet for a bit and discovered my good friend Sarah's aunt Dex and her husband James were in a cafe maybe 75 feet away. Whoa. So we meet up, in Lao. Hi Sarah! We love you!!!
Dex and James were great, indulging me with Vietnam travel advice and smiles that made me certain they were indeed related to Sarah. Also they kindly gave 6 Vietnamese stamps should I want to send postcards, and bought me the worst orange juice I've had since arriving in South East Asia. Hey, 1 for 2 ain't bad.
No really Dex and James are awesome. After hangin' with them, it was a slow stroll, buying another scarf, a visit to the bookshop, loungin' and sipping another fruit shake back at Utopia (see previous post), taking my daily late afternoon shower, and getting propositioned, again.
Just kidding. About the scarf.
So Lao. It was good, but not great. I like this town, but it is kind of touristy. I could have dove deeper, but I wasn't feeling moved to. That said, the Mekong was sweet, boating, fruit shakes, lounging, waterfalls, and attending Burning Lao! That rocked. (See next post). Most of all I think getting a feel for the Lao people was the best part. They are so friendly and sweet, though some of the ones in the tourist industry are just shameless in their schemes to rip you off. The friendliness makes up for it, as does the prettiness of the women.
Alright friends, it is time to move on from here.
Much love and more to come,
Roni
ps - I'm drinking a Coke right now. For dinner I had bread (holy shit!), a salad (holier shit!), and a (crappy) crepe with ham and cheese. I may need to indulge my Western taste buds from time to time on such a long voyage. Toss the 'may' actually. This evening I honestly caught myself wondering if Hanoi has a McDonald's. Oh God.
2 comments:
Haven't seen a MacDonald's, yet, but I have seen two KFCs. You're on your own on that one! Big one on the north side of the lake.
Great that you met up with my aunt and uncle. Just so you know, their names are Decky and Chris (only I call her Dex). Maybe that is why they bought you such a bad orange juice.
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