Strolling arm and arm, gazing to our left and right, throwing our heads back in unbridled and spontaneous laughter, the night is alive around us. What a fantastic evening, the town uncurls its petals for us to delight in. The sights! The smells! The sounds! We playfully fantasize about the dreamy boy at our hostel, come to think of it, all the boys around here are cutie pies. Their smiles so warm and inviting we both agree. Shall we try the sparrow my darling sister, just because we can? Or should we pass this evening and instead opt for the noodle whatever-that-is over there? This banana ice cream just may, be the best thing I’ve ever eaten! Oh joy! Then everything stops. Oh, fucking, sweet Mary, I need a toilet and I need one now! We squeeze each other closer and pick up the pace desperately scanning the nearby restaurants hoping to find somewhere to stop. Phew, a few minutes later balance has once again been restored, and we can continue on with our gallant stroll and idealized evening. AND, believe me, it is idealized, because a little stomach funk is the small price one pays to experience the amazing delights that this world has to offer. If that sounds to be too much for you, maybe ya best go back inside your house and stick to watching the fun from your TV set.
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| Hmong Market |
Stretching out our arms we count the new bug bites we got in our sleep as we meander over to a nearby café to get our morning fix. Only about a half dozen each, not bad compared to other days. Thank whatever powers that be for blessing us with coffee and I really mean that more sincerely than you could ever know. Coffee in hand we hurry to meet the van that will take us out to Kouang Si waterfalls. Upon arrival we split from our fellow riders and up towards the falls. At the base of the park there was a
black bear sanctuary; pouching is a problem in the area, apparently. Most visitors decided to stay out at the base of the falls, but we thought that was kinda weak and so went forward to push our luck with time and trek to the top. Looking out over the whole valley, with our feet in that fresh and flowing water we couldn’t much more appreciate the beauty of nature all around us.
Getting back into town we stopped for a $5 foot massage. Here’s the funny thing about being in a place like this for me. I can become very conflicted, hmm not morally, but I guess personally ideologically. Sleeping on a crappy cot and eating simple food and being outside makes me feel like this is what life’s all about. Simplicity. You really don’t need much to get by and not just get by but be completely happy. I feel fantastic, like I could marry a local man, run a little shop and exist in the same way as so many have before me, content. Then, following that breath I buy an amazing hand crafted silver necklace that costs what people here make in 2-4 months and go on some “expensive” tour. Here’s another doozy of an example for ya. After talking to some back packers they recommended we hit up a bar called
Utopia for our “late night” fun (I use quotes because the country has a curfew of 12am). We finally find it after walking down some dark alleys, wondering if this is a good idea after all. It really is a little utopia. Tucked away, it opens to a great space, floor filled with pillows, people lounging; a manicured back yard space with tables hidden under trees and a large volley ball court. Ok, so? Well I start to look around and all over as decorations are bomb or landmine shells. It just strikes me as being wildly inappropriate. This space was clearly not created for Laotian nationals, but does that make it ok? Are we all too inebriated to remember reading the paragraph of Laotian history in our guidebooks? So what would you do? I had a fun night, cool spot, my sister and I even invented a game that I can’t mention here because you might steel our BRILLIANT idea! We met some interesting characters, sometimes I just wish I could be the one to stand up and storm out over something like this. On the other hand, it is just a bar and maybe this is proving just how much I need to relax and drink! However, it did taint the ambiance, at least a tad - come on bar owner, is that really necessary, oh and can I get a refill?
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| Relax Cat. |
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| We actually ate that fat, thinking it was fish. Smartness. |
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| Oooo fire! |
So many other little things happened in Laos, but I’ll leave you on that note. As well as the fact that I finally got my Beer Khao; even though that means absolutely nothing to you.
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| Don't worry, plenty safe. |
