A Touch of Laos

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I am really sore today. I could barely get my hips working to get me out of bed.

For our morning adventure, we headed toward the local market - the same one where our guide bought bananas for us yesterday. This was maybe not the best idea… the first thing we see laid out for sale… a couple of rats. We went on to see a fox-like creature, snake on a stick, and bats. Apart from all the intestines and other meat substitutes we’ve seen at other markets, these meat substitutes were the nastiest. Now, we haven’t seen any rats in the streets, or anywhere. So, either there aren’t that many, or they catch them and eat them right away. In any case, it made us both a little suspicious of the beef kabob we ate with lunch yesterday ;-0

Before ending yesterday’s adventure, we organized for a half day kayak with Buon. And, even though we were on the Nam Xang again, it felt like a different river today. It was more tranquil, maybe because we hit the water so early today and didn’t get to it until late afternoon yesterday.

It’s wild how much water is in Laos, considering this is a land-locked country. And, maybe this is something specific to this area, I don’t know. From rising in the morning and going to the river to bath and brush teeth, to fishing for food, to irrigating the rice paddies, to traveling along in a long boat, the Nam Xang is a life force for these folks.

In the afternoon, I experienced my first Lao massage. Wow! It felt so good, even the part when I was on my stomach and he was stepping on my hamstrings and pulling my arms back toward him as he attempted to lift my body from the waist up. I have to do this morning often; it cost $2.50 for an hour.

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