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Published: April 18th 2008
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We let Jaz sleep late this morning while the rest of us went out for a walk to get a look at the town as it came to life. Of course, we didn’t leave until 9:00, so it had come to life hours earlier, but we’ll try for an earlier start tomorrow.
We walked along the river, admiring the leftover French colonial architecture sprinkled in among the temples, finding the morning market where people shop for food, and walking all along the edge of town finding new restaurants with riverside tables and umbrellas under leafy palms and other greenery. People were sweeping the streets or washing the sidewalks in front of their businesses and homes, opening their shops, and generally going about life in a purposeful but unhurried style.
We ran into some kids selling trinkets from cardboard trays - keychains, bracelets, other things we didn’t want or need - but they were so charming and engaging (and insistent) that we ended up buying one bracelet from each of them at ridiculously inflated prices. The first one who approached me offered her items and said, “Buy from me! I’m Number One!” Immediately, a boy approached and she
quickly informed me, “He’s Number Two!” Another girl joined the gathering crowd, and the boy let me know that
she was Number Three. When two more kids came running, I said, “Oh no! Here come Number Four and Five!” The first (and littlest) girl reminded me again, “I’m Number One. Buy from me, and Number Two and Three!” All of this was very good-natured as they were obviously friends and enjoying the game. After many minutes of wrangling about prices - they were hard bargainers and wouldn’t give up much - and making sure that I bought one thing from each of them, and that they each got paid appropriately, they happily posed for photographs. Almost 12 hours later, when we eating dinner at a restaurant in town, they came up to our table with big smiles, saying “I remember you! You buy more? You buy me pizza?” They hung around for a few minutes, hamming it up and bantering with us, then went on their way.
We found our way back to the guesthouse, lounged around for a bit, reading and eating and puttering in our rooms, and at 1:00 we went to take a boat trip down
the Mekong River to the
Pak Ou caves. The boatman had approached us as we were out walking this morning and offered his boat and services for the afternoon for the princely sum of $12 per person, so we took him up on his offer. As planned, he was waiting for us at the appointed place, and we climbed aboard his boat with our beer- and soda-laden backpack, and settled in for a 2-hour trip downriver.
It was cool and comfortable on the water, the perfect place to be at the hottest time of the day. Laos is definitely not as hot as anywhere else we’ve been, and is even downright comfortable early in the morning, but it’s still hot compared to anything we’re used to, and we were glad for the respite.
The river was quiet with very little boat traffic, but we spotted water buffalo in the water, kids swimming, men fishing, and at one point we came across what seemed to be a huge family party on the riverbank. The hills around us were lovely and quite lush and green, though far more irregular and jagged-looking than the hills at home.
Along the way
Baguettes - leftover from French colonial times
Well, actually, they bake them fresh every day, but the tradition of the baguette is leftover! to the caves, our driver stopped so we could visit a traditional whiskey-making village. At the top of the steep climb up the riverbank, we came upon a rustic still and a rustic-looking guy making Lao rice wine and rice whiskey. The finished product was expertly packaged in bottles covered with woven wrappers, and some was in clear glass bottles with snakes and scorpions floating inside. He had a little tasting area set up and offered little shot glasses of all varieties (red wine, white wine, 90 proof whiskey) to sample. The boys enjoyed their tastes, and I passed after one little sip. Purchases were made, and everyone parted ways happily.
The caves themselves were really stunning. There are two caves, and they are both used as a final resting place for Buddha statues. The larger of the two caves must have thousands of Buddhas, large and small, in many poses and made of many materials. Even without all the Buddhas, the caves would be interesting - they are huge vaulted openings in the side of the mountain, with what look like sheets of dripping rock hanging over the entrance. They have nooks and crannies, twists and turns, and
different levels. Even the walk to the further cave was interesting, taking us up several hundred stairs through jungle-like greenery buzzing loudly with insects.
It took less time to get back to Luang Prabang as we were now traveling with the current. The passing scenery was enjoyable, more and more kids were swimming in the river (sometimes without an adult in sight), and the light as the sun dropped lower in the sky made everything glow.
Returning to the guesthouse around 5:30, we were in need of showers before heading off for some dinner. We had pizza in mind - I was particularly craving familiar food after being on the road for 3 ½ weeks. We found a restaurant with seating that gave us a view of the sidewalk, and had some kind of lousy pizza but good entertainment.
From there, we felt the need to go 30 feet up the street to a bar that advertised “Happy Hour 6-9 pm, cocktails half price.” We love a three-hour Happy Hour, so we settled into a new set of good people-watching seats and ordered interesting cocktails (and a fruit shake for Jaz - she requires at least two
per day, I think.) The drinks were delicious and powerful, and the kids entertained all of us by taking silly photos of themselves.
That was it for me - I was done for the day - but everyone else was ready to hit the market again. Off they went while I stayed behind to load photos and write a blog entry, and they came back a couple of hours later with more entertaining stories about Steve’s poor bargaining skills. Steve’s suitcase is now beginning to bulge at the seams, and we haven’t even made it to Cambodia yet. I don’t know what he’s got in there, but he keeps saying that he brought too many clothes, so I worry he’s going to start leaving clothes behind to make room for more stuff.
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Steve
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Hi all, Jess is losing motivation to blog because no one is responding, get with it if you want to read more. THANKS. See you soon. Take care, Steve