Food..lots and lots of food and beer

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The past few days have been so much fun and I feel I have experienced so much Lao culture already! Christmas day the staff told me not to work on the farm. It's no holiday for most Laotians, but they were nice enough to buy fake snow spray cans and we had a little celebration at the house. Later that evening, we had some beer Lao (I don't like beer, but if someone offers you anything you must accept) and Davone and Sai took me to a few bars. There were many falangs( laotians call any foreigner that)! The next day for lunch Sai invited me to a house warming party. One of his friends just built a house and it was a festival with many many people and tons of food..and beer Lao. As usual you can't deny offerings so I took a few shots of Lao lao(whiskey) and had a couple cups of beer..It was only 1030 at the time. Anyways part of the tradition the guests tie yarn around the wrists of the family members of the house and wish them luck and good health. I didn't do it though, because I didn't want to bring any attention to myself. After, we worked a bit more on the farm and then, on our way home, met up with some of Sai's friends for some pork, other foods, and beer Lao. I left early because Sai invited me to a wedding that was only a few hours away! I still had a twenty minute bike ride, but I stopped a few times to take in the sun setting just behind the hills. It is so beautiful and indescribable! I wasn't able to take a successful picture with my phone because half the picture was sunny and the other half was in the shade and with my iPhone, it just made it all dark. Anyways, there was one of the hills that still had the sun shining on top of it and the view looked like it could be in a peaceful dream. I don't know what else to say besides that I love it here! I will write about the wedding in my next blog! Pai Gawn!
-Dawn

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