laos, c'est bon
so, before i get to talking about the 2 day boat trip and the mekong and laos and all that... how come nobody asked about the banana t-shirt adventure? i mean, come on - that sounds like a good story, doesn't it? fine. well i won't tell if you don't want to know. so there. but there was also cabbage and eggplant involved. harumph!
to answer questions: yes, heidi, i am aware i will be making you asian breakfasts.
mom - the hmong village was huge - 644 people or so, up in the hills - they had houses made from wood or concrete with bamboo roofs and it was all pretty comfortable. i think the guy we stayed with even had cable tv. the six of us slept in two rooms on mattresses on the floor with mosquito nets and comfy quilts. not a problem at all.
moving on. the slow boat to laos was absolutely surreal. picture about 100 whities on a long skinny boat full of wooden benches with the most thin pathetic blue handsewn "pillows" on them. i think all our backpacks weighed more than all of us. the mountain of them in the back was quite a sight. one guy had a girl giving him dreds for the whole 2 days - when we left the boat, he still wasn't finished. another few already had their dreds in place - one guys were all the way down his back. just about everyone looked like what you'd expect when you say "backpacker" and there were little Lao kids that plied the aisle saying "beerlao beerlao" and selling the huge bottles for 10,000 kip (about $1) to the many outstretched hands. People chatted with everyone around them - sharing guidebooks and travel stories - oh you're from new zealand? we loved new zealand... oh you went to india to work in the hospital? how was that?... did you like that book because i keep meaning to pick it up... and so on and so forth. we chatted with another american about america and He Who Must Not Be Named and other matters too. the brits across the aisle sent a bag of disgusting squid ball snakcs around the boat just to see the "eew!" faces as the more daring passengers stuck one in their mouths (and usually promptly removed them) before passing the bag along. people shared their bags of lychee and peanuts and fried rice and sandwiches... it was cool but WEIRD. Then we all descended on the town of Pak Beng. After 6 or 7 hours on the boat (sore butt!), we all donned our luggage and went in search of accomodation, trying to find the good cheap room before someone else snatched it up. have to rush. they're coming. so we found a place for about $2.50 and it had a fan and mosquito net. we took it. we discovered later that the place right next door had huge rooms with 2 double beds and ensuite bathrooms for only $.50 more. alas. dinner was at a surprisingly delicious indian restaurant next door (got takeaway for next day's lunch on the boat - no boring fried rice for us). then a short walk to look at the brilliant moon above the mekong before bed. the electricity in the whole town went off at 10pm, so we were fanless, but we had 2 windows so the breeze helped.
next morning everyone got up (life in this town must be so strange - wait for the boat every evening around 5, be really busy until 9 the next morning, then quiet all day. i think no one goes there unless they're on this boat trip...), bought their snacks and sandwiches for that day's 7 hour journey, and proceeded down to the "pier" (read: rocky slope down to the water). the boat was considerably smaller but, happily the cushions were much less pathetic. you couldn't even feel the seat when you were sitting on it! everyone had to double up in their seats though, that day. except, for some reason, me. like the kid who doesn't get picked for volleyball in PE class until the coach forces one team captain to take her, nobody sat with me. not the kiwi i talked to the day before, not the american we chatted with, not even the israeli we couldn't get off our backs in chiang khong. i was the only one. but hey, i got to spread out, right? still, it felt a little insulting. it seems all the other passengers bonded the previous night over their beerlao and weed and staying up to the wee hours. so cast aside, i was. the cliques were formed and it was the second week of college all over again.
the ride was long - i read almost the entirety of a good book by a singaporean author: following the wrong god home by catherine lim - took me back to singapore and its interesting politics a bit - and i attempted to chat with the lao man who got on partway through the ride at one of the small villages that dotted the green hills along the banks. unfortunately, all i know how to say in lao is hello and thank you, so our conversation was pretty short. but nabia did a little better with the lao guy next to her (the american who had been sitting there moved elsewhere to chat with other friends): they listened to salsa music together on her iRiver most of the way down.
so. 7 hours, some rain and lightning, a tiny bit too much listing sitdownsitdownsitdownsitdownsitdownyou'rerockintheboat), and a very sore bum later, we arrived in luang prabang. other groups piled into songthiaws together and headed off to some agreed upon destination. we took our packs on backs and started a-walking to the place tammy and kelly recommended. we showered (much needed as always) and set out. there was a big night market we walked down - beautiful blankets and silks and textiles and pants and purses and lamps and umbrellas and baskets... happily, we couldn't buy anything cuz we hadn't changed any money yet. i sold a book, and we had kip for dinner. we had fish laap. that's minced fish with herbs like mint and basil all moshed together and eaten with sticky rice (with the hands of course). yum. then sleep. now here we are, having slept in for the first time in a LONG time, having eaten a crepe each at a cute restaurant, and planning a massage for this afternoon, to ease our sore backs and bums.
laos was occupied by the french for a while and also was a french colony of sorts, so there's lots left over from that time. french names for things, crepes and baguettes, french architecture... that type of thing. i'm looking forward to more exploring, but today is all about getting our strength back and planning a bit more. we've mapped out the time for the rest of the trip - loosely of course - but it's amazing how close to over it is. i know 5 months is a long time, but when we're looking at the calendar, june is already here, july will go fast, then august is so soon and then september is right before october, which is the end! it flies. i don't know how far we'll really make it and to be honest, if we didn't already have the plane ticket to south africa, we'd probably just spend the rest of our time in asia. but i think we can get to south africa, madagascar, and namibia in the time remaining before i have to get to a place i can fly home from (read: europe - so em, maybe maybe) and jet home for the wedding that i am excited for but wish was a few months later.
ok. that's all for now i think. there is a string of internet cafes mixed in with the guest houses and restaurants and tour companies in the "backpacker area" that seems to get set up in all these popular towns. laos only opened to tourists in 1989, so i'm surprised it's here - i didn't realize THAT many people visited, but apparently they do, so convenient for me. and you.
peace out, yo.
amy
email me
to answer questions: yes, heidi, i am aware i will be making you asian breakfasts.
mom - the hmong village was huge - 644 people or so, up in the hills - they had houses made from wood or concrete with bamboo roofs and it was all pretty comfortable. i think the guy we stayed with even had cable tv. the six of us slept in two rooms on mattresses on the floor with mosquito nets and comfy quilts. not a problem at all.
moving on. the slow boat to laos was absolutely surreal. picture about 100 whities on a long skinny boat full of wooden benches with the most thin pathetic blue handsewn "pillows" on them. i think all our backpacks weighed more than all of us. the mountain of them in the back was quite a sight. one guy had a girl giving him dreds for the whole 2 days - when we left the boat, he still wasn't finished. another few already had their dreds in place - one guys were all the way down his back. just about everyone looked like what you'd expect when you say "backpacker" and there were little Lao kids that plied the aisle saying "beerlao beerlao" and selling the huge bottles for 10,000 kip (about $1) to the many outstretched hands. People chatted with everyone around them - sharing guidebooks and travel stories - oh you're from new zealand? we loved new zealand... oh you went to india to work in the hospital? how was that?... did you like that book because i keep meaning to pick it up... and so on and so forth. we chatted with another american about america and He Who Must Not Be Named and other matters too. the brits across the aisle sent a bag of disgusting squid ball snakcs around the boat just to see the "eew!" faces as the more daring passengers stuck one in their mouths (and usually promptly removed them) before passing the bag along. people shared their bags of lychee and peanuts and fried rice and sandwiches... it was cool but WEIRD. Then we all descended on the town of Pak Beng. After 6 or 7 hours on the boat (sore butt!), we all donned our luggage and went in search of accomodation, trying to find the good cheap room before someone else snatched it up. have to rush. they're coming. so we found a place for about $2.50 and it had a fan and mosquito net. we took it. we discovered later that the place right next door had huge rooms with 2 double beds and ensuite bathrooms for only $.50 more. alas. dinner was at a surprisingly delicious indian restaurant next door (got takeaway for next day's lunch on the boat - no boring fried rice for us). then a short walk to look at the brilliant moon above the mekong before bed. the electricity in the whole town went off at 10pm, so we were fanless, but we had 2 windows so the breeze helped.
next morning everyone got up (life in this town must be so strange - wait for the boat every evening around 5, be really busy until 9 the next morning, then quiet all day. i think no one goes there unless they're on this boat trip...), bought their snacks and sandwiches for that day's 7 hour journey, and proceeded down to the "pier" (read: rocky slope down to the water). the boat was considerably smaller but, happily the cushions were much less pathetic. you couldn't even feel the seat when you were sitting on it! everyone had to double up in their seats though, that day. except, for some reason, me. like the kid who doesn't get picked for volleyball in PE class until the coach forces one team captain to take her, nobody sat with me. not the kiwi i talked to the day before, not the american we chatted with, not even the israeli we couldn't get off our backs in chiang khong. i was the only one. but hey, i got to spread out, right? still, it felt a little insulting. it seems all the other passengers bonded the previous night over their beerlao and weed and staying up to the wee hours. so cast aside, i was. the cliques were formed and it was the second week of college all over again.
the ride was long - i read almost the entirety of a good book by a singaporean author: following the wrong god home by catherine lim - took me back to singapore and its interesting politics a bit - and i attempted to chat with the lao man who got on partway through the ride at one of the small villages that dotted the green hills along the banks. unfortunately, all i know how to say in lao is hello and thank you, so our conversation was pretty short. but nabia did a little better with the lao guy next to her (the american who had been sitting there moved elsewhere to chat with other friends): they listened to salsa music together on her iRiver most of the way down.
so. 7 hours, some rain and lightning, a tiny bit too much listing sitdownsitdownsitdownsitdownsitdownyou'rerockintheboat), and a very sore bum later, we arrived in luang prabang. other groups piled into songthiaws together and headed off to some agreed upon destination. we took our packs on backs and started a-walking to the place tammy and kelly recommended. we showered (much needed as always) and set out. there was a big night market we walked down - beautiful blankets and silks and textiles and pants and purses and lamps and umbrellas and baskets... happily, we couldn't buy anything cuz we hadn't changed any money yet. i sold a book, and we had kip for dinner. we had fish laap. that's minced fish with herbs like mint and basil all moshed together and eaten with sticky rice (with the hands of course). yum. then sleep. now here we are, having slept in for the first time in a LONG time, having eaten a crepe each at a cute restaurant, and planning a massage for this afternoon, to ease our sore backs and bums.
laos was occupied by the french for a while and also was a french colony of sorts, so there's lots left over from that time. french names for things, crepes and baguettes, french architecture... that type of thing. i'm looking forward to more exploring, but today is all about getting our strength back and planning a bit more. we've mapped out the time for the rest of the trip - loosely of course - but it's amazing how close to over it is. i know 5 months is a long time, but when we're looking at the calendar, june is already here, july will go fast, then august is so soon and then september is right before october, which is the end! it flies. i don't know how far we'll really make it and to be honest, if we didn't already have the plane ticket to south africa, we'd probably just spend the rest of our time in asia. but i think we can get to south africa, madagascar, and namibia in the time remaining before i have to get to a place i can fly home from (read: europe - so em, maybe maybe) and jet home for the wedding that i am excited for but wish was a few months later.
ok. that's all for now i think. there is a string of internet cafes mixed in with the guest houses and restaurants and tour companies in the "backpacker area" that seems to get set up in all these popular towns. laos only opened to tourists in 1989, so i'm surprised it's here - i didn't realize THAT many people visited, but apparently they do, so convenient for me. and you.
peace out, yo.
amy
email me
posted by theonetheycallamy at 5/26/2005 01:10:00 AM
4 Comments:
Amy....if you DO go to S. Africa, I have a stepson/-daughter-in-law there who live in Cape Town and would be wonderful for you to meet.
Jordan went to S. America with Shaul, and you may have heard of him. I had already alerted them a long time ago that you two might be in S.A. on your trip, and asked would they be willing to steer you around, and they said yes. I think Jordan talked to them, too.
Sounds as if your travel time is flying, whirring by too fast. That's because it's been a great experience. Time DRAGS by when one is not enjoying oneself.....so consider the flight of time as a really good sign. Really enjoyed your current entry. Stay well, and keep on writing. Elaine
By my calendar you gals are still far from home, but the wonder and excitement of your adventures is delightful. I love the pictures that were in the huges packages that arrived this week. Maybe after massage and relaxation you could make CD of Thailand to share. Hugs, and more, Barbara
Crepes, massages, huge night markets, weird boat rides, breezes, 50cent rooms, green hills along river banks....however will you feel when you come back home! I can't imagine. It'll be culture shock for sure.
Ok, tell us about the banana t-shirt, cabbage and eggplant adventure. NOW it sounds really tasty!!!
Glad we'll be able to hear from you through the internet. I somehow didn't expect it to be that easy in Lao (see, no "s", I learned!). Good for us!!
Love, mom
I read a whole page. Yay!
Sorry that the wedding isn't a little bit later You gotta do what you gotta do, travelwise. We'd love to have you htere, but if you don't make it back, there'll be lots of pictures.
Love
Suzanne
Post a Comment
<< Home