Day 7- 8 Laos

Day 7, Luang Prabag. Cont. After breakfast and computer we all piled into a van and drove out the 40 min or so along reallly windy bumpy roads to the waterfalls. Beautiful. Not much of a hike up to them (though I didn't go to the top, just to the base) though the water was gorgeous. A light turquoise blue that sparkled in the bits of sunlight. There was a place you could go swimming and even though it was pretty cool I still went in, along with a few others from the group. There were these rickety wooden "changing rooms" to change in, platforms with walls and a door, raised off the ground. Not too bad. Wishing I had found my towel though the sarong worked ok. On the way back from the Waterfalls and swimming we stopped to look at the Bear sanctuary and watch them for a bit. The keepers hide the food in logs and holes for them to find. We got to see one digging out oranges. :) They are small black bears, probably about 4-6 ft long, with almost a mane around their heads. Unfortunately none of my photos came out. :( too many trees and they kept moving. 

Then back to Town in the van. Kao left us here. :( (our local guide) I liked him a lot. 

Lunch the group split up, 1/2 wanted to go to an "american" style bakery/sandwich shop, the rest of us wandered down a bit to a Lao place that was very tasty. I got "fried monkey ear" (monkey ear mushrooms stir fried with chicken) that was somewhat spicy and very good and a Mango shake. The mango is a lot "greener" tasting here? Not sure if it is a different kind of mango than I am used to. Total 40,000kip (about 5$). After Lunch we reformed and went to see the Lao Ethnology Museum, where they tell us about the various Lao tribes and peoples. It was a teensy museum. 3 rooms. Neat photos and costumes though, and one whole room was dedicated to wedding rituals. afterwards we all split our separate ways. D and J and I went to the Royal Museum to pick up tickets for the evening dance performance for D and I, then the 3 of us wandered through the night market for an hour or so waiting for the performance. I picked up a beautiful dark jade green silk scarf that I am wearing right now. :) At 5:45 D and I headed to the performance and J kept wandering through the market. :) The performance was interesting, we paid 100,000kip ($12) per seat, and it was 1hr. The costumes were great, sorry I didn;t manage to take any good photos, pretty girls in straight silk skirts, and tops with a scarf across and a dangle from the fingers in the first piece, Masked male dancers with elaborately colored silk costumes in the 2nd and 3rd and Monkeys??.and back to females for the last piece. All the pieces and the music were torturously slow though. Would have been much better for 20 min rather than an hour. After the performance D and I wandered through the market for a bit then home to go to bed early in our comfy beds. mmmm. :) (I wasn't hungry for dinner after the late lunch)

Day 8, Luang Prabang ("free" day). 5 of us got up at 5am to catch the 5:30am shuttle into town to go give food to the monks. We bought a basket of sticky rice each (10,000kip, $1.20), and it came with a spoon and a scarf to wear and a mat to sit on and we sat down on the sidewalk and waited in the dark for the monks. Once it started to lighten the monks came by in a long line, dressed in their bright orange robes, holding a covered vessel, that they moved the lid off and everyone on the sidewalk put food inside, We put a small scoop of sticky rice in each monk's bowl as they went by. It was hard to get a small scoop on the spoon! and the monks were totally not looking at us. it was a odd experience. After giving "alms" we returned the baskets and spoons and scarves to the lady we had bought the rice from 10,000kip ($1.20) and piled back into the van to go back to the hotel. Breakfast when we got back I got fried eggs and the same fruit and yogurt I got yesterday since I liked it. Next a different 5 of us went on a bike ride with Long around town and out to some of the outlying villages. We saw a place where they made paper crafts, there are beautiful home made paper lanterns all over the markets with flowers dried into the paper, but I cannot think of a safe way to get one home without it being destroyed. Then we rode another 300 yards down the road to a weaver compound. They weren't weaving today (funeral) but we got to see the looms and the beautiful silk scarves they make. Back through and around town then back to the guest house., Man am I out of shape! The bikes are cruisers with one speed and iffy brakes and a second "back" seat and a basket. Interesting to say the least. Roads were interesting out of town as well. Quick shower and the 5 bike riders walked back to town (about 1/2 hr or so?) and found a restaurant by chance Peter had heard of called Utopia. It was beautiful and relaxing and wonderful, eating among the greenery with a view of the river. I ended up having LARP chicken (which was very tasty) since the green curry I ordered had eggplant in it, :( and Neal was nice enough to switch with me, along with spring rolls (ok, a little salty) and a hibiscus cooler (had no sweetner at all, good but odd). Marina took off after lunch to go wander and the remaining 4 of us walked around the whole town near the river (it makes a loop) and then back to the main center street, (3 parallel main streets, river on either side) where Neal and I split off so I could get postcards and a new pair of sunglasses. Postcards were 2,000kip each ($.25) but the postage was 12,000kip!! ($1.50) Oh well. I picked up a pair of red "ray bans" for 55,000kip. Needed since the pair I had broke 3 days ago in a way that they couldn't be used anymore and I am tired of squinting. Saw a few more temples and took some photos, then Neal and I caught a Tuk-tuk back to the guesthouse. 

Dinner we all trooped back into town and had dinner at a place called Lao Lao Garden, outside! I had stir fried water buffalo with lemongrass and onions and basil and string beans with steamed rice. It was delicious. They chop the string beans up into little 1cm pieces which is different, but they are still very tasty (to me, Jane, yes I know, yuck for you!) No picture of this meal since we were eating by candlelight. It was too dark. Then D and I wandered through the market and home. I got another few silk scarves, I'll have some lucky friends for sure! Then bed. 

Day 9, about to have breakfast (eggs and yogurt and real OJ today) then we get on a bus to the next town (7hrs). Not sure when I'll have internet again, so ta for now!

P.S. Kip comes in 6 different bills and no coins. 1000,2000, 5000, 10000, 20000, and 50000. they are often hard to tell apart, especially in low light. About 8,000kip to $1USD.

Pictures are from the "set" meal at Tamarind from the last email attached.