There are certain comforts that one has to do without while traveling and it's just something you have to accept or else it could become a definite source of rage. Yet I have found a fine balance of comforts and discomforts that mirror each other quite nicely. I have to deal with ants in my bed, they crawl in my ears and up my nose, there is always a nice size family of geckos in every bathroom i have, hot water is advertised but never exists - these are just a few of the minor inconveniences. But with these also comes the joys i know i will miss terribly when i leave. Such as getting all my laundry washed, ironed and folded for $0.50, getting a full body massage for $3, and eating all the mangoes and pineapples my body can handle for pennies a day.
So in sticking to the food tour of asia, i took another cooking class to learn the culinary traditions of laos. We cooked with a wide array of jungle herbs and vegetables, sipped on wine made from purple sticky rice - which strangely resembled a smirnoff twist cooler, and toured the local market where i was exposed to a new level of horrifying foods. coagulated water buffalo blood - mmmmmm. pig skulls, and dried buffalo skin - which is used in just about everything here. I was truely amazed at the sustainability of this country - they use everything and have created what could only be described as culinary masterpieces. Today i bought something off a little old lady - i had no idea what it was but she was so cute and old and i couldn't help but want to give her money for whatever it was she was selling. I gave her what probably turned about to be about 20 cents and got a bamboo stick in return. i played with it for awhile until i realized it cracked open and inside was purple sticky rice steamed in coconut milk! it was absolutely delicious! and genius i might add!
After heading to the Royal Palace of Laos for a traditional theatre performance of monkey dancing i left the city on yet another winding road through the mountains for about a 7 hour bus ride. Each ride presents even more stunning views than the last - the mountains are becoming more rounded and the rice fields more and more green - and the poverty even more dominating. Bamboo huts built on the road, about 2 meters wide with stilts that are holding it from plumeting to it's inevitable destruction down the sheer mountain cliffs. But yet again they are beyond resourceful here and one family was using an old bombshell as a boat. Talk about making lemonade with those sour lemons they've been given.
The city of Vang Vieng is actually quite horrible - a definite backpackers ghetto with bars playing reruns of Friends - what the hell does that have to do with Laos culture?? But i found a beautiful organic farm and had an organic mulberry shake made with organic banana liquer - they make traditional lao whiskey from sticky rice and soak dried organic bananas in it to create something which could never be replicated anywhere but in the beautiful valley along the river. They also specialize in a sweet starfruit wine...one that will definitely have to make the long trip home with me.
The contrast of Laos culture and the tourist industry is literally making my head spin, the combination is constantly confusing and half the time i cant figure out where i am - it often gives the senstation of alice in wonderland - most days i'm pretty sure i've fallen in a hole and am completely disoriented. i think every tourist deals with the guilt of destroying the original beauty of what was once an untouched and pure culture - something that leaves you with a gnawing sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach - or is that the result of eating coagulated water buffalo blood?
Either way, i'm safe and sound in this strange fairy tale and i'm pretty sure that i'll find alice and a rabbit waiting to serve me tea just around the corner.
