we are in laos! we bought some
whitening suntan lotion--so we should be more white by the time we get home
(it seems to be working)...we escaped China to the Luang
Nan Tha (LNT) region--a ecofriendly tourist site that is not frequented often by the
usual backpacker gang...Laos and China are polar opposites--where China has 6+million in 100+ cities, Laos has 6 mil in the whole country...it is sleepy and peaceful (except for the 4am rooster/pig alarm clock).
in LNT, we did a 2 day kayaking trip where we
stayed overnight in the village of the Lanten people (one of the many recognized minority groups in Laos)...the Lanten don't speak Lao--they speak their own language which is a derivative of Chinese (their previous home a few centuries ago)--the village is right out of a national geographic special...we stayed in a lovely thatched hut--we ate river fern, fried bamboo worms, and
a duck that we saw slaughtered/plucked/chopped to bits...and
then drank some local spirits (lao lao) with the village chief--it was amazing!
Phong has now bonded with his asian
people in such a deep way that he now is "driving while
asian" DWA might be a worse crime then DWI...in LNT, we rented a moped and drove through lovely rice fields and villages--as we came upon a patch of mud, i tell him that i wanted to GET OFF (very clearly for those who hear his version of the story) the bike before he attempts to drive
through...phong, in true DWA fashion, floors it--the bike fishtails and we fall into mud--thankfully no bones broke and we weren't maimed--he has been left with bruised ribs and i have a lovely 3rd degree burn on my leg!
Right now we are in Luang Prabang...an awesome French Colonial town with no roosters (we get to sleep late again)...We went on a 2 day mountain biking/kayaking trip with a bunch of Americans and a Californized (much to his dismay) Brit (: It was a great group of people (intelligent, open minded, adventurous, athletic and "non annoying" Americans/Brit--a rare find!)...it was an awesome time (after I recovered from a battle with the Commish!) [the Commish is High Commissioner--after learning that lao lao is more like anti-freeze we switched to cheap Scottish whisky--a poor decision]...after 21 km of biking, we hung out in a village, ate some traditional lao food, drank a JW imitation/beerlao, and sang My Country Tis of Thee for the locals (our British ambassador shared his version of God Save the Queen)...
We are now headed south for Cambodia...we probably have another week or so in Laos...
We miss and love y'all! Keep in touch!
