15-December-2008
The Massages never happened. Michelle fell ill to something she drank or ate and rested in bed all day. ½ hour naps with 5 minute bathroom runs, then the nap again. Stevo and Deb treked around the mountains, as I did, checking out this undeveloped utopia. I got the chance to catch up on some reading and rested as well.
On Tuesday we headed out of town with a stop at the weekly Chaing Dao market. It reminded me of the Santa Cruz flea market with a few differences. Food choices included dried fish, live worms, pastel colored powders, bulk spices, all set up on the sidewalks (well what would have been sidewalks if there were sidewalks) Our travels continue with an hour ride into Chaing Mai.
Chaing Mai is a city with a Greenwich Village like charm. The city itself is over 800 years old. Buddhist Temples fill the streets. Everything around us is filled with a history we know so little about. Michelle gets a book on Siddhartha, to learn a little about Buddhism and begin to understand the culture more. We enjoy our 4 days, shopping, strolling, drinking FABULOUS Thai coffee, people watching, site seeing, and daily $3 hour long massages!
At the end of our 4 days, we head off on our own to Laos, a country east of Thailand. Our friends take off to Siri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. We will see them again in a couple of weeks in the Maldives.
Saturday, Dec. 13th is a travel day. We take two flights to get to Laos and then have to hop on a bus to get to the town we want to be in, Vang Vieng. The bus driver is about 20 years old and he has 4 of his friends riding up front with him. The road is mountainous and dangerous! The kids are laughing having a grand old time and we are worried if we will ever see life again! It’s a 3 hour ride and the bus stops periodically for all the travelers to relieve themselves on the side of the road. At home, we would get arrested for indecent exposure but here in Laos, pit stops are common place. No shame in pulling down your pants and just doing what you have to do. The culture here is lovely. The Laos people are kind and giving. We are currently hanging by the Nam Lgo River. The town is small and can be explored by foot. We have been tubing down the Nam Log river for the past two days that we have been here. Tubes cost $5 each. Bamboo bars line the river. Each bar has something different to offer. One has a zip line over the river, another has a swing, one has a diving board, another a water slide. Our regular stop has “happy” shakes. I will let you imagine what makes them happy. Then there is the bar with the mud baths, darts, etc. etc. . The ride down the river is about 3 hours long but with bar stopping, it can take you well into the evening. We are surrounded by limestone cliffs 90 feet high as we tube down the river. The experience has been breathtaking. Michelle and I do a yearly trip to Lake Tulloch to float down the canyon in Sonora California. This year due to time constraints, we were unable to make that happen but our experience here in Vang Vieng has more than made up for it. We feel at peace and have our groove.
Last night we found the night scene. Bars in town along the river. Vang Vieng is a very young spot but we were able to find the over 30 crowd at the Bamboo Bar. We sat and spoke with a few people from Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Australia. We have not met other American’s here in Laos and the experience of other people and other culture has given us a new understanding. As always…miss you all! Dave and Michelle