A German, An American and An Aussie walk into a bar.........

During this blog I have mentioned a few times that I have had a good sleep, maybe six or seven hours now and again but even then I woke once or twice to go to the bathroom or have a cigarette Last night I shut the TV off at eleven and did not wake up until eight forty five this morning, the best sleep I have had for months! 

The window in this room also has solid wooden shutters on the outside, when I shut them and the bathroom door the room is (as those of you that know me well enough know I like) pitch black. Add to that that there is silence, no motorbikes, no voices, not a sound, I am a world away from Saigon. I must also mention that the bathroom sink tap does work It was just turned off at the wall because the tap leaks. The room is fourteen dollars.  

After my shower I headed out to find breakfast but was distracted when I stepped into the street because to the left about fifty metres down the hill the road hits the Mekong, I arrived in the dark so I hadn’t noticed last night. I went down there and had a coffee by the edge of the river that looks across to a small community amongst mountains and forest with boats putting to and fro. 

I walked back up the hill to a café next to my hotel for breakfast but I’m not really hungry so just fruit salad. I wandered to the road at the top of my street and saw a pretty blonde girl reading, she looked at me and I asked if I could join her. We chatted for a while and I confessed I was hoping she had been here for a while so I could ask her some questions about Luang Prabang but her and her boyfriend only arrived yesterday also. After a chat I left her to read in peace and noticed a couple of guys with iPhones and asked if they had SIM cards for their phones but they said they didn’t bother they just use wifi.  

I am here to get some peace so that makes perfect sense, I will be uncontactable by phone in Laos. There is wifi everywhere so I can still play WWF and receive email but the thought of not receiving txts and phone calls gives me a strong feeling of even more freedom.

I head off for a walk and cross the town to find the Mekong and follow it around back to my hotel which turned out to be about a three hour walk and gave me a good idea of the different areas for markets, massage, cheap hotels, expensive hotels, bars and temples. I did see Buddha at one point amongst a monastery so I just wandered in and knelt for a huge thank you.

My feet and legs are aching so I had a small bite to eat by the river and went back to my room for a rest and some air conditioning. I noticed on the news Gaddafi is finally dead and the queen is in Australia, I had no idea she was coming, maybe she could use this visit as a chance to apologise to the aborigines for her families genocide of their ancestors.  

I wander down the street for some food and find a decent place with good hamburgers but I forgot my camera so back to the room then down to the river for sunset. After a couple of hours of the most beautiful scenery and sunset I have seen for a long time with a Heineken I head up to a side street food stall I discovered to find some dinner.

Where else would you be?

 

I have some of the most incredible BBQ pork chop then I notice at a stall further along a beautiful young lady so I get some more food from the stall near her and ask if I can sit with her. She has been listening to an American for quite a while and turns to talk to me. The American moves seats and joins us but at least he is not one of the arrogant, ignorant ones. 

After eating the three of us decide to go down to the river and have a few drinks at a bar there and have some great beer and camaraderie, we are all travelling alone.

Me, Jenny and Gregory.

Then we decide to head back up to the main street for some more drinks there and by about eleven we part ways, a great end to an amazing day, it will still take me some time to slow down to the Lao way of life.