A Pretty Good Day

Feeling much better today, slept until seven with my back finally feeling ok. Went for a walk further than three hundred metres from my hotel for the first time since I’ve been here, the town is only about two kilometres long. I saw the north end when we rode in but I’m staying in the south end. That’s odd also, I have troubles with my internal compass in the northern hemisphere but the sun comes up and goes down in Vang Vieng where I expect it to like at home. That probably doesn’t make sense and it’s hard to explain.  

Walking into the heart of town every restaurant in this town has wifi and the ones with TVs (most of them) have a cushion style seating arrangement around tables and play endless “Friends” episodes, no joking, you can actually sit in one restaurant with an episode playing and hear the canned laughter from a different episode from the one next door.

Apparently there are ones that play endless “Family Guy” but I haven’t found one of those yet – but you know I will!  

I had breakfast then decided on another massage just to make sure everything is settled into place, that’s four in three days, can you have too many? At six dollars an hour I don’t think so!  

During the massage I was thinking I needed to see Buddha and eat something. After the massage I walked for a while to loosen everything up and came across a temple so I went in to thank “O beautiful one” then found a restaurant and had coffee and a snack surrounded by people glued to the TV watching “Friends” lounging on cushions, I guess friends is ok but “Seinfeld” would have made more sense to me but then I’m a lone wolf and everyone else is in couples or groups of “friends” so I guess it makes sense. I got some odd looks when I chose to sit with my back to the TV and watch the world go by the intersection the restaurant is on instead.  

I walked a long way through the morning exploring the town so headed back to my room for a lay down and a movie around midday. 

I get up mid afternoon and walk towards the heart of town for some more exploring and still feel some pain in my back, and then it hits me. First thing I do is buy a new pair of thongs! I feel the difference immediately, the old pair I had bought specifically for the grip on the slippery Saigon sidewalks were just so comfortable to wear I hadn’t noticed the soles were cracked and they were just plain worn out. 

I had done some investigating on Google about the town and turned from the centre towards the river and the first thing I discovered was a bar playing “Family Guy” Jackpot! I have a burger and a beer but there will be time for TV later it is approaching sunset and I want to see it from a new angle. I investigate the gravel road down to the river and find a whole new set of views and bars. 

There is basically the town on one side of the river and a mountain range on the other side and not much else to be seen but great after two days to see it from a new angle. 

It’s a good sunset and the only photos I have for you today, I find a nice cushion bar that is not playing any TV and watch the last bit over a beer, at one point I had to tell myself to put the camera away and just enjoy it, I’m working real hard on living in the moment as opposed to my usual thinking three steps ahead and missing what’s actually happening. 

No this couple does not make me feel lonely at all.

After the sun disappears and the beer is gone I head back up to the main strip and find another “Family Guy” bar and settle in for some viewing, a shake, dinner and a few beers.

Tiredness sets in so I pay the bill and wander back to my hotel noticing it is a full moon so I dump some things from my pockets and walk the one minute down to the river and stand with my feet in the water, listening to my favourite travelling song, Coldplay’s “Fix You” under the full moon. A perfect moment.