Sunday Oct 30th

That god dam rooster starts around fourish again so I am awake but it is still raining lightly so I sit outside under the sleeping quarters for a cigarette and throw stones at the bloody thing that just makes it squawk more. As it becomes light the rain clears and I wander down to the beach again.

There is a new stream carved from the village down to the river from the rain and the river has risen a few inches. After some photos Greg finds me and calls me up for breakfast.  

I head up to the temple and spend some time with “O beautiful one” then buy some snacks for the kids from the very limited product array in the town shop. All the time I have been in the village whenever I see someone I smile and say “Sabadee” (hello in Lao) and they give a genuine beaming smile and say Sabadee back, wonderful people. Greg finds me again and summons me back to the house. 

Yes they still grind grains like this but they also have a landline phone with mobile capabilities!?!

I go upstairs and am stunned, all the elders of the village have prepared a farewell ceremony for me. After several traditional ceremonial rites, one of which involves every single one of them tying a piece of string on both my left and right wrist. Another involves everyone touching me and saying some sort of chant/prayer and all of us lifting the centrepiece. Then they break out the rice wine. It is a fresh brew about one hour old and strong as hell, everyone has a shot poured and downs it and passes another shot around then we eat a feast.

Peng the bargirl with the bottle of rice wine.

I break out the carton of cigarettes and hand them out to the men and contribute a couple of beers and my vodka, after a while the rice wine starts doing the rounds again so I sneak out to the kitchen to make a coffee. Slowly everyone leaves and I feel very touched by the whole thing, I can’t quite put it in words.  

Me and Eejeea, Pengs second eldest daughter, she is almost of marrying age.........(sigh)

So now it is time to pack and head down to the river to flag down a passing passenger boat to take me back to Laung Prabang. We wait for an hour or more so I go swimming for a while.

Greg flagging down my boat.

After we are ignored by several private tour boats, finally a passenger boat coming down from Thailand pulls in and I climb aboard and wave good bye to Greg, Peng and her family.

There is not much room on the boat but there is a bar and after three days without ice the first thing I get is an icy cold beer and find myself a comfortable little corner at the back where I can smoke, drink beer and listen to my MP3, the journey is downstream so it’s only just over a couple of hours anyway. 

It's a bad shot but for some reason that is a banana stuffed in the top of the boats carburettor.

We make it back to the wharf at Laung Prabang, I jump off with my backpack (much lighter now without the six bottles of water and presents I took) and walk to culture guest house where Putt has my old room waiting for me. I enjoy some air-conditioning and a warm shower and could almost go to sleep now but first I need to eat.

I head down to the main street and stop at the very western style café and order chicken strips and chips and of course – a beer with ice in it. Man you don’t know how important ice is until you live without it. I’m pretty wasted from the days events, the beers from the boat and the early morning jungle starts so I go back to my room and crash without even checking what’s on TV, funny I didn’t miss that either.