Laos

Introductions to a country are sometimes quintessential to your enjoyment while you're visiting. When you have to take a long boat ferry just to get across the border, while a few semi trucks loom behind you, also taking a ferry to get over a 100 m wide river, a simple smile grows across your face signaling your arrival to Laos.



Unfortunately, my happy smile soon wore off after I discovered that my overnight travel arrangements was a "VIP" bus that was nothing more than a rickety box on wheels, filled with more bags of rice in the aisle then people in "chairs". After a tumultuous night, we crashed into the first guesthouse we could find, hoping to regain some lost sleep and sanity.

Upon resurgence from the depths of despair from the lack of sleep, we were greeted with stalls of sandwiches and fruit smoothies, ate for about a dollar each, and again, all was right in the world.





Happy that my smile was returning to my nourished body, I was able to enjoy the simple views, that Luang Prabang, Laos has to offer.









Luang Prabang has 32 temples, more than we were going to see in our short time there. We did have time to enjoy some white wine, along the Mekong River



And stroll back to our guesthouse, to see cute Laos children playing in the street, and the smile had for sure returned.



We spent the evening enjoying the sunset view from Phu Si, a temple situated on a 100m hill above town






Sunset and Mekong in Laos



And tried to dive into the local food. In the Laos language, there are no words for yours or mine. Everything in their culture is "we". This idea of we is applied to everything that they do, including their food. We picked a spot to eat called Lao-Lao Garden, home to one of the last few places where communal seating and a hole in the middle of the table was made available to those who wanted to try Laos barbecue.

Laos BBQ consists of a basket of mixed vegetable, eggs, mushrooms, glass noodles


With a plate of raw chicken, pork, and water buffalo


All cooked over a hot reverse like skillet over burning coals, all in the center of your table.


You carefully ladle broth in to boil the vegetables and noodles while the meat cooks on top, and the juices are mixed into the broth below. Served with lime juice and a tamarind BBQ sauce drizzled on top, it was a fabulous meal, and fun to make and eat too.

We also ordered a drink to go with dinner with the lao-lao whiskey, the local drink made form rice that is about 50% alcohol. We had a delicious same-same sour, the Lao-Lao whiskey with honey, lemon juice, and a bit of hot sauce.



Amazing just to eat and cook by candlelight and coal.

My time in Laos was frustratingly short, just for the pure fact of timing and schedules, and I was sad to not spend more time in such a beautiful country, where simple road side stops just simply, in this simple quiet country, take your breath away