A freak storm meant the usually uninterupted 35 degree sunshine was traded in for a 12 degree icy down pour. On the boat far from sunbathing out on deck and watching the beautiful scenery go by we wound up huddled in heaps of blankets over tea, coffee and the occasional beer, passing the time by reading and playing cards. It was also Oda's 21st birthday (que a barrage of "sigghhh, twenty-one ay" nostalgia laiden comments) which meant caaaaake. :)
We got off the boat to visit a remote hill side village; much to the villagers' amusement. Judging by the laughter and smiles, I think watching a group of poncho clad farangs slide down the mudhills outside their homes was possibly the best thing they had seen for a while.
One old woman came to hold out an arm to guide us down safely; I remember looking at her gentle face and thinking that she just looked like the lovliest person ever. Glad JP got a good photo of her...
The poverty in the village was very stark; one teacher goes between 135 mixed aged school children, the school consisting of 4 bare rooms. The village has no electricity, running water, doctors etc. It was an eye opener to put it into words of sort. But the children seemed happy and healthy, and the villagers seemed quietly content with their simple lifestyle, which they could trade in for the towns and cities if they wanted to, and to that end I felt like I was learning far more from glimpsing at their lives than they were from learning about mine.
We stopped overnight in a small town (one street in size) and had some drinks at "the best and only bar in town" run by a hip young Laos couple; the woman joining us to dance to the black eyed peas for the night. I can vouch for it; it really was the best and only bar in town :) Oh and how could I forget, our insane local guide (who somehow managed to spend some time as a practising monk) told us story after story at dinner after becomming intoxicated with one shot of rice wine. Amongst his list of quotes/funny stories I recall;
"my friend, he monk, he don't know how to be with lady, and when he try, he think her noises are because he has killed her, so he run away"
"is it true in England you make the ice cream with the ladies breast milk?"
"in the village, doctor showed man how to using the comdom so no more babies. He still has the babies, and is angry so goes back to doctor. Doctor asks him to show how he used condom, man said look just how you show me, and put it on his thumb".
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| The best gap and local guides in the world ever :) |
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