Happy Forever Wishes

This week marks our 2-month-out anniversary, meaning 1/3 of our trip is already passed. It seems so sudden and yet warranted at the same time. India feels like a different trip completely. It's hard to imagine that in just 2 more months, we'll be in South America climbing Machu Picchu with Lee's siblings.
But for now, we're enjoying our time in the small walkable city (town really) of Luang Prabang. The internet is slow, but so is everything else. LP is on the plateau between the Mekong and the Nam Khan River, making it a small narrow town. You see more mopeds, bicycles and tuk-tuks than cars here. But you don't really need any of them as all the sites and tourist places are very walkable. Walk 5 blocks east or west and you'll hit one of the rivers, seeing rows of vegetables and herbs growing in the sandy banks next to people bathing in the shallow waters. It's odd to catch yourself staring at the people bathing, it's almost embarrassing as they are only trying to clean themselves...something I insist on doing in private. Either way, the people here have been very friendly and they always say Hello and Thank You, even when we can't remember how to say it in Lao. Like much of Thailand, Luang Prabang is spilling over with spectacular wats, but these are way cooler. They're not gaudy like the ones in Bangkok (look back at the big gold stupa in our earlier post). Instead they're more often surrounded by palm stands and chickens than flag waving tour groups. They're smaller, yet somehow more grand.
And yet, LP is surprisingly built-up...having more than a few art galleries. Imagine that! We were a bit disappointed with it at first, Lee especially. And all the snooty French tourists definitely haven't helped! We really weren't expecting it to be so touristy. It's definitely over-westernized, multiple streets catering to tourists with shops, bars and even pizza and burger restaurants. Lee says its more French ski village than small town in "the most bombed country in the world." But we did manage to see the "real" Laos one day by renting mountain bikes and getting out of town a bit. Supposedly, bike and moped rental is illegal as of last month, but we managed to find an agency that would rent to us at a much higher price. Bad Kiima and Lee! Apparently, there were too many accidents and the tuk-tuk drivers weren't getting enough business. Regardless, we had a great time riding around, getting lost, crossing crazy bridges and going shopping at the "real" market (Phosy Market) where we sat down to have a beef noodle soup lunch. We didn't last long on the hard seats, but enjoyed it royally.
Because LP is so small, we keep bumping into fellow slow boat riders. It's quite nice to have someone know your name in Lao. One couple we kept bumping into and enjoyed talking to on the Mekong trip was Dale and Tom. They're from San Francisco and on a month long trip through Southeast Asia to celebrate their 25th anniversary. We went to dinner (Lee's idea! He's really becoming human!) with them at Tum Tum Cheung, where we ate family style and had a number of traditional Lao dishes. You can check out their blog (and our picture) here.
We're staying at Rattana Guesthouse (A, daily fresh towels and trash removal, good location). It's a nice, calm little place with pleasant hosts and "Happy Forever Wishes" sheets. We've really appreciated the daily garbage disposal, especially since we're both sick. Note: Almost all plumbing systems in Southeast Asia are not equipped to handle toilet paper whatsoever...so all toilet paper, poo or no poo, goes into the small trash can next to the throne.
We meant to do much more here (like trekking or hiking, elephant riding), but as I mentioned, we got sick. We spent an entire day in the room watching BBC news, neither daring to leave the bathroom far behind. Although mine set in earlier, Lee had it worse with some violent puking (thanks to Ms. Rattana for not saying anything about the towels). So, on the second day, we didn't take any chances and stayed in town. Fortunately, it seemed to have been food poisoning, so Lee and I are already on the rebound. I hate to admit it, but after each sickness, we inevitably play it "safe" for a while, no longer eating street foods and craving western foods. It sets us back a bit.
Today, we got up early to see the daily alms giving ceremony. Around 6:30 each morning, the younger monks from the local wats pad silently down the street single file to collect offerings from faithful locals. This usually includes a pinch of cooked rice, a juice box and a few eggs handed over by women kneeling on straw mats. Unfortunately, the French ski town invaded again as the ritual has been turned into a package deal offered by some of the hotels. This was definitely the face of the ugly tourist as many of the gawkers competed to within feet of the monks' faces to get their pictures. Of course, I have to admit that I was a part of the same tourist crowd, waking up early to view someone's religious tradition, but I try to have some tact. These people were a bit sickening in their disregard. In addition to actually eating the offerings, the young guys (some as young as 14) are supposed to be learning piety. Meanwhile, Pierre, with his quick-dry, zip-off cargo pants and safari vest needs to get the perfect photo(Lee: Guess who wins? I know who loses).
Later that day, our own personal faith was restored when we trucked out to Kuang Si waterfall, about an hour's drive south of town. Its a long succession of limestone waterfalls, bordered on each side with bright green jungle. Lee and I climbed all the way up to the top of the waterfall and then slid back down to swim in one of the icy turquoise pools. Great fun and now I think Lee likes Laos much better. I guess the trick is to get the heck out of town!
We'll pick up some sandwiches and other supplies tonight before we head south by bus to Vientiane tomorrow morning (8hrs).