Laos, 30 Dec 2006 --
Just so I don’t forget, I have to record a few really funny Laos moments. Laos is great, and we’re having a wonderful time. This is such a relaxing place and the people are so nice! Also, being here is like living on a farm. On the small island of Don Det, pigs, cows, water buffalo, chickens, ducks, dogs and cats (not to mention piglets, calves, chicks, duckies, puppies and kittens… just like cuteoverload.com) were always wandering around our bungalow and we had a rooster chorus going off at 4 AM every morning. Even in the capital city, Vientiane, there were cows and chickens occasionally grazing on the side of the road
So, funny moments, or funny to me, anyway, all involving food or animals:
- On my way to Don Det, my share taxi (regular size pick up truck with benches installed in back with 28 adults, five children, and 3 chickens stuffed inside) stopped along side the road and the usually food vendors stuck their wares into the truck. I considered buying some chicken satay before I went “Wait, is that a paw?!?” I changed my mind, and didn’t buy roasted mystery animal on a stick.
- Once on Don Det, Andris and I ate at a great local place with a poorly translated menu. Out of curiosity, Andris ordered the “Bread with food inside.” The resultant sandwich was delicious. (Now we refer to all sandwiches as ‘bread with food inside’)
- While eating lunch at Ms. Tip’s guest house on Don Det, which overlooked the picturesque Mekong river, Tip informed us that she had fish on the menu that night and wondered if we would like to order it in advance. She then went on to explain that if we looked into the river at that moment we could see the fish. There it was, swimming in the Mekong on a leash of sorts. Earlier in the day some children had caught it, and Tip had purchased it for $.50. They punched a whole in the fin, tied it up, and let it swim around until someone bought it. It was delicious.
- Andris already mentioned the village we wandered into where we tried to question the locals on the future road conditions. What he failed to mention is that we were welcomed into the village by two pigs “making love” in the middle of the road. It was graphic, and it’s been burned into my memory, unfortunately.
- On the bus to Vang Vieng from Vientiane we were sitting a few rows back from a gentleman who was carrying a rooster. He carried it under his arm and it had a plastic bag around it’s rear end, presumably for the droppings, and a string was tied from the roosters ankle to his wrist. We didn’t notice this until we’d been on the bus for two hours.
- In Vientiane, like everywhere else in South East Asia, dogs are allowed to run free (except Malaysia, where they don’t like dogs). Some are stray, and some always go home at night. Anyway, it’s getting cold now in Vientiane, down to around 45 degrees at night, so someone is putting T-shirts on the dogs. I find this incredibly amusing. Here, for your enjoyment, are Dogs in T-Shirts:
And here are a few of my photos from Don Det:
