| March 16, 2001 The sun has finally come out for good after 10 days of unseasonable rain. We took a sawngthaew (just a fancy name for a pick up truck with facing bench seats and covered by a tarp) northeast to Nong Khiaw. The truck was already overcrowded with people when the driver stopped to load in bags of concrete. While our neighbors feasted on grilled chicken feet and whole grilled frogs with sticky rice we contented ourselves with peanuts. Nong Khiaw consists of a muddy street and a half. It sits at the foot of at the foot of mountains on the banks of the Nam Ou river. We stayed at the best address in town. The Sunset Gueshouse is wonderfully simple with rattan mats on the floor for beds, bamboo walls, bucket showers, and electricity only provided for a few hours every evening by the town's generator. Later, we enjoyed a magical sunset over the river and then a perfect night sky with stars framed by mountain silhouettes. Hotel - $1, Food - $9, Trans - $4, Museum - $1 Total - $14 |
| March 17, 2001 We took a motorized dug out canoe this morning up the Nam Ou river. The rich scenery included children running naked along the shore shouting, "Saybadee", women washing and bathing, boys slapping oars on the water to scare fish into their nets, and water buffalo just cooling off. All were framed by dramatic limestone cliffs and lush forest. Then, maybe only in Laos, a bobcat is spotted, our boat leans precariously as everyone simultaneously moves for a better views, and a man in dark shades pulls out an automatic handgun from his duffel bag. Sadly for our story, no shots were fired. Back in Nong Khiaw, we joined new friends, Sam and Ruthie for dinner and afterwards went to the kitchen to see our favorite dessert being made. With all of us sitting by the fire and using flashlights, the guesthouse mom revealed her cooking secrets. And here it is for you... All rights reserved. Sunset Guesthouse Coconut Sticky Rice with Fruit Ingredients: 1 coconut 4 cups warm water 3 tbs. Coconut Cream Powder dash of salt 1/2 cup sugar 3 cups sticky rice fruit slices (banana, papaya, mango) Directions: Split coconut and discard juice. Finely shave 1/2 of the cocnut. Add 1 cup warm water to the shavings in a bowl and press together to make coconut juice. Pour off liquid (through colander) and heat to a boil and hold. Then, add more warm water to the cocnut shavings and press three more times (1 cup at a atime). Heat the last 3 strainings to a boil then add salt, sugar, coconut powder. After 2 minutes, add sticky rice. Stir until oatmeal consistency (no liquid). Serve immediately in bowls. Pour 1st straining on top. Add waffle-cut fruit slices on top. |
| March 18, 2001 Sam and I were up at five to watch the day's sticky rice being prepared. Clearly the guesthouse mom thought we were kidding when we agreed to a time last night beacause cooking had already started an hour earlier. so much for the recipe, but we did enjoy a great sunrise and conversation. Anyway, we began a long day of travel with a tuk tuk to Pakmong, then a crowded sawngthaew to Oudomxai and finally a minibus to Luang namtha. At one stop, I said hello to a small group eating near the bus. They warmly invited me to join them and share in a lunch of fried meat, homemade chilli paste, and ubiquitous sticky rice (eaten by rolling a small handful of rice and then dipping in the food bowls.). Without conversation, we became friends which made the journey all the more fun. Hotel - $5, Food - 48, Trans - $11, Total - $24 |
| March 19, 2001 Lady and I had been playing a smelly game of dirty clothing chicken. Today, she finally broke down, rolled up her sleeves, and did the wash. I expect this will turn out to be a largely Pyrrhic victory. Note from Lady: For my "reward" we made an appointmen for a massage. Apparently, word travelled fast that a "felang" was coming in. The room was crowded with several local men and women. One woman came forward and told me to lay on my stomach on the mat. She squeezed and pinched my legs and back then asked me to sit up. As I faced the crowd of giggling locals, she stretched and contorted my face. By this time, the locals and I are laughing hysterically. The waman, not pleased, motions for me to lay on my stomach again. About this time, Matt saw a man run in with a bag of concrete and a basket of vegetables. He drops them and rushes over to rub the foreigner himself. It only took seconds for me to feel that he was the REAL masseause. She had been killing time until he arrived. Hotel - $5, Food - $8, Trans - $1, Random (Massage - $2, Haircut - $1) Total - $17 |
| March 20, 2001 We were up early again because the town's propaganda loudspeakers start blaring every morning at 6:30. My personal favorite of the hour long program is the piped-in church bells that "ring" at 7:00. We rented bicycles (it is wonderfully flat in Luang Namtha) and later met up with Sam and Ruthie. Together we explored a nearby Black Tai village, where underneath the bamboo stilt homes, women were working at small looms weaving textiles. We also visited the local forest cemetary and had a leech scare. On the way home a family waved us into their riverside home and invited us to eat with them. The father told us in fluent pantomine that he had caught out fish, prawn, and snake lunch. In return, we shared photos and smiles, not able to fully match their kindness. Hotel - $5, Food - $8, Random (bicycle rental - $2) Total - $15 |