Jodi News
Luang Prabang
| And onwards I go... this time to Luang Prabang in Northern Lao. I came here yesterday by mini-bus (seven nauseating hours through the winding mountain roads) arriving at about 4pm. It is significantly colder up here and I am ill-equipped to say the least. I'm currently wearing almost all my clothes, and my poor feet are just having to make do in my birkenstocks. Not that I'm complaining of course! Actually the last couple of days have found me in slightly dampened spirits. I think yesterday it was the combination of the long bus trip, and the fact that I couldn't find a decent place to sleep. And today it was lack of sleep and feeling slightly sick. The guesthouse I eventually had to accept simply didn't seem clean- the bed was lumpy, the blanket greyish, the room freezing cold and in the adjoining bathroom the toilet was over-running. I wore a singlet top, two long sleeved shirts, my jumper, sweat pants and some other trousers tied around my feet to bed, and on top of me I had two blankets (which I ensured didn't come in contact with my exposed flesh). While I eventually managed to fall asleep, I was really restless and dreamed a lot. I thus awoke this morning feeling less than rested and slightly out of sorts. To lift my spirits I headed to a cafe where I had muesli and a real cup of tea. It was there that I ran into Don, a rather amusing American man of about 45 years old. We got talking when I asked him how his guesthouse was (being as mine was so crap and I wanted to find a new one) and he offered to show me his. Unfortunately the place was all booked up, so I had to go searching elsewhere. We decided however, to meet up afterwards to go for a walk around the town. We ended up heading off the beaten track and walking down by the Mekong and then through some outlying huts to a temple on a hill. It was a great walk, though a little tough on the stomach at times. It seems that the city's sewage all runs down to the river, and we were forced to negotiate our way around less than pleasant streams. It certainly made me rethink eating the local vegetables, which appeared to be breeding in cesspools of human feces. That said, it was still surprisingly enjoyable and Don managed to lift me out of my bad mood by making me laugh incessantly... that guy certainly had one weird sense of humour! After returning to the town we went for lunch and then decided to go for a movie. En route we ran into an Aussie guy called Steve who decided to join us. He was hungry, and Don was feeling ill so we decided to meet up in an hour once each had attended to his needs (so to speak). I went for lunch with Steve and chatted about photography (we had the same camera) and our travels, and then went back to watch the movie. Don however, didn't show and we eventually decided to watch the film (American Splendour) without him. Afterwards Steve went off to meet friends and I headed for dinner. I ended up running into Don who said he'd decided not to come because he thought that he saw some "spark" between me and Steve and didn't want to be the third wheel. I found this very amusing because I'm positive it didn't cross either of our minds, and certainly not mine. Anyhow, we had dinner together then went for a wander around the night markets. I enjoyed his company, but as he was sick his stories revolved more and more around diarrhea (which did nothing for my own sense of well being). This is a common thing when traveling- people feel compelled to share stories about their bowel movements. And while I'm happy to listen to such tales for a while, there is only so much detail I can take, and as such I soon made my excuses and went on my own way. Tonight I plan to get a good nights sleep, and tomorrow I will wander the town again. This time heading in another direction. Despite meeting lots of people I am kind of wishing I had a travel companion at the moment, as it is a bit lonely traipsing around by yourself. It will be great when James joins me in Bangkok on Friday. There is only so much "alone time" you need with yourself- So now I'm off to sleep, and hopefully I will in better spirits tomorrow... I'll let you know. Good night! |
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Nov 30, 1999