We move again tomorrow

So we've been in Vieng Vien for two days now and are loving it here. Yesterday we found a bar overlookingk the river with little bungalows and hammocks. We grabbed a beer, watched the sunset, and the bats come out to eat. In fact, we had one that kept flying through our bunglow. A little creepy but also super cool. Do you think they make good pets. A bat might make a vast improvement over our cat Lolita, but Piper might just think it's a squirell and go insane trying to chase it. Hmm, not. It was the ultimate moment of relaxation. Then we wandered back into town to find some dinner. Chris's ear led him to a pizza place playing reggae and who was there, our friends the Canadians. We meet again. We ate, hung out and then went back to the bar where they had 2 bon fires and music. It was a big party full of wasted, crazy kids. It was fun for a night but not something we'd be up for everynight. It just so weird being in another country but not feeling like you're in another country. Why? Why not? Fun times though and we were with fun people.

The weather was pretty crappy today, so we didn't go tubing or kayaking but will on our way back through. It's definately a party town. Within the first few minutes of being here we saw people stumbling, puking and peeing out in public...oh and a girl crying. Probably too many shots of lao-lao (rice whiskey), buckets, or too many "happy" shakes. Anything goes in this communist country. Most of the time we forget that it's communist. Go figure...except for the fact that all this partying must stop at midnight. That's when the curfew starts. So last night we shut the place down...whooohooo. And paid the price today. Chris managed to get up the energy to rent a bike and go on a 30 km bike ride....on a bike that was made for someone a foot shorter than him, but he made it work. He rode out to some caves and as he was riding along the road different villagers, kids, women, whoever, were waving and saying, "Saiwadee (hello)" to the oversized white guy with an afro on a bike. He loved it. Then he got off and walked to the caves. The first cave was filled with several budahs and budah's footprint. The second cave was led by a guide. I should let him tell you about it, since he experienced it, but he's burnt out from the trip and is currently laying in bed. Just resting his eyes...so he says.

So we've decided the Laos Lonely Planet book sucks. The prices are too low, directions are wrong and it uses terms such as "suposedly" and "it's rumored". Um, do your research and be sure. It has led us astray a few times and it says it was just published 5 months ago. I know things have been changing quickly here but it really feels like they are years behind. How Chris found the caves with their directions is a miracle, but he seems to work miracles when he needs...very resourceful guy that Chris. And I'm ending that rant on a positive note.

So tomorrow we move on to Ponsavaun to see the Plain of Jars and one of the most heavily bombed areas of Laos. It'll be a return trip for me but for Chris it'll be all new. I think he'll just think it's the bees knees. I'm not looking forward to the 7-8 hour public bus ride. On the public buses here you get your own security...some guy with an AK-47. Also, potty breaks are just the bus pulling over and you pee off the side of the road...no bushes or anything. It does usually have one lunch break at a rode side stand with a pay toilet which is a wet concrete slab squat toilet. I can't wait!!! Hey it's only 7 hours, not 13, but I forsee that in our near future. Oh, and the public bus pulls over for everyone and anyone on the side of the road. Not to metion the 2-3 motor bikes strapped to the roof and they get them up there with no ramp. That's a fun sight to see. What we've learned here, when it comes to transportation is, anything goes.

Until next time....H