A Trip Further North

We spent just over a week in two villages in northern Laos -- Nong Khiaw and Muang Noi.

In Nong Khiaw our days were spent eating yummy food, reading, exploring the river and a cave, talking, and siting on the front porch of our bungalow. Our evenings were spent at a delightful little restaurant in town that played nightly movies, the two most notable being Forrest Gump and Good Morning, Vietnam. We had a nice rhythm in Nong Khiaw with three restaurants we ate at daily. We discovered a new dish that we enjoyed -- a sticky rice patty wrapped in an egg omelet.
Surprisingly delicious with a sweet chilli sauce. Two new dishes actually; Erik really loved this crushed olive sauce that we dipped sticky rice in. The dish was a bit sour for my liking, but it was alright.

In Muang Noi, a town an hour north of Nong Khiaw by river boat, we could be found lounging in hammocks, venturing through rice patties to a smaller town, swimming in a cave, reading, playing cards (cribbage and rummy), swimming in the river, eating at buffets and swatting bugs. It was surprisingly cool in the mornings and I would drag the duvet into the hammock with me until 11:00am because I was chilly.

Muang Noi was literally a street -- a single dirt road riddled with children, puppies, and chickens. The roosters made it impossible to sleep past 06:00, though I usually didn't manage beyond 05:30.

I have been a sleeping champion lately. I usually go to bed around 20:00 and wake up around 06:00. And, I nap most days. I don't know what my deal is, but I am so glad I am on vacation because sleeping feels oh-so-good. I am dreading going back to work and needing to be awake and functioning for twelve hours straight! Ugh.

One thing that has surprised me about traveling, though I suppose it shouldn't, is how important food is. I cannot tell you how much food affects our days. We are grumpy when we can't find good cheap food and are elated when it is plentiful. We have noticed that we sometimes enjoy a town solely because we found wonderful places to eat. These establishments range from the delicious Thai restaurant in Nong Khiaw (where we had Pad Prik Gaeng every night) to my little noodle soup lady on the street in Luang Prabang. We are on an increasingly tight budget so we are always on the look out for cheap, delicious, nutritious food that is preferably big enough to share. Or I am looking for Pad Thai -- that is always delicious.

We are going south tonight. On a night bus that gets into Vientiane around 05:00. We are being picked up at the fountain in the town center at 10:00 by friends of a friend. After I posted a few photos on facebook a friend emailed me saying that he has friends living in Laos and they happen to live in the city we are headed to next. They graciously offered to host us and we gladly took them up on the offer. So, that is where we are staying tomorrow night.

I believe we are making our way to Cambodia the day after that, though I could be wrong. There is a bus from Vientiane to Phnom Penh that takes 24 hours and we are thinking of taking it. Or we may stop in Pakse, a town in southern Laos where another friend of a friend lives. We need to be back in Bangkok on the 22nd to meet some friends (real life friends) so we have to figure out how long we want to spend in Cambodia.

But that is where we are at right now. If we do head to Cambodia right away then I am assuming you won't hear from me for a bit.

Hope you are well.