Greetings from laos
just wanted to quickly say hello (especially as 1)
this is the first internet cafe we've found & 2) i'm
feeling some guilt for having written no postcards so
far)
we're safely in laos & it's been awesome - so far,
we've managed to avoid unexploded ordinance on the
plain of jars (we actually didn't see any but the
reassurances of our guidebook that the area is
reasonably free of it, somehow didn't make us feel
more secure) - jars were very cool, rural (waaay
rural) laos even cooler - we were absolutely in the
middle of nowhere - nothing quite like straining to
hear if your lao aviation plane (old, chinese, no
oxygen masks & duct tape on the exit door handle -
sorry, mom & dad - i'm fine, really) is finally
finally arriving at the airport and hearing nothing
but the mooing of the cows in the field adjacent to
the runway.
vientianne was a hole, but we didn't expect much &
just cruised thru in transit to plain of jars - stayed
in a way cool cabin up in the mountains while we were
on the plain - some electricity, but the mag light
definitely came in handy (okay, so this is turning
into longer than a quick hello).
are now in luang prabang staying at a beautiful old
colonial hotel - we only just arrived this afternoon &
were wandering about the streets looking for food when
we saw this internet cafe.
cambodia was also awesome (altho i prefer lao food -
much spicier)- we managed to be there during some
incredibly torrential rain (same system which flooded
vietnam) and got to see the streets totally flooded
(literally, up to people's waists, kids were swimming
in the streets) but it was tremendous fun & molly &
kit showed us a really good time (as well as some
frighteningly good shopping)-
angkor wat and the surrounding temples & buildings
were just incredible. managed to get a private tour
of the restoration of one of them by the site
architect & 2 architecture students (thanks to my dear
friend tsedo in kathmandu - long story) - it was
awesome - angkor was like nothing i've ever seen -
definitely up there w/the taj mahal, and i'd probably
rate it higher - ancient, ancient stuff, beautiful
carving, scenes from everyday life, plus, siem reap is
still a pretty small, backwater kind of cambodia town
(as if there's any other kind, but still...) - stayed
at a great hotel (no need for the mag light, either)
and managed to have a terrific home-cooked cambodian
meal, courtesy of the architecture students' cook (we
were also joined by a french architect & a british
archeologist for what turned out to be a very funny
evening - by the way, for my friends who mocked me
about carbon dating when i said that it's not possible
to test non-organic materials, like the jars on the
plain of jars, the archeologist confirmed it & allison
is my witness.
anyway, we've probably taken 600 pictures between us
at this point (altho half of allisons are of small
cambodian and lao children and mine are all of
chickens and people on bicycles going thru doorways)
but we promise to only subject you to a small
percentage of those when we return.
hope you're all well & we'll see you in a week or so -
ss