Days 4-8

We spent the rest of day 3 swapping war stories with our new Australian friend Danny. We learned how to dance Laotian style and played some incredibly funny games of gin rummy.

(Day 4) we rode on the dirtiest, dustiest, bumpiest rode for 8 hours to Luang Nam Tha. I literally formed bruises on my bum, but it was worth it becuase it was the local villagers bus and we got to stop all along the way and experience Laos, as the Laotians do. Nevertheless, we were very relieved to get off and I went straight to bed at about 8pm (to Caitlin's great dismay).

(Day 5-6)
In the morning we ran into a stroke of serendipity and filled the last three spots on a 2 day trek through the mountains leaving that day. We met our co trekkers, 4 israelis and a chinese woman-who to our great joy, were HILARIOUS. The company and the scenery were the only things that made the grueling up hills and obstacle course of a hike endurable. We stayed at a number of villages and spent the night with the chief of one, asking loads of questrions about their way of life. The next day we hiked to the Lan tin village where I fell in love with their fashion and they fell in love with my money. Together we tried to squeeze me into about 3 different costumes of which my western build was none to accomodating. Finally we found the largest one in the village which i purchased for quite a penny (nothing compared to US prices, but out here it was quite a lot).

After a long shower we all met up in town for one last group dinner before we all went off on our seperate ways. Maybe it was the fact that we had eaten so much village food, or that we had hiked such hard terrain-but that Indian food in Laos was some of the best eats I've ever had.

(Day 7)
In the morning, to my great surprise I was able to wake up at 6 am with Caitlin and Sarah and two of the Israeli fellows to watch them set up the market. Villagers travel from all over the moutains every day to sell their goods in these markets and it was quite a sight to see what their goods consisted of: fried rat, frogs, maggots, all animals, all fruits, all veggies, heaps of peppers. Every where I looked there weree brilliant colors and interesting smells. well except for the rats...

We took a tuk tuk with Chani and Raz (Israelis) to Muang Sing, which was a smaller town with a bigger market. Unfortunately we missed the market and were only able to walk around for a bit and get harassed by this tribe of women selling all sorts of goods as wellas opium. We decided to take a tuk tuk back early (and by tuk tuk I mean an open air truck that is supposed to sit 10 but almost always is squeezed in with 20!) We watched curoiusly as this family of villagers next to us in the tuk tuk fiddled with plastic bags and oranges that they kept smelling. We put it together as soon as the vomiting began. and boy oh boy did the vomiting continue, practically the whole 2 hour journey.

(Day 8)
We spent today again in transit, on a bus, for another 8 hours. But when we arrive in Nong Khio it was epic. They have a themse song here, it's Europes the final countdown. It's literally nesteled in the mountains right on this river with all of these beautiful villages and thatch huts and we simply don't want to leave.

In other news, I've decided to cut Vietnam and Nepal out of my travel plans. My instincts are screaming for India, so Im going to head there a month early and try and volunteer and live somewhere for a ltittle while. Agiain, if anyone is interested in meeting me...