Last Days in Laos

A portrait of Martine with stray dogs and frangipani - and a big smile - how very Lao.

I can't believe how fast the time has gone, and how much fun it's been, what with Pii Mai, standing stones and waterfalls, this truly is a great country. A wonderful introduction to Asia. I couldn't have asked for more. Loved every minute.

Plus two new friends who are out there somewhere in the world, still travelling. Hopefully our paths will cross again some day - probably on a steep flight of steps.

This is my last post from Laos, as tomorrow I fly to Kenya.

We spent yesterday cycling around the neighbourhood, mostly along the Mekong in the opposite direction to town, exploring backstreet temples. We stopped to have a chat with a couple of monks before heading on to one with extremely unusual, and slightly disturbing, artwork. It seemed to depict Heaven and Hell in a strangely Christian parody of morality. 

The financial benefits of Nirvana?

Whatever happened to reincarnation?

Still, the rest of the wat was nice, and there was a bench to sit and recover from the heat by the river.

Then we stumbled upon Wat Pakhouei Vangsay Xaysathane Chinaimo a little further along. It was extremely pretty and quiet, with a giant golden Buddha.

Bell forged in 2014.

Then it was back along the main road towards home, via another temple.

And Martine & Ruairí's local restaurant where we ate the other week. They dub it the Mosquito Bar because there are quite a few bitey-hell-flies, but I've forgotten the actual name. The food is lovely, though. Very good papaya salad, which is kind of the national dish. I opted for Crispy Snake-head Fish in Tamarind Sauce, which simply appeared on the bill as Crispy Snake. It was delicious. 

When we returned home, there was a giant gecko on the porch. Maybe the length of my wrist to my elbow.

The day before, we'd been for a meal in town as Martine's daughter's colleague from Australia was travelling in Laos with her husband. We took them to the place we had the hot pot as it was near their hotel. It was a really good night. Lots of laughs. Afterwards we went back to the night market, and I splurged on artwork and souvenirs for home. Then Martine and I cycled back along the Mekong River Road, trying to work out whether it was possible to smoke a cigarette and ride a bike at the same time - it is.

Ruairí went on ahead as there was a football match he wanted to see. When we arrived, he came out onto the porch to greet us, narrowly avoiding stepping on this!

It's an Asian Black Scorpion, and the third one they've had in the past week. It was almost dead, and thankfully not that venomous, but it could still pack a nasty punch if it managed to sting.

This morning, I opened the door to find a snake. Not sure what type it is, but it was bright orange underneath, with a speckled black and white tip, and brown with black spots on top. It was also dead (I think we have the cats to thank for that), so I moved it into the bushes.

[Update: apparently this is a potentially deadly Speckled Corel Snake, however its mouth is so small it's unlikely to get a good bite in. It lives in leaf litter, like the scorpions, and lifts up the white and black tip when it feels threatened, to look like a second head and lure predators away from its real head.]

Every day brings a fresh surprise in Laos.

To make matters worse, the spider we found in the kitchen had taken up residence in my bathroom whilst I'd been away. Martine had named it Frederica. It was okay at first. She just sat there watching me take a shower, but the next night she actively started chasing me around the bathroom! It was worse when she disappeared, and I had to pick up towels and toilet seats, never knowing quite where she was.

Thankfully M&R came to my rescue and rehomed her at the end of the garden, where she now feasts on bugs and small children.

I am seriously going to miss Laos. It's been a blast. I would recommend it to anyone: the food is great, the people are possibly the friendliest on earth, the exchange rate is good, the public transport system is outstanding, and once you acclimatise, the weather is very agreeable - especially with your feet up and a cold beer.

On to new adventures in Africa.