Dog Gone!

for anyone who's still keeping track, I am not dead. I just got back from a three day trek in northern laos. it was, in a word, spectacular. started out with a little mountain biking into the jungle (though the word "little" probably isn't accurate...4 freaking hours, all uphill...mother of mary), then some elephant riding, a little trekking to a khmu village, some more trekking to a rice plantation, then kayaking down the river I still don't know the name of (not the mekong, that I do know.) in between my eco-adventures, I stayed at this amazing resort in the middle of nowhere. teak bungalows overlooking that river that's not the mekong and enormous mountains, open air showers, no electricity, and the sounds of strange insects the size of rhode island eating through my mosquito net.

so now I'm back in luang prabang, which, if I didn't explain in my last post, is this quaint riverside town; they call it the jewel of laos. brick sidewalks, french colonial architecture with a scattering of wats, these incredible night markets selling handicrafts under the glow of thousands of lightbulbs. the colors are amazing. it's my favorite city so far. everyone is so friendly and relaxed. I was planning on leaving for hanoi tomorrow, but the plane ticket was really expensive and I'd only have two days to explore, so I've decided to stay in laos until friday, before flying back to bangkok and then home on saturday. god, the time has flown by. why it feels like only yesterday that I was being robbed in phnom phen. ah, memories.

oh, yeah, I unwittingly ate a piece of dog. they eat spot for dinner here in laos. I was offered a taste from some locals and I did not know what I was eating until my guide informed me. I thought that only happened in sitcoms or something.

well, I'm exhausted after all the kayaking, trekking, dog-eating, etc.
tomorrow I'm going to do a walking tour of the city. and get a massage or two.