PotD - Making Pancakes

I love pancake, and that is a scientific fact! I've gone miles out of my way just to eat some of the self declared "best" pancakes. But being in Asia, good pancakes are hard to find. Luang Prabang is full of French and Belgian people so pancakes usually means crepes which ain't what I am talking about when I say pancakes. No, I mean real soft, fluffy, big griddle cakes. Lucky for me I have a good friend here in Luang Prabang who is always looking out for my best interests and she suggested that we make pancakes one day. I was all down for this. And when eggs and bacon got thrown into the mix, well this just made things even better. A little while later brunch was served in pancakes, eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, and the company of some funny Lao guys. But t me, the best part was eating real, made from scratch, pancakes. Thanks Amy, and thank you to whomever invented the pancakes.

PotD - Catch of the day

One day I was walking through the morning market and I saw a HUGE catfish. sadly I didn't have a camera with me. This thing was gigantic, had to weigh at least 60lbs if not more. A few days later I saw this fella. Though not as big, it still was a good size catch.

fast boat

From Pak Beng, in the morning we headed up north to the border town of Houay Xai. After the whole day before spent on the slow boat we decided to try the fast boats. Though a little more dangerous that is not where the concern came in from. Lonely Planet has listed the fast boats as extremely dangerous, and if Lonely Planet guidebooks mention something then it must be true (sarcasm). Local Lao people regularly use the fast boats but tourists are scared to because of the rumors, and also because it is essentially a glorified canoe with a car engine tied to the back. That said, the ride was AWESOME and pretty safe though you're supposed to wear a helmet and lifejacket of which I wore neither. And in case you didn't figure it out, we didn't die.

The boats we'd be taking.

before we left I found some grilled frog and thought I'd give it a try. this one was pretty tasty. stuffed with lemongrass, garlic and chili and then roasted to a near jerky state. I dug it, though shortly after I realized that eating strange food may not be the best idea before going into fast possibly unsafe transportation methods.

ribbit... ribbit

view from my seat on the boat

view from behind me, notice my hair being flown back

we stopped at a fuel stop and got some beers. sunny day on the mekong drinking beer in somewaht unsafe vessels. :)

It's a nice life.

and a small video of part of the ride.

Slow Boat to Pakbeng

I had to get out of Laos as my visa was expiring and the only way to get a new one is to leave the country and then come back. Rather than make the costly trip to Thailand only to spend an hour on the other side and then come back, I figured I'd go to Thailand to do something a bit more productive with my time. I went to learn thai massage. With Steph, my friend from home in Luang Prabang but also heading to Chiang Mai, we hopped on a slow boat from LP to Pakbeng, Laos. A 10+ hour boat ride that creeps along the Mekong. A beautiful and peaceful day. When we arrived at sunset in Pakbeng, I wrote these words down.

After a 11hour boat ride up the Mekong we pulled into Pak Beng in the near pitch dark night and I sat smiling thinking to myself "this is my life and I love it."

And I do!

Steph, sleeping on the boat. She probably won't be to happy that I posted this.

we had some engine problems. here they are using electrical tape, rubber and a hose to fix things.

I got hungry so they let me make "mok pet" in the back of the boat. mashed (usually smoked first) chili peppers, garlic and salt. Even on slow boats I can have fun with food.

Steph and me, sharing tunes and having a good time on the boat

creeping up the Nam Kong (Mekong)

fog in the distance

sunsets over the river.

Pre: Friend Arrival

I am lying in bed and can't sleep as I'm very excited. why so excited? Well, tomorrow my good friend Steph comes to town. The last few weeks have been filled with friends from out of town but Steph represents something different. Now, don't go getting the wrong idea… it's not like that. Steph was in my core group during my yoga training, it's more like family. But what she represents is my last self before travel. See, I've met up with my best friend on this trip and I've met up with old friends from NY days. Last week Adam and Kaja were in town, and though also like family and i love them deeply they are friends from this trip. They are friends from this stage of life. Steph is from the part of my life right before I got on the plane to start this journey. I haven't seen anyone from my SF life since I left. Email and an occasional video chat but not a real life in the flesh person. Am I still the same person? Is that life still there for me when I return? Questions like this are what's brought up when I think about seeing Steph. More than a person I truly care about and am excited to get to spend time with, Steph being here also represent a marker. A where I was and who I was vs the Andy writing this post. I shouldn't get to heady about it, but I've had a few glasses of Pastis tonight and these things can happen. Let's just say that I'm super glad to get to spend the next few days with a good friend, a sister, and a part of my life that I miss greatly.