Ah, Laos
You can be certain you are in the right place when your "to do" list starts
off with 1. Savor, 2. Be Grateful, and 3. Be Present. These are not things
I can cross off, since I cannot complete them (even borderline compulsive
list-makers like me). So they will remain things to do while I am here.
Today I met with the first year interns that I helped train in January.
They were smiling at me for the entirity of rounds; every time I glanced
over I was met with a sea of gleaming white teeth. Lak invited me to his
family's home tomorrow night. There is a Boat Racing Festival here in
Vientiane, and through our jumbled french exchange "cadeaux" became
"bateaux" and then "gateaux". So I think they set fire to cakes and float
them down the Mekong. Either way, I will be part of the fun soon!!
My list of things to do included booking a flight to Cambodia to spend a
weekend with my parents, and another to Luang Prabang to see Deanne.
I've had buckwheat mushroom crepes, homemade (yes, pasteurized, thanks for
asking) yoghurt, caramel pork, and pumpkin souffle. So far. This weekend,
my mission will be mango sticky rice.
the Bad:
road warfare has intensified dramatically. There are low-riders and
motorcycles (albeit with more helmets on top) zipping around like wasps.
Roads are laid. There are crosswalks. There are parking lots. All in 9
months. Instead of having a baby, Vientiane popped out traffic.
the monsoon season has ended, and in its wake is a humidity thick with dust.
The government-regulated "sins" are ankle-length silk skirts that females
must wear in all hospitals. They line them with further silk. I went to
the morning market to buy two more and spent a full charades session
convincing the girls not to line mine. Let's see what happens - double
lining maybe? For those cold canadian winters...
the Ugly:
stupid cellulitis recurred on my ear on the flight to Hong Kong. So I did
get to see the immensity of the skyscrapers, but felt too lousy to impose my
wallet on any of it. Good thing the HK airport has docs who can be
persuaded to sell authentic meds. The facial swelling became Stay Puff
Sized during the international flights, to the point I was lucky to see out
my itchy ballooning eyes when I finally landed here. Over 17 hours of
flying. Not a single decent in-flight movie.
(am much better now, thanks)
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