Champasak Vilages and Temples

The real people of Laos are scattered all over, especially in the villages.  The villages across the Mekong river were amazing.  A farmer with his cows, kids walking what looked like miles to school, woman sewing bags and shirts,  and a man chopping up fresh beef.  It is real people doing real things do live.  It was nice talking and getting to know the locals.  I met a boy going to college in Luang Prabang, a guy who works in the finance building in Champasak, a mother with her baby, a father at the school, and a woman making ice pops for the kids.  It was interesting because I would not think a financial office would be in such a rural area, but I guess it was located there for a specific reason.

Taking my own off track hiking trail through the temples to the top, I ended up getting lost somehow and ended up with a hut and a bunch of cows-thankfully cows do not attack.  That would be scarey.  I was shouting Sabadee-hello to see if anyone could hear me.  I just kept running around trying to get out.  The thing is with Laos when the sun sets, it gets pitched black outside and there are absolutely no street lights.  So I was getting scared like a kid because I did not want to be stuck with the no lights and nowhere to go. 

I eventually stumbled upon a few monks starting a fire and performing ritual rites.  They pointed me back out to the Mekong River where the trail was and I was so thankful to see them.  I ended up at the top of the temple that I actually wanted to check out (another interesting way of my higher power leading me).  I stopped by the school and spent some time their with the kids and smiling with the parents. The kids were playing a game with a bean bag while blowing bubbles with some incredible gum.  The bubbles would stay big for a few minutes.  The lady outside was making popsicles for them by freezing soda.  These boys were playing and swinging like monkeys on the back of a tuk tuk.  A few girls all placed their hands out asking me for money.  A little boy kept following me and smiling and when leaving he brought me to his two little friends and we were practicing ninga kicks and playing around. They were so cute-I didn’t want to leave them.  I was thinking that I could be like Angelina Jolie and just adopt a bunch of kids from around the world ha!

 A Chicken and Avocado French baguette and the sunset while sitting in a hammock rocking around.  Around 7 pm, I went to have another meal of some Lao BBQ with a friend from my guest house as well and that was more than enough food.  It was hard because they could not really tell you what was what so I just focused on eating the seafood-it was delicious I must say! We ended up at the cutest bakery after enjoying some Lao Coffee- Joma Bakery. Lao coffee is good! Like Costa Rica coffee I enjoyed!

Joma Bakery is an Americanized Bakery, but has great selections of desserts and pies.  They even have a Thanksgiving sandwich. Sometimes those American traditions are nice to see when you are abroad-reminding you of home....