March 14th - Free Day

Today was a free day for the group. As some folks headed off to the Buddha Park, we decided to grab a quick massage and futz around town. We first had some breakfast at a local bakery called Joma. Due to the French influence, baked goods abound as well as western style coffee. After my "bagel egger" we headed to Mixay (Mee-say) massage for a one-hour, $2 massage. We then met the group for lunch at our favorite local place. When entrees only cost $1, one tends to over-order. Between the five of us, we must have appeared as if we hadn't eaten in months. I find days like these the best way to experience any new city. Aimlessly wandering around we could really absorb the pace and mood of Lao life. It felt like for the first time we had adjusted our rhythm to that of our hosts. A walk along the Mekong river as sunset approached saw riverside food stalls cropping up and locals enjoying a leisurely meal by the water.
We happened upon a game of Tekraw, a cross between hackeysack and volleyball. It's a lot of fun to watch players who really know the game. More info on this super-fun looking sport can be found here Sepak Tekraw (we would later catch a game of professional Tekraw on TV but this street version was always more entertaining). For dinner we made the mistake of eating at a touristy restaurant. We quickly learned that if you want Lao food, eat where the locals eat. We were also approached during this meal by two young girls, begging. I've never had to turn a blind eye to 8 year old beggars and it's quite difficult when they basically join you for dinner and refuse to leave. I gave them some money which only fueled their clinginess. After our meal, a glance back over the shoulder saw the two of them scarfing down our leftovers with gusto. I was happy that the restaurant owner never asked them to leave for the sake of her wealthy foreign customers. Her sympathy for the girls seemed genuine and the situation was always ours to deal with as we felt appropriate (awkwardly).