Vang Vieng vroom

Day 7: 28 Dicembre Giovedi
We got up for a hearty breakfast - my sight, nose and mouth set on the vietnamese beef pho (10,000kip) at "San He" next to Happy Garden along the eternally popular food street. I was determined to try it as I had walked by the shop many times and was convinced it was good by the look of things. Breakfast seemed like a big affair here as everyone was out queuing at the mobile kuey-kuey stalls, porridge and noodle shops, etc.

I planted my arse on the stool and proceeded to inhale a bowl of steaming pho while the pho auntie's mongrel and poodle stared longingly at us slurping noisily. While A tried to log on at an internet cafe for the umpteeth time, I was walking up and down the street, snooping around and poking my camera at the unsuspecting locals. There was a curious porkseller who was pushing his mobile cart of roast meats and chopping up each order when customers stopped by on their motorbikes.

I spotted a mom drying perfect round discs of sticky rice crackers in the sun - a good way to preserve any leftover rice, I'm sure. We hurried back to pack our bags for our 4-hour coach ride (US$6.50 each) to Vang Vieng which included a bottle of water and biscuits - not too shabby. I just wished they would keep the volume down on the Laotian pop music that was keeping us and the other angmoh travellers on the edge. Halfway on the road, I was immensely grateful that we packed a banana loaf from the Scandav Cafe(I swore there's a worm inside of me).

The scenery flashed rustic fields, kampong houses and kids walking home from schools. All the girls were donning traditional long skirts with decorated hems - standard uniform for the female population. In comparison, Cambodia was much poorer as most village homes do not have basic needs. When you put your life in perpective, it doesn't seem that bad. In fact we're in the best privileged position and empowered to make changes if we are not consumed by our own preoccupations.

Into our 4th hour on the winding drowsy ride, we glimpsed the backdrop of lush hills and limestone mountains that marked our arrival in Vang Vieng - a popular laidback stopover between Vientiane and Luang Phrabang, Here the air was clean, the sun shone bright and clear, the streams pristine and greenery luminous all around. I was determined to come here after seeing M & E's riverside pictures at sunset. This petite town was a real gem, spread across 2 parallel stark roads and a network of humble lowrise houses. I felt like I was transported back to the 80s, save for telltale signs of the 21st century such as internet cafes and cable tvs blaring from each restaurant.

We promptly checked into our pre-booked Elephant Crossing, swapping the riverfront bungalow by the driveway for a quieter deluxe room (US$40 per night). Hungry me was feeling moody and my patience was running thin with A, having to repeat myself again and again. It was near impossible to have a proper conversation so we just ate our soup noodles and stared at the tranquil river and looming mountains. I finally took a breather and explored VV on my own while he excused himself to check the internet - again. The sun was setting already and the light cast a beautiful silhouette across the hills.

When I was happily about to cross the bridge, a lady ran after me gesturing that I had to pay the 4,000kip pedestrian toll. I searched my pockets for small change and came up with large US dollars so I persuaded her to let me thro' for a few minutes saying "I no kip. I only take photos ok? No go across bridge?" She nodded with a smile and turned her attention to the other passing vehicles. The narrow bridge was quite sturdy considering the constant stream of traffic by heavy jeeps, tuk tuks and motorbikes.

I hung on to the ropes and stayed close to the edge, running my viewfinder over the hills and Nam Song river below. The locals were chatting while taking their evening baths in the clear shallow waters, oblivious to the 2 heavy trucks scooping contents noisily from the riverbed. I snapped a picture of a small pretty toddler and showed it to her parents who beamed with delight.

As the mountains' silhouette surrendered to darkness, the mosquitoes came out to play and chased me back to town where I watched local kids at a friendly soccer match. Based on my travels, I could safely deduce that food, sex and soccer unite people everywhere. Si, e' vero! I happened to locate A at an internet cafe, still trying to log on with no success so we shared a banana-cioccolato crispy pancake from one of the numerous roti stalls (10,000kip) while checking out the rows of restaurants for dinner.

It was near impossible to locate a quiet eatery without a TV but we managed to find the highly recommended 'Organic Fram" restaurant tucked safely away at the end of the road. We lapped up the stir-fried seasonal veggies with tofu and greens curry with peanuts to go with the unique black-purplish sticky rice, and washed it all down with the soul-cleansing mulberry green tea and berrilicious mulberry milkshake. Dessert was the smooth honeyed-bouquet and musky Lao Bia made from the nectar of golden palm flowers. Ahhh.