Rat-on-a Stick

These bamoo grubs were a little snack Penny and I shared recently. They're actually pretty tasty once you get over the idea of putting larva in your cake hole!  However, the rat-on-a-stick that seems to be a favorite here in Laos is just not that appealing. Really, who wants to eat a garbage-eating rodent? (Apparently, a whole lot of Lao...)                           

We have also entered serious dog-eating territory here in Vientiane - there is a reason that there are almost no stray animals here, and I have a theory that the words "buffalo", "beef" and "pork" may be mostly interchangeable with the word "canine-once-known-as-my-dog-fluffy". Pets are clearly marked with clothes, hairdos, manicured nails, and whatever else might distinguish them from food.

Word on the street is that Vietnam will be the most gustatorily adventurous place of all...meanwhile, I'm mostly sticking to eating things without eyeballs, but will make a concerted effort to photograph hyper-disgusting beasties for your viewing pleasure...

The 2-day slow boat trip down the Mekong turned out to be a giant multi-cultural frat party, which kind of sucked for those of us who were hoping for a mellow experience. It was one of those things that you just have to settle into and be thankful for the fact that everything is temporary, like super-long bus rides or sitting through a Catholic wedding!

The boat finally arrived in Luang Prabang, where we stayed for just enough time to find  an excellent crepe place (chocolate mango crepe-mmmmm) and realize that it's basically a Laos Disney Land  for people who don't wanna actually interact with the culture. Such a weird phenomenon.

We've been in Vientiane for a couple of days, exploring the city and starting a visa collection for our onward journey to Cambodia, Vietnam, and back to Thailand.

Vientiane's a trip - there's a baguette shop on every corner and a HUGE replica of the Arc de Triomphe right smack dab in the center of town. The US guilt-gifted a bunch of concrete to Laos to build and airport ("hey man, sorry we carpet-bombed the shit out of you and most of your countryside abounds with unexploded ordenances - here's some cement")  and Laos promptly used above-mentioned concrete to build this thing! It's a big ol' Fuck You, giving America the archy-finger. Airport - ha!

In a few days, Vientiene will celebrate 450 years as the capitol by having a huge 4-day party, kicked off by a shiteload of fireworks, parades, and 100 people jumping from an airplane and spelling out "450 years" with their plummeting bodies...it's gonna be awesome! It's also in the National Stadium, which is right by my new favorite place, a 25-meter damn commie swimming pool, where I have been happily swimming laps on a daily basis, drinking coffee-coconut smoothies with an  ice-cold coconut water chaser, and teaching the locals how to play gin rummy through a combination of French, English, Thai, Lao, and pantomime. Worked pretty well, although the fun really started when we switched to the universal language: Slap Jack.

OK, enough for now...gonna go for a stroll down the Champs D'Elysee and dine al fresco 'neath the arch-port!

love,
jingles