for D
it's not a course you take at penn
there were weightier matters there at hand
economics and finance and whatnot
spring breaks and cool gigs and foxtrot
ok fine, so there was no dance
i'm breaking away from the tyranny of the stan-za
in those halcyon days
romance teased but didn't linger
in the intervening years
there was a dim sum dalliance
still, true love took its time
and the heart yearned and hungered
but here it is
under the light
sure and certain and right
this might sound premeditated
but "the hardest to learn was the least complicated"
(from the indigo girls' least complicated)
Friday, December 21, 2007
K was well enough to head out. First stop talat sao (morning market), s sprawling ramshackle local market with rubbish strewn everywhere and vendors selling meat, vegetables, cooked food, provisions, vcds/dvds, electronics, fabric, everything but tamarind paste sweets.
Found the LP-type pouches here but the designs were not as nice and it was more expensive.
K headed off to the national museum and I took off for wat si muang to check out the city phallus (lak meuang). Still in active use, there were people presenting offerings, using divination sticks and still others sought protective strings tied around the wrist by a monk.
Then on to haw phakaew, former royal temple, 5K kip. There’s 2-tier pricing here, locals pay 2K kip. Not much in the sim beyond a collection of buddha statues with no explanatory notes.
Hide-from-heat stop at scandinavian bakery. Chocolate donut (7K kip) and mixed fruit shake (8K kip).
Went to samsenthai fried noodles for lunch. Had the special yellow fried noodles (14K kip) and ice coffee (6K kip). The noodles came with beef and veggies, tasty but oily. The coffee was ridiculously sweet. 15K kip tuk-tuk ride back to hotel.
US$5 for airport transfer and US$10 for international departure airport tax.
Found the LP-type pouches here but the designs were not as nice and it was more expensive.
K headed off to the national museum and I took off for wat si muang to check out the city phallus (lak meuang). Still in active use, there were people presenting offerings, using divination sticks and still others sought protective strings tied around the wrist by a monk.
Then on to haw phakaew, former royal temple, 5K kip. There’s 2-tier pricing here, locals pay 2K kip. Not much in the sim beyond a collection of buddha statues with no explanatory notes.
Hide-from-heat stop at scandinavian bakery. Chocolate donut (7K kip) and mixed fruit shake (8K kip).
Went to samsenthai fried noodles for lunch. Had the special yellow fried noodles (14K kip) and ice coffee (6K kip). The noodles came with beef and veggies, tasty but oily. The coffee was ridiculously sweet. 15K kip tuk-tuk ride back to hotel.
US$5 for airport transfer and US$10 for international departure airport tax.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
cause for K’s lack of appetite became apparent – food poisoning. Somehow I slept through it all and only woke up at 9 the next morning. Slept so much I even dreamt about work and landing a last-minute assignment. Ha!
Couldn’t figure out what it was that caused the upset stomach given that we’d been eating the same food. He thinks it was probably food that was not thoroughly cooked at malee lao.
The breakfast spread here is more limited. K couldn’t eat.
Set off for pha that luang, laos’ national symbol. 20K kip for the tuk-tuk, 5K kip for the entrance. K went back to the hotel after a while.
Decided to walk to patuxai, the lao version of the arc de triomphe. Passed by wat phonxai. No lonely planet entry but I liked the circle of buddha statues seated under the banyan tree.
Also came across newly-built brightly-painted ornate pavilions.
Cursing lack of shades and cap when I remembered that I was lugging around an umbrella. Ah, blessed shade!
It might be the dry cool season but the heat was scorching enough to burn one’s scalp. No wonder all the monks carry parasols.
Tickled by disdainful honesty of sign at patuxai, something about it being a monstrosity up close. Paid 3K kip to climb the structure.
The inside of the patuxai housed… souvenir shops. View from the top only showed how flat the skyline was. But I like the broad boulevards, lined mostly by 2-storey shophouses, and traffic has yet to reach the stage of a tangled snarl.
Walked to that dam (black stupa). It’s next to the US embassy so you can’t take pictures from certain angles.
Lunched at soukvimarn (http://www.laofoods.com/). Had lao-style dried wonton noodles (12K kip), complete with raw bean sprouts and lime wedges, and fish soup (20K kip), which was light and tangy and appetising. Had another mixed fruit shake (8K kip) as I hid from the fiercest of the heat.
Went to the lao national museum (10K kip). Unexpectedly informative, especially with the meeting of 2 cultures exhibit on the travels of dutch east india company trader gerard wusthof.
Timeline of the museum’s exhibits actually started with dinosaur fossils. Got interesting with prehistoric culture with helpful english translations. Section on laos under siamese rule left untranslated. Section on savage and barbaric french colonialists was.
Lost interest with the modern history and communism section.
Walked past wat mixai, bangkok-style sim with 2 nyak (guardian giants) flanking the gate.
Then wat ong teu mahawihan, I think. Namesake is a large 16th century bronze buddha at the back of the sim. A lao woman sought her fortune suing the divination sticks.
Ice coffee and éclair stop at café croissant d’or (17K kip). Pastry could be softer but the filling was quite generous.
Went back to hotel. K feeling better but still no appetite.
Went by T’s around 6.30. dropped by monument books and bought a copy of the dutch trader’s account of his visits published by white lotus (US$13) and a bracelet trinket (US$2).
After some to-ing and fro-ing between T and her friends, ended up at nang khambang for dinner. There was american Tr, taking photos of UXO victims and working with a prosthetics aid organization; american Sh, who’s been there the longest and is with UNICEF; aussie J, who’s headed back home after a year here; M and So, who works at the vientiane times covering education.
Dinner was good. Fish tom yum (less spicy compared to the thai version), chicken laap and fish laap, deep fried pork chop, deep fried quail (?), beef, sticky rice and raw veggies. Ate rice with right hand. Most excellent when dipped into condiment of freshly cut chillies and lime. Beer lao all round. Came to 40K kip a person.
Drinks after that at rooftop bar and restaurant. The dodgy one with hookers, T had previously proclaimed, and they were there all right.
Décor was cheesy, a rattan/bamboo weave covered the walls and ceiling. There were 2 pool tables and tables on which sat a 2-litre(?) container of beer.
The vodka lime came with actual lime juice, though the whole thing was watered down.
Conversation meandered into lao porn, which apparently exists.
Couldn’t figure out what it was that caused the upset stomach given that we’d been eating the same food. He thinks it was probably food that was not thoroughly cooked at malee lao.
The breakfast spread here is more limited. K couldn’t eat.
Set off for pha that luang, laos’ national symbol. 20K kip for the tuk-tuk, 5K kip for the entrance. K went back to the hotel after a while.
Decided to walk to patuxai, the lao version of the arc de triomphe. Passed by wat phonxai. No lonely planet entry but I liked the circle of buddha statues seated under the banyan tree.
Also came across newly-built brightly-painted ornate pavilions.
Cursing lack of shades and cap when I remembered that I was lugging around an umbrella. Ah, blessed shade!
It might be the dry cool season but the heat was scorching enough to burn one’s scalp. No wonder all the monks carry parasols.
Tickled by disdainful honesty of sign at patuxai, something about it being a monstrosity up close. Paid 3K kip to climb the structure.
The inside of the patuxai housed… souvenir shops. View from the top only showed how flat the skyline was. But I like the broad boulevards, lined mostly by 2-storey shophouses, and traffic has yet to reach the stage of a tangled snarl.
Walked to that dam (black stupa). It’s next to the US embassy so you can’t take pictures from certain angles.
Lunched at soukvimarn (http://www.laofoods.com/). Had lao-style dried wonton noodles (12K kip), complete with raw bean sprouts and lime wedges, and fish soup (20K kip), which was light and tangy and appetising. Had another mixed fruit shake (8K kip) as I hid from the fiercest of the heat.
Went to the lao national museum (10K kip). Unexpectedly informative, especially with the meeting of 2 cultures exhibit on the travels of dutch east india company trader gerard wusthof.
Timeline of the museum’s exhibits actually started with dinosaur fossils. Got interesting with prehistoric culture with helpful english translations. Section on laos under siamese rule left untranslated. Section on savage and barbaric french colonialists was.
Lost interest with the modern history and communism section.
Walked past wat mixai, bangkok-style sim with 2 nyak (guardian giants) flanking the gate.
Then wat ong teu mahawihan, I think. Namesake is a large 16th century bronze buddha at the back of the sim. A lao woman sought her fortune suing the divination sticks.
Ice coffee and éclair stop at café croissant d’or (17K kip). Pastry could be softer but the filling was quite generous.
Went back to hotel. K feeling better but still no appetite.
Went by T’s around 6.30. dropped by monument books and bought a copy of the dutch trader’s account of his visits published by white lotus (US$13) and a bracelet trinket (US$2).
After some to-ing and fro-ing between T and her friends, ended up at nang khambang for dinner. There was american Tr, taking photos of UXO victims and working with a prosthetics aid organization; american Sh, who’s been there the longest and is with UNICEF; aussie J, who’s headed back home after a year here; M and So, who works at the vientiane times covering education.
Dinner was good. Fish tom yum (less spicy compared to the thai version), chicken laap and fish laap, deep fried pork chop, deep fried quail (?), beef, sticky rice and raw veggies. Ate rice with right hand. Most excellent when dipped into condiment of freshly cut chillies and lime. Beer lao all round. Came to 40K kip a person.
Drinks after that at rooftop bar and restaurant. The dodgy one with hookers, T had previously proclaimed, and they were there all right.
Décor was cheesy, a rattan/bamboo weave covered the walls and ceiling. There were 2 pool tables and tables on which sat a 2-litre(?) container of beer.
The vodka lime came with actual lime juice, though the whole thing was watered down.
Conversation meandered into lao porn, which apparently exists.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
leisurely breakfast at resort. The fried noodle with egg and peanuts was good.
Free transfer to airport at 9am. 40 min flight on lao airlines with its neon blue patterned seats. Served a bun with preserve and yummy tamarind paste sweets.
35K kip a person for taxi transfer to green park boutique hotel. Layout a little reminiscent of santi but bathroom much nicer. Free internet access a plus.
K decided to lounge by pool first so took off in search of lunch. Kua lao was closed so ended up at one of the fruit shake places across from asian pavilion hotel. Shake (6K kip) and satisfying toasted bread pockets filled with cheese, ham and pineapple (15K kip).
Oddly enough, prices here in the capital seem to be lower than in LP. Entrance to wat sisaket was merely 5K kip. Murals in the sim definitely in need of restoration though.
Bumped into K here and we went for a stroll along the river. he had a pancake with apple and honey but couldn’t eat much. Fruit shake no. 2 for me.
Met T, as arranged, at inter hotel and passed her her books and clothes.
Had drinks next to the river. The river bed was quite a sight as kids played soccer under the evening sun.
Fruit shake no. 3 and then on to dinner at french restaurant la terrasse. Shared carafe of red wine (65K kip) and had the onion soup (28K kip) which was not robust enough. The duck in cherry sauce (70K kip) was quite tasty but the meat was a little overdone.
T’s enjoying herself in laos and certainly taking the less travelled path by doing research on the mekong river commission.
She’s staying in a studio with a kitchenette (US$180/month) across from wat ong teu and is wary of novice monks and their amorous ways. Recounted her american friend’s experience with them, concluding that normal rules of behaviour with regard to monks (for women to keep a distance away etc) did not apply in that instance.
Free transfer to airport at 9am. 40 min flight on lao airlines with its neon blue patterned seats. Served a bun with preserve and yummy tamarind paste sweets.
35K kip a person for taxi transfer to green park boutique hotel. Layout a little reminiscent of santi but bathroom much nicer. Free internet access a plus.
K decided to lounge by pool first so took off in search of lunch. Kua lao was closed so ended up at one of the fruit shake places across from asian pavilion hotel. Shake (6K kip) and satisfying toasted bread pockets filled with cheese, ham and pineapple (15K kip).
Oddly enough, prices here in the capital seem to be lower than in LP. Entrance to wat sisaket was merely 5K kip. Murals in the sim definitely in need of restoration though.
Bumped into K here and we went for a stroll along the river. he had a pancake with apple and honey but couldn’t eat much. Fruit shake no. 2 for me.
Met T, as arranged, at inter hotel and passed her her books and clothes.
Had drinks next to the river. The river bed was quite a sight as kids played soccer under the evening sun.
Fruit shake no. 3 and then on to dinner at french restaurant la terrasse. Shared carafe of red wine (65K kip) and had the onion soup (28K kip) which was not robust enough. The duck in cherry sauce (70K kip) was quite tasty but the meat was a little overdone.
T’s enjoying herself in laos and certainly taking the less travelled path by doing research on the mekong river commission.
She’s staying in a studio with a kitchenette (US$180/month) across from wat ong teu and is wary of novice monks and their amorous ways. Recounted her american friend’s experience with them, concluding that normal rules of behaviour with regard to monks (for women to keep a distance away etc) did not apply in that instance.
So we got up at 5am to catch the daily ritual of monks collecting alms. And you think, this is a place where rituals and traditions are still deeply rooted. It’s humbling to think you have to get up at 4 every morning just to get your sustenance for the day. And it’s a commitment on the part of the giver as well.
Is there a system of who gets to go where? Do the monks like the tourist stretch? Do they get more food now that it’s become a tourist attraction?
The procession of monks moves along at a surprisingly fast clip. Are they tired of the cameras popping flashes or are they just immune? After all, it’s the lot of a monk’s life in laos to be photographed.
Should I offer sticky rice even though I’m not a buddhist or do I intrude by taking pictures? Will go buy more souvenirs to expiate this nagging sense of guilt.
Had breakfast at santi hotel, a benefit of having the hotel and resort owned by the same person. Would be even nicer to get a day room.
It was cool enough at 6am for a zip-up and the mist lingered.
Walked down to the river front and took up deal to get to pak ou caves for 50K kip. All the way to there in a long shallow boat, clouds hung low on the landscape. Longest 1.5 hr journey cause bladder was bursting. Mercifully, a rest stop at ban xang hei (?) for local moonshine and hand-woven cloth.
Entrance to the caves cost 20K kip. The upper cave, tham phum, was dark, could hardly see anything even with a rented torch (5K kip). The lower caves tham ting were more promising but the undisputed highlight was the presence of a group of touring monks.
Lunch at saffron café – lao peanut chicken wrap (15K kip), cappuccino (17K kip) and banana bread to go (10K kip).
Went on trip to kuang si waterfalls (40K kip transport). Spent about half an hour on the minivan as it made more stops to pick up people until there were 10 in total. K had decided to go back to the resort to chill.
Reminiscent of hongxi waterfalls in guangxi. The surprise here was the colour of the water – a pale aquamarine, a lot more inviting than the mekong’s murky brown.
It may be the land of ten thousand elephants (万象) but have yet to spot any. Have glimpsed water buffalo, and at kuang si, moon bears and a tiger.
How do you improve a picture? Just add monk.
Took a pic for a group of monks, actually the same bunch from the caves in the morning, and started talking to one of them, phon. He’s becoming a monk for 7 days on the 1-year anniversary of his father’s death. He’s on holiday , showing the sights to a monk visiting from thailand(?). born in LP, he now lives and works in vientiane for the telco tigo. (the glossy hip young lifestyle telco ads seem miles away from the reality of people’s lives here.)
All men go through monkhood before marriage for at least 3-7 days.
See from the houses that quite a lot of folks still live very simply – wooden structures on stilts. Thatched with zinc roofs or dried leaves, the walls a cross hatch weave of dried leaves, with the occasional sighting of brick and concrete. As well as a rather incongruous huge-ass satellite dish outside one of these humble homes.
Between the high end option of l’elephant (french) and the low end option of street food (saw this alley offering skewers, roasted meats etc near the post office), we picked malee lao food on thanon phu vao.
Serves only bbq/steamboat combination and it made for a most satisfying meal. One order each of beef, chicken and fish. 30K kip a plate, includes egg, veg, vermicelli, black fungus, tomato. 1 bottle each of beer and water, total came to 106K kip. Most delicious broth, perhaps courtesy of msg. good whatever it was and the place was packed with locals and falang.
Took the tuk-tuk (20K kip) to the restaurant. Driver came back an hour later to take us back to the resort. Bargained to 40K kip but gave 50K kip because of the horribly bumpy last stretch of road to the resort.
Is there a system of who gets to go where? Do the monks like the tourist stretch? Do they get more food now that it’s become a tourist attraction?
The procession of monks moves along at a surprisingly fast clip. Are they tired of the cameras popping flashes or are they just immune? After all, it’s the lot of a monk’s life in laos to be photographed.
Should I offer sticky rice even though I’m not a buddhist or do I intrude by taking pictures? Will go buy more souvenirs to expiate this nagging sense of guilt.
Had breakfast at santi hotel, a benefit of having the hotel and resort owned by the same person. Would be even nicer to get a day room.
It was cool enough at 6am for a zip-up and the mist lingered.
Walked down to the river front and took up deal to get to pak ou caves for 50K kip. All the way to there in a long shallow boat, clouds hung low on the landscape. Longest 1.5 hr journey cause bladder was bursting. Mercifully, a rest stop at ban xang hei (?) for local moonshine and hand-woven cloth.
Entrance to the caves cost 20K kip. The upper cave, tham phum, was dark, could hardly see anything even with a rented torch (5K kip). The lower caves tham ting were more promising but the undisputed highlight was the presence of a group of touring monks.
Lunch at saffron café – lao peanut chicken wrap (15K kip), cappuccino (17K kip) and banana bread to go (10K kip).
Went on trip to kuang si waterfalls (40K kip transport). Spent about half an hour on the minivan as it made more stops to pick up people until there were 10 in total. K had decided to go back to the resort to chill.
Reminiscent of hongxi waterfalls in guangxi. The surprise here was the colour of the water – a pale aquamarine, a lot more inviting than the mekong’s murky brown.
It may be the land of ten thousand elephants (万象) but have yet to spot any. Have glimpsed water buffalo, and at kuang si, moon bears and a tiger.
How do you improve a picture? Just add monk.
Took a pic for a group of monks, actually the same bunch from the caves in the morning, and started talking to one of them, phon. He’s becoming a monk for 7 days on the 1-year anniversary of his father’s death. He’s on holiday , showing the sights to a monk visiting from thailand(?). born in LP, he now lives and works in vientiane for the telco tigo. (the glossy hip young lifestyle telco ads seem miles away from the reality of people’s lives here.)
All men go through monkhood before marriage for at least 3-7 days.
See from the houses that quite a lot of folks still live very simply – wooden structures on stilts. Thatched with zinc roofs or dried leaves, the walls a cross hatch weave of dried leaves, with the occasional sighting of brick and concrete. As well as a rather incongruous huge-ass satellite dish outside one of these humble homes.
Between the high end option of l’elephant (french) and the low end option of street food (saw this alley offering skewers, roasted meats etc near the post office), we picked malee lao food on thanon phu vao.
Serves only bbq/steamboat combination and it made for a most satisfying meal. One order each of beef, chicken and fish. 30K kip a plate, includes egg, veg, vermicelli, black fungus, tomato. 1 bottle each of beer and water, total came to 106K kip. Most delicious broth, perhaps courtesy of msg. good whatever it was and the place was packed with locals and falang.
Took the tuk-tuk (20K kip) to the restaurant. Driver came back an hour later to take us back to the resort. Bargained to 40K kip but gave 50K kip because of the horribly bumpy last stretch of road to the resort.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
K's alarm went off at 7.30 but no one stirred till past 9. quick breakfast at hotel in order to catch the 10am shuttle. santi's quote for 5.30 transport to observe monks collecting alms was US$3 a head.
went to LP or royal palace museum, 30K kip. thinking that the king and queen's bedrooms were awfully austere. more of the mosaics of japanese glass against the rich red background of the wall. including a depiction of what looked like a soldier capturing a horse spiderman-style by ejecting a net to nab the creature.
also took in wat souvanhnaphoumanom, notable for the gilded gold relief on the exteriors.
lunch at joma bakery cafe, a pleasant joint with unfinished concrete walls, green window frames and a red awning. melted sandwich on croissant (22K kip), cappuccino (13K kip), mango crumble (15K kip) with a scoop of chocolate ice-cream (6K kip). food's ok, perhaps a tad above average but a welcome change from local fare.
headed west of museum and away from mekong to the south, the so-called trading district. came across stretch of guest houses but lower end. almost walked past wat visoun with its watermelon stupa and wat aham with the 2 banyan trees.
K went off to get a red cross massage. went up phu si hill for views of LP and for that chomsi (stupa) on the summit.
had a crepe of pandan custard and banana (5K kip) and bottle of green tea with honey (5K kip). made on the spot, warm and lightly crisp.
crepe stand is at the front of a provision store which leads to the living/tv room of a home, with the kitchen and toilet beyond it.
met up with K at santi hotel. decided on pak huay mixai on ban choum khong pedestrian street for dinner. night market in the lane next to the restaurant proved to be most fruitful for souvenir shopping - richly-patterned brightly-coloured cloth, bags, pouches, cushion covers, paper umbrellas, lamp shades, coffee, tea, ethnic clothing, drawings. only 1 or 2 stalls selling fake watches and the like.
the lao people are not very confrontational so bargaining was not a pain. bought 6 pouches (the lady even threw in 2 coin pouches for free) and 2 bags of coffee powder (for the lovely bags they came in).
quite a few of the spots were manned by kids. also noticed that they would all sweep the money received from a sale around the other items still on display, for trading luck.
bumped into J and his friend R who had come up from Vientiane and Vang Vieng.
had dinner together. beer lao (light and easy to drink), LP salad (pleasant sweetish sauce), beef stew, deep fried fish with sweet sour peanut sauce (quite thai-like) and LP sausage (no big shakes). about 50K kip a person.
went to LP or royal palace museum, 30K kip. thinking that the king and queen's bedrooms were awfully austere. more of the mosaics of japanese glass against the rich red background of the wall. including a depiction of what looked like a soldier capturing a horse spiderman-style by ejecting a net to nab the creature.
also took in wat souvanhnaphoumanom, notable for the gilded gold relief on the exteriors.
lunch at joma bakery cafe, a pleasant joint with unfinished concrete walls, green window frames and a red awning. melted sandwich on croissant (22K kip), cappuccino (13K kip), mango crumble (15K kip) with a scoop of chocolate ice-cream (6K kip). food's ok, perhaps a tad above average but a welcome change from local fare.
headed west of museum and away from mekong to the south, the so-called trading district. came across stretch of guest houses but lower end. almost walked past wat visoun with its watermelon stupa and wat aham with the 2 banyan trees.
K went off to get a red cross massage. went up phu si hill for views of LP and for that chomsi (stupa) on the summit.
had a crepe of pandan custard and banana (5K kip) and bottle of green tea with honey (5K kip). made on the spot, warm and lightly crisp.
crepe stand is at the front of a provision store which leads to the living/tv room of a home, with the kitchen and toilet beyond it.
met up with K at santi hotel. decided on pak huay mixai on ban choum khong pedestrian street for dinner. night market in the lane next to the restaurant proved to be most fruitful for souvenir shopping - richly-patterned brightly-coloured cloth, bags, pouches, cushion covers, paper umbrellas, lamp shades, coffee, tea, ethnic clothing, drawings. only 1 or 2 stalls selling fake watches and the like.
the lao people are not very confrontational so bargaining was not a pain. bought 6 pouches (the lady even threw in 2 coin pouches for free) and 2 bags of coffee powder (for the lovely bags they came in).
quite a few of the spots were manned by kids. also noticed that they would all sweep the money received from a sale around the other items still on display, for trading luck.
bumped into J and his friend R who had come up from Vientiane and Vang Vieng.
had dinner together. beer lao (light and easy to drink), LP salad (pleasant sweetish sauce), beef stew, deep fried fish with sweet sour peanut sauce (quite thai-like) and LP sausage (no big shakes). about 50K kip a person.
Monday, December 17, 2007
from the plane clouds in a lightly hazy sky hang over gridded fields of undulating green.
first time taking a budget flight and leaving from the budget terminal, which feels like a giant hangar. despite transiting through bangkok, had to go through the hassle of clearing inbound and outbound customs.
managed to get seats on the 0950 flight to luang prabang instead of the 1150 one we were on.
just enough time to wolf down pork porridge before rushing for the flight - which was delayed for an hour due to low visibility in LP.
US$5 a person to get to Villa Santi Resort, which was 5km away south of the town centre and serviced by a final stretch of unpaved bumpy road.
greeted with a refreshing lemon grass drink and happy with the traditionally, cleanly furnished room.
being away from town meant having to rely on the resort's shuttle service schedule.
lunch at goongkhum restaurant. 88K kip for two. (US$1 abt 10K kip.) tried the rice noodle soup with coconut milk with chicken. like a very mild laksa.
headed to national museum after that but it closed at 4 so will have to return. gold, gold, an abundance of gold glinting in the strong light.
definitely a laidback town. more bustling than siem reap circa 2003 with quite a few new hotels and guest houses, but bustling is probably the wrong word to associate with it.
walked along mekong river, an uninviting muddy brown. not one of more picturesque waterways around but a lifeline for landlocked laos.
came across what looked like a mobile disco with young and old grooving to the musical offerings of a young chap.
loo break at a hostel offering internet access at 100kip/min. made 2 moves on scrabulous.
made it to wat xieng thong with some gorgeous mosaic work and a rare reclining buddha that took some effort to locate.
lots of young monks around and at evening time, heard them chanting rather musically in the temples.
dinner at 3 nagas, top end for lao cuisine. 120K kip each. tried the khao kham, a local sweet red wine made from sticky rice.
had the river weed, freshly toasted and warm, jaew bawng (paste of chilli and dried buffalo skin). definitely has a kick while the skin tastes tendon-y.
stew of venison and vegetables (forgettable) and fish and pork wrapped in banana leaf and grilled. like satay, proclaims K. a more refined, tasty version i guess. and sticky rice, which was harder and less sticky than glutinous rice. still can't quite get a grip on lao cuisine.
took 9pm shuttle back to resort from villa santi hotel, which was located in the town centre itself. so ready to crash. lack of sleep and the constant travelling has led to sniffing and blocked airways.
first time taking a budget flight and leaving from the budget terminal, which feels like a giant hangar. despite transiting through bangkok, had to go through the hassle of clearing inbound and outbound customs.
managed to get seats on the 0950 flight to luang prabang instead of the 1150 one we were on.
just enough time to wolf down pork porridge before rushing for the flight - which was delayed for an hour due to low visibility in LP.
US$5 a person to get to Villa Santi Resort, which was 5km away south of the town centre and serviced by a final stretch of unpaved bumpy road.
greeted with a refreshing lemon grass drink and happy with the traditionally, cleanly furnished room.
being away from town meant having to rely on the resort's shuttle service schedule.
lunch at goongkhum restaurant. 88K kip for two. (US$1 abt 10K kip.) tried the rice noodle soup with coconut milk with chicken. like a very mild laksa.
headed to national museum after that but it closed at 4 so will have to return. gold, gold, an abundance of gold glinting in the strong light.
definitely a laidback town. more bustling than siem reap circa 2003 with quite a few new hotels and guest houses, but bustling is probably the wrong word to associate with it.
walked along mekong river, an uninviting muddy brown. not one of more picturesque waterways around but a lifeline for landlocked laos.
came across what looked like a mobile disco with young and old grooving to the musical offerings of a young chap.
loo break at a hostel offering internet access at 100kip/min. made 2 moves on scrabulous.
made it to wat xieng thong with some gorgeous mosaic work and a rare reclining buddha that took some effort to locate.
lots of young monks around and at evening time, heard them chanting rather musically in the temples.
dinner at 3 nagas, top end for lao cuisine. 120K kip each. tried the khao kham, a local sweet red wine made from sticky rice.
had the river weed, freshly toasted and warm, jaew bawng (paste of chilli and dried buffalo skin). definitely has a kick while the skin tastes tendon-y.
stew of venison and vegetables (forgettable) and fish and pork wrapped in banana leaf and grilled. like satay, proclaims K. a more refined, tasty version i guess. and sticky rice, which was harder and less sticky than glutinous rice. still can't quite get a grip on lao cuisine.
took 9pm shuttle back to resort from villa santi hotel, which was located in the town centre itself. so ready to crash. lack of sleep and the constant travelling has led to sniffing and blocked airways.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Le Bal
By Irene Nemirovsky
The two novellas here, Le Bal and Snow In Autumn, were first published in French in 1930 and 1931 respectively, and they bear testament to the versatility and elegance of Nemirovsky’s craft.
She was a Russian-born Jew and a best-selling author in her time. When the Germans occupied France in 1940, she was prevented from publishing.
Nemirovsky was only 39 when she died in the concentration camp at Auschwitz in 1942.
There has been renewed interest in her works after the posthumous publication, more than 60 years after it was written, of Suite Francaise in 2005 to widespread acclaim.
Le Bal is a keenly observed tale of teenage frustration and vengeance, thrown into sharp relief by the prickly relations between a woman and her daughter.
It is both a chronicle of social manners in 1930s Parisian high society and a clear-eyed look at the point at which a child begins to supersede the parent.
Snow In Autumn, on the other hand, has the feel of an epic novel condensed into 50 pages.
It richly evokes Moscow in revolutionary turmoil circa the late 1910s and Paris as seen through the eyes of a well-to-do Russian family forced to flee the comforts of home.
Taken together, the two stories serve as a most promising introduction to Nemirovsky’s writing.
If you like this, read: The Essential Tales Of Chekhov
Snow In Autumn has been described as an homage to the Russian master of the short story form.
(ST)
By Irene Nemirovsky
The two novellas here, Le Bal and Snow In Autumn, were first published in French in 1930 and 1931 respectively, and they bear testament to the versatility and elegance of Nemirovsky’s craft.
She was a Russian-born Jew and a best-selling author in her time. When the Germans occupied France in 1940, she was prevented from publishing.
Nemirovsky was only 39 when she died in the concentration camp at Auschwitz in 1942.
There has been renewed interest in her works after the posthumous publication, more than 60 years after it was written, of Suite Francaise in 2005 to widespread acclaim.
Le Bal is a keenly observed tale of teenage frustration and vengeance, thrown into sharp relief by the prickly relations between a woman and her daughter.
It is both a chronicle of social manners in 1930s Parisian high society and a clear-eyed look at the point at which a child begins to supersede the parent.
Snow In Autumn, on the other hand, has the feel of an epic novel condensed into 50 pages.
It richly evokes Moscow in revolutionary turmoil circa the late 1910s and Paris as seen through the eyes of a well-to-do Russian family forced to flee the comforts of home.
Taken together, the two stories serve as a most promising introduction to Nemirovsky’s writing.
If you like this, read: The Essential Tales Of Chekhov
Snow In Autumn has been described as an homage to the Russian master of the short story form.
(ST)
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