I needed to catch my flight to Phnom Penh, but I wanted to close up a few other stories from Laos…
- If you go (and I hope you do), try one of the riverside restaurants. They are all along the riverside and are quite tasty with a laid back, friendly ambience. I went my first and last nights. On my last night, I ended up striking up a conversation with a native Laos woman at the table across from me while she waited for her friends. She looked young, but was a grandmother with 5 children and 7 grandchildren (she also volunteered… with no encouragement on my part!... that all her daughters were married, including one who now lives in Denver). I ordered a spicy papaya salad (which is excellent), and as I began to eat it, she asked if I thought it was spicy. I told her yes and she and the waitress started to laugh. They made my salad with only two peppers whereas a native would get between 15 and 30. Spicy indeed.
- Beer Lao is a wonderful brew and the pride of the nation. Every restaurant touts it and shops are filled with t-shirts bearing the logo. I regret not picking up one of these t-shirts. Carlsberg recently took a 50% stake in the company and I hope they begin to export it to the US.
- Haw Pha Kaew which I also visited and is next to Si Saket once held the Emerald Buddha… which I saw while in Bangkok after the Siamese “liberated it” :-)
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