A very unorthodox t-givings in Laos

I think it's pretty ironic that, as everyone back home is in a post-thanksgiving-food-coma, my bungalow, in a small Lao river village, sits right in front of a pen full of turkeys (haven't seen a single turkey on this trip before today!). Homesickness definitely hit hard yesterday and today but I guess that is to be expected over the holidays... Though there is a serious lack of home made mac n cheese (and mashed potatoes and stuffing and gravy and geenbean casserole with those crispy onions on top...) in my belly right now, I cannot deny the fact that I am in a beautiful place doing exactly what I set out to do. It is not home and it is away from the people I love the most, but I think we did an alright job of giving thanks all the way on the other side of the world.

Got picked up from my place in Luang Prabang a few days ago and, within three minutes, met a crew of kids that would become my travel buddies for the next few days. The majority of the van was filled with Isrealis who had all met up along the way and, behind me, sat a couple from San Diego. Between talks about California and teaching and comparing travel stories, there was rarely a silent moment within the four hour drive.

Arrived in Nong Kiwah with no plan and a now very large group. Split up a bit and found ourselves some guesthouses- me playing 'third wheel'/Dupree with Chris and Sarah and the Isrealis on the opposite side of the bridge. The beauty of this place...is just... Wow. And we heard that Maung Ngoi is even better- Is that possible? This little village sits on either side of the Nam Ou river and is connected by a rather impressive bridge. There is a bus station and a boat ticket booth and the only paved road is one that runs through here and continues on east. Everything else is dirt/clay roads, homes, fruit stands, a couple restaraunts and a few guesthouses. Ours is right along the river and has a killer porch (with a hammock) that is built soley for the purpose of enjoying the view. There are spectacular mountains everywhere you look- which are absolutely drenched in lush vegetation- and the river- wide and lazily running- is obviously the lifeline of this town. Lunch on another deck and then back to ours for some guitar playing/singing, Arabic coffee, mint tea and Oreos (something that will quickly become routine in the following days) that the Isrealis have no problem sharing with us. A little walk with the crew, which takes you further up river and continues to blow your mind, and then back to try and catch the sunset from the bridge. A long and drawn out dinner (with 8 people it's to be expected- especially when they make just one dish at a time) and a carrot cake sesh for Ohad's birthday and then an early night for the American folks as the Isrealis joined in on a local party.

The morning brings a few puffs of fog that quickly burns off into blue skies. We all get up and grab some breakfast before catching our boat to Maung Ngoi. The boat ride, if you didn't already guess, was absolutely gorgeous. More lush, green mountains, more water buffaloes along the shores, less boat traffic and, finally, an even smaller and more beautiful village. Maung Ngoi is only accessible by boat, has no Internet, pharmacy, ATMs or paved roads and the town's generator only runs from 6-10pm. Now accustomed to the backpacker scene, however, there are plenty of guesthouses and good places to eat. We book at a cheap place with a good deck and plenty of hammocks and settle into our new home. Lunch ends up taking a ridiculous amount of time and after another coffee/tea/Oreo/guitar session, we miss our oppurtunity to do the hike we were planning on doing. Oh well...we can do it tomorrow. The rest of the evening was spent within a hundred yard radius of our deck- just straight chillin.

Another beautiful day and we are psyched. Ate some amazing breakfast (found a place that makes their own peanut butter!) of sticky rice and peanut butter wrapped around bananas and cut like sushi, and headed off to get on with our day. Asia time, it is the third Thursday of November and Chris, Sarah and I spend a good majority of the day talking about thanksgiving family traditions and cooking. We all agree that we are missing home today a lot more than your typical Thursday but we are glad to be together to empathize with one another. We also spent a large part of the day having to explain and defend thanksgiving to the Isrealis who kept on asking us 'why would you celebrate the killing of the Indians by the pilgrims?' and 'are there any thanksgiving songs?' (these isrealis were constantly singing). Regardless, I was glad to have my American comrades next to me and was happy that we got some good food- though not traditional t-givings food in the least. We had briefly discussed trying to get a chicken and some mashed potatoes and even some red wine, but we decided to just embrace the fact that we were far from home and ate some local cuisene- tomyum soup with sticky rice for me.

Other than the thanksgiving stuff, our day was spent on the beaches of the river and then doing the hike into the mountains a bit to check out a cave and a local village. Nice little walk on a well-trodden road to the cave which is pretty cool inside. Chris was the only one brave enough to strip down to his scivvies and swim down deeper into the cave. Sarah and I waited for his arrival which happened sooner rather than later after he spotted a huge insect/robot-looking creature on the wall and turned back. Crossed the river via a bridge made out of woven baskets filled to the brim with rocks and then followed along till the village. Being a tourist, you never know how to feel about going into these little villages- the last thing you want to do is go in and snap some photos like it is a zoo or something. We decided to head back without strolling through the local tribe and turned around. Ran into the isrealis along the way and decided to sit awhile so they could go explore the cave and all headed back together after another round of tea and coffee and Oreos. Another chill night of cards and guitar playing and chill people on the deck. Another nights sleep in a hard bed with Shaha next to me- the isreali girl who looks uncanningly like Kelly Gray.

Jumped on our boat back to Nong Kiwah and I said my farewells as everyone else got on the bus back to Luang Prabang. I wanted to stay another night here and desperately needed some time to myself- time to decompress and time to enjoy this beauty in silence- without talking and/or singing constantly. My days, I recently noticed, have been colliding into one another. I was trying to explain my plans to Shaha and tell her where I had been and couldn't remember any times or dates of anything. My days all run into eachother and the best way I can recalculate when I was at some destination is by remembering how many nights I have paid for a bed. I needed some time to pause and get my bearings- not by aimlessly wondering around a new city but by stopping and taking a few minutes to reflect and let my mind catch up to where my body is.

So here I am. Alone in a beautiful little Lao village- torn between my yearning for home cooking and football watching and time with my family and wonderful boyfriend, but also being completely happy and excited that I am here. I wish I could have both- I would give up the mac and cheese and football and the beautiful scenery of this place just to be with the people I love... It always comes down to the same conclusion: the people in my life are my heart and soul. They will be the reason I come home- if it wasn't for them, I think I would forever be a gypsy/nomad/wanderer.

All my love to everyone back home... I am so thankful to have such an amazing group of friends and family and boyfriend to come home to in Feb-ish! Enjoy the home cooking and fam time. Go longhorns and buffaloes!