Japan or China...LAOS!

"Where are you from? Japan or China?" Hank Hill asks his Asian neighbor.

"I am from Laos, a landlocked country in South East Asia!" the neighbor replies.

"Yeah, so are you from Japan or China?" Hank again asks.

King of the Hill's beautiful portrayal of American (specifically Texan) ignorance to Asia is when I first heard Laos mentioned. Laos is a landlocked country in South East Asia. Bordering countries are China to the north, Myanmar and Thailand to the West, Cambodia to the South and Vietnam to the East. On a map Laos looks like a shooting star headed NW towards the Tibetan plateau.

My 20 hour bus ride ended up being 27 hours with a Chinese character to keep me entertained. Mr. Zhang is from Hunan and spoke with a strong southern accent. He cursed just about everything once we crossed the Laos northern boarder. He was a seller in Vientenne. He was bringing down goods such as waterproof disposable cameras, sunglasses, twine and automotive parts. I asked him his markup--about 400%.

My most favorite part of the ride was when the bus driver pulled over three kilometers from my destination. I asked why we were stopped and as he answered, I noticed as sign in Chinese that read China Friend Restaurant. Chi fan le [time to eat]. The Chinese distaste for foreign food never ceases to amaze me.

Luang Prabang is nestled at the confluence of Mekong and Khan rivers. The center of town boasts a stupa crowned hill, Phou Si, and 34 minor temples throughout the city. These temples are how the town is organized. Locals do not refer to their village or house by street name. but rather by its local temple, or Ban.

One of the delicacies of Luang Prabang, that I had the opprotunity to try, is Khai Phaea. This is a dish made from Mekong seaweed (or river moss, I have also seen it translated as) that is pressed with chilies, fried and served like nachos. Amid the square green sheets is a small dish of Jeow Bong, a chili and buffalo meat puree. A bamboo basket of sticky rice turns this snack into a meal. I used my fingers to pluck a chunk of rice, roll it into a ball, then use the Khai Phaea as a wrapping. This I dipped in the sauce and then ate in once bite. Spicy and delicious. The crispy seaweed and sticky rice are a perfect combination. If I were to translate this dish into English, I would dub it Mekong Sushi.

I visited the Royal Palace Museum where the signage has removed the word Royal and now reports it as the Palace Museum (though Royal is still very visible). Inside was everything from Buddhas to Elephant saddle battle thrones. What interested me the most were the gifts given to the king from different countries. Grouped by Capitalist and non-Capitalist countries, China had given gifts of jade and silver tea sets. The Japanese had given various porcelain and Nara's city key. I laughed as I saw Australia had presented a Boomerang from Queensland.

The United States gave a miniature replica (a rather cheap one) of the Apollo 11. Next to it was a 4" x 6" Laos flag and a plaque engraved with:

"This flag of your nation was carried to the Moon and back by Apollo 11, and this fragment of the Moon's surface was brought to Earth by the crew of that first manned lunar landing."

Above, encased in resin, were four pieces of Moon rock, about the size of four baby teeth. Take that Australia!