Adventures around town

Anna enjoying her favorite chair at the guesthouse

Sorry its been a few days since I last posted.  We have been working hard at the hospital and had some really sad cases.

Waterguns as flower pots

A random squatting guy

Its been hot as can be here.  Glad the record heat wave arrived around the same time we did. Temps have been above 100 during the day time and the hospital ward is not air conditioned.  Needless to say we are drinking crazy amounts of water to try and stay hydrated. With the crazy heat there has been some awesome storms Luckily for us today was much cooler then the last few days.  

Crossing the Russian bridge

Russian bridge

Over the last few days I found a bunch of fun spots for ex-pats to go to.  I went to a trivia night with several of the other ex-pats in town at a speakeasy club.  And last night we had a going away karaoke night which was a blast.  Many of the Lao staff went to say goodbye to our pharmacist.  It was a late night and I actually got locked out of our guesthouse.  Luckily I was able to climb the fence before the storm started and even get my bike over the gate as well.  I am sure if anyone saw me I looked like a crazy person but there was no way I was biking to the hospital to sleep.  Glad to know I can still climb a fence, its been a long time!

Nam Khan looking upriver

Utopia bar

Today we had a day off and decided we should explore the town.  During our almost 10 mile walk, we visited several temples, crossed the Russian bridge across the Nam Khan, and watched sunset on top of Mt Phousy.  From the top of Mt Phousy you can see a 360 view of Luang Prabang and it was quite a way to watch the sunset.  At the top there were several monks and we found one who wanted to practice his english.  We were able to learn more about the many temples in the area.

The Russian bridge was also an experience.  The motorbikes go in the middle and the people walk along the outside.  About 1/3 of the way across I chickened out and went back but Anna made it across both ways.  It was a wooden bridge and seemed a little sketchy but it is a very frequently used bridge.  

We made it to the top of Mt Phousy

We also went to a bar called Utopia.  Its a throwback to about 50 years ago with a bunch of people sitting around on traditional Lao floor mats, drinking beer, smoking and just having a good time.  We are not hip enough to hang out here so we had a drink, took some pictures and went on out way.  

It was quite a day and we are almost 2 weeks into our adventures overseas. Both of us are still in good health and enjoying the experience so far despite some rough days at the hospital.  We have an early morning tomorrow so we can drive to the elephant sanctuary and learn all about them up close and personal.  

Amazing sunset