Blue Ice Bar: A Home Away From Home

On the way back from the airport, Mike suggested that we visit Blue Ice Bar. I responded that I would love to do that, but I understandably wanted to do a quick change of clothes and freshen up a bit before embarking on this little adventure.

Once we arrived at the house, Mike showed me to my room. Within moments, I opened my big suitcase, which my friend Jason had lent me for this trip, and quickly selected what I would wear. After changing into something more comfortable, Mike and I were out the door.

As we walked down the street, it didn't take long for me to realize that this was a poor country. We passed by many retail establishments, which by North American standards, were very basic at best.

About twenty minutes later we finally reached Blue Ice Bar, a warm and inviting little place popular with locals and tourists alike on the banks of Nam Khan River. The entrance to the bar, which I later learned was built in the 1960s, was flanked by the Laos flag on the left and the flag of the former Soviet Union on the right. Once we stepped inside, Mike introduced me to Phut, the bar owner, from whom he promptly ordered two huge bottles of Beer Lao, each bottle the equivalent of two pints and costing 15,000 KIP (just under $2 US).

We stayed at the bar until closing, which was around 11.30 PM, and then walked back home.

Since that first visit, this place has become a great spot to hang out because it and the cliente there makes me feel very much at home.

I'm in Laos!

At 9.25 PM (9.25 AM in Toronto) on Monday, December 5, my Lao Airlines flight, originally scheduled to land at 7.25 PM (7.25 AM in Toronto), finally touched down at the airport in Luang Prabang. As soon as I deplaned, I felt the warmth of the night air gently touching my face. It was an absolutely wonderful feeling. Considering the length of my journey and being my first time traveling internationally, I felt remarkably well.

From the plane to the terminal building, a small and the only structure on the airfield, I only had to walk a short distance. Entering through the main doors, one of the airport officials directed me to the customs desk where I needed to pay for and pick up my visa. While I waited in line, I could see Mike standing outside. I instantly and excitedly waved and mouthed hello. He responded in kind, and so did a young Lao man, whom I would soon learn was one of the students sponsored by Adopt a Village in Laos. When it came my turn, I greeted the customs official seated in the booth by saying "Sabaidee"(which means hello in Lao). He smiled and replied, "Sabaidee". Then, I presented my visa paperwork, which I had completed on the flight, and my passport. The whole process was surprisingly swift and painless.

With that out of the way, I walked over to the luggage conveyor, where I anxiously awaited the appearance of my two pieces of luggage. Two days had passed since we parted company at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. In that time, my luggage had been transferred from Delta to Korean Airlines in New York City, from Korean Airlines to another Korean Airlines in Seoul, South Korea, and then finally from that Korean Airlines to Lao Airlines in Hanoi, Vietnam. When they finally materialized, I joyously grabbed them both and ventured down the corridor. Once outside, Mike greeted me warmly and introduced me to Siphan, that young Lao man, who smiled widely and said, "Sabaidee".

Within a few minutes we boarded a tuk-tuk, a small three-wheeled vehicle, which, in this part of the world, is the equivalent of a taxi cab in North America. Like taxi cabs back home, these vehicles are ubiquitous in Luang Prabang. In addition to shuttling people to and fro, they are used for transporting goods and other things.

Traveling aboard this mode of transportation greatly appealed to my sense of adventure. It didn't take long before we arrived at the residence where I would be staying in Luang Prabang. The cost of the trip from the airport to our destination was about 30,000 KIP (8,000 KIP = $1 US), which, in this instance, works out to about $3.75 US.

Of Teddy Bears and Beanie Babies

While I will be traveling to Laos by myself, I won't be entirely alone. Packed in my luggage are fifteen teddy bears and thirty-one beanie babies, which were graciously donated by some new friends, as gifts for some of the hill tribe children.

Taking Medications

Last Friday I took my first of two doses of Dukoral, which prevents traveler's diarrhea and cholera. This morning I concocted my second and final batch of this medication. From the kit I simply added the contents of a sachet to a glass of lukewarm water, which fizzed like Alka-Seltzer upon striking the water. Next, I gently shook a tiny vial of liquid and then poured its contents into the glass. I swiftly stirred this concoction and then promptly drank it. Surprisingly, it actually tasted good.

After downing that medication, I took my first of dose of Doxycycline, which prevents malaria. I will need to take this throughout my stay in Laos and for four weeks after my return to Canada.

Visiting The Villages

At 2.43 AM this morning an email from Mike Yap arrived in my INBOX. He informed me that we would be heading into the villages on December 9 and staying there for three nights or so. Exciting!

In Less Than 23 Hours...

In less than 23 hours from now, I will be on a Delta Airlines flight bound for Kennedy International Airport in New York City. This will be my first port of call on my way to Laos.

Timeanddate.com

To help travellers take the headache out of calculating what the time difference is between any two locations in the world, I stumbled upon this fantastic little web site simply called timeanddate.com.

There is a section on the site where you select the date, time and location from which you want to convert. Directly below that there is another section where you select the place to which you want to convert.