A few friends and I watched "The Sound of Music" on Sunday evening. Well, to be honest, I punked out after the children sang "So-long, Farewell." Everybody else finished it. Doesn't matter. The point is, I have been humming songs from the movie ever since. I decided to use it as inspiration for this post so maybe I can move on and get a new group of songs stuck. These are the things I like about living in Laos.
When a traffic accident occurs, the police use white spray paint and outline the vehicles involved. When I am driving around, I see lots of shapes on the road and try to imagine what happened. This morning I notices a HUGE rectangle (must have been a truck) in a new place. It also makes me thankful I haven't been involved.
Fresh fruit and vegetables. I was told before I arrived that there wasn't much as far as grocery stores go. It's true. There are some shops where I can find familiar foods, but it isn't the same. However, there are tons of markets. They are outdoors and I love them. I am particularly fond of my fruit stand. It is actually a shop, but I always think of it as a stand and it is about a 3 minute walk from my house. They have really delicious fruit. I have in my fridge a recently purchased pineapple that is actually good enough to write home about.
The French influence on this city. Considering this is an Asian country, I find it remarkable that it is possible to get really great pastries and desserts here-and they are affordable. This is wrecking havoc on my waistline, I need to quit thinking of those chocolate croissants as miracles. I also love that it is possible to get a great bottle of wine or some really delicious cheese and bread.
I can fill up my gas tank for about $2.50. My water bill last month was $1.50. I got a few things on my motorbike fixed on Monday and the grand total was $6.38. Tuesday morning, I had a flat tire and it was just over $.62 to patch it. Unbelievable.
The sunsets. I have seen some of the best sunsets I have ever seen in my life. They are incredible.
There isn't really an abundance of road rage here. People may pull out in front of you or cut you off, but it seems to be a fact of life and people don't get mad and try to get even. Having said that, I battle road rage almost every day. I have realized that any time a car decides to pull out in front of me and it messes up my commute, I think, "Those jerks, they decided to pull out in front of me because I am a foreigner." It is ridiculous. That isn't really the case. I am trying to relax.
Lack of horn honking. This one goes along with the previous item. Occasionally a bus will honk so people know it is coming (they aren't frequent here). I also have heard big trucks honk-as if they aren't obvious. But, I am pleasantly surprised that in this land of people constantly cutting others off, there are blaring horns all the time. I am again the exception to this rule. I honk when I am trying to cancel my turn signal. I get these buttons confused on a regular basis and it always results in two things. One, I scare myself. My horn is really loud. Two, I get a lot of stares...a LOT. It happens more than it should although it is getting a little less frequent.
My house. Compared to my last living quarters in Iraq, this place is great. I got new curtains from my landlady and a new couch and coffee table. It is very comfortable now and I like my neighborhood. I like this place.
Ok. I think that is it for now. There is a lot to like about this place. Will write more soon. M.
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