After two sleep ins in a row it was time to try to get up before 9 am in the morning. Especially since I had made plans. One of the two youth centers I visited yesterday organizes every day a meeting where Laotians can meet native or fluent english speakers to practice their English. Of course I had to be there, even though my English isn't perfect I think it is good enough. The meeting is between 9 and 11 in the morning and when I finally managed to drag myself out of bed I walked my ten minutes walk over there. When I got there some people had already started conversing and I found a free chair. The first one I spoke to was still in the very beginning of his learning process and we mostly spend on time looking at pictures and discussing it, and reading some texts connected to the picture. After a while people start talking to each other and I am introduced to a number Laotian boys/men aged around 20, all of them on a different level concerning their skills in the English language, ethnicity and background. The one I talk the most to is Phanh (pronounced Pan). He is from the more northern part of Laos but has come Luang Prabang to work and study. I am told he is of the Khamu or Khmu tribe, one of the hilltribes of Luang Prabang and the largest ethnic group in Laos. He then continues to telling me about the other tribes and ethnic groups that exists in Laos and what differs them from each other. I am also told that he works at a restaurant in town. Before we leave we exchange phone numbers and I just made my first friend in Luang Prabang.
After lunch a take a quick nap and then take my now traditional reading time somewhere in town, trying out what Luang Prabang has to offer. I ended up at the Scandinavian Bakery again, this time having a lemonade which is most delicious drink and I again wonder why we don't drink this in Sweden. My plan was to then swiftly drop by Dala Market to shop for some trekk sandals before going up Mount Phousi, one of the more popular tourist sites in Luang Prabang. I am however trapped in the market by the pouring rain that only exists in Asia, but after ten minutes the rain is OK to walk through.
"Lucky me!" I though "Managed to avoid the rain" The next thing I do is to almost slip on the wet sidewalk in my extremely slippery flipfliops, and after two minutes manage to slip and, as the English says, fell right on my arse. 100 meter later I step into a pool of water which splashes up and manage to soak the before-dry side of my body. After this I decide to skip Mount Phousi and its 350 steps to the amazing view I heard about since I would probably manage to slip and fall down at the bottom again once I reach the top.
Also, when I returned home from dinner today who don't I see if not Phanh standing outside the restaurant where he works. We exchange formalities in the traditional shy Laotian way, well not me of course, and I promise him to eat at his restaurant in a near future.
Also, here is a taste of what Luang prabang looks like.
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