Finally, in Laos

When we got to the Lao Airlines check-in counter, early on Thursday morning, it felt like we had arrived home. And though we only speak a little Lao, the language and the people felt surprisingly comfortable and remarkable to both of us. As we checked in, one of the agents placed on each of us a colorful green sticker with a white and yellow dok champa (plumeria) flower, the official flower of Laos, in the center and "LPQ" in big blue Helvetica letters. We wore these stickers proudly through the airport.

As we were sitting having a small breakfast an agent came up to us and told us we were late for boarding. Perhaps, she had notes, like the waiter we once had who called me Mr. Zuckerman. When I asked him how he knew my name he pulled out a card on which the receptionist had written: Mr. Zuckerman and Ms. Pearson, man with mustache and salt-and-pepper hair and lady with colorful scarf. As we hurried along to the gate, Disty suggested perhaps she had those notes. We both knew, however, it was the stickers.

When we arrived at the gate, I got to use on the gate agent one of the few Lao sayings I know: ma sa sa digwah bo ma (Coming slowly is better than not coming at all). She was unimpressed. In fact, I'm not sure she knew I was speaking Lao. Or, maybe, I hope, she was Thai. Anyway, not a good start on the trying out the language skills. We handed over our boarding passes, went through the doors, and board the waiting bus. We waited a while longer for the rest of the stragglers to board, then headed to the plane for the 1.5 hour flight to Luang Prabang.

When we arrived, we paid the US$36 for our entry visa. I paid an extra dollar, because I didn't bring along an extra photo. Chip was waiting on the other side as we went through customs. He had come with a tuk tuk driver and we grabbed our luggage and headed to the tuk tuk. We drove to a few different places, buying vegetables, barbequed duck, sticky rice. The the driver brought us to our hotel: Hotel au Fils du Mekong (Mekong Riverside Hotel). We checked into our beautiful room on the second floor overlooking the Mekong. The tuk tuk drivers were playing cards across the street.

We grabbed our food and went to a restaurant down the river a block or two. The restaurant staff brought us plates and glasses and we ordered drinks. There, we sat and ate and talked. I had a Beer Lao for the first time in three years. The moment was so reminiscent of when Andy and Chip picked us up at the airport, we went to the guest house that Andy had found, and we went to the river and ate Laap and drank Beer Lao.