Sunday in Pakxan/Paksan

Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010--Pakxan/Paksan

The reason for the two spellings is that there is no agreement for how to spell Lao (or Thai) words in western letters. Therefore, it is common to see multiple spellings which still would be pronounced similarly. These are the two common ways of spelling the town where I am now.

This was the third straight day of sunny weather. That means that it is getting hotter each day and that today was especially hot. Still, I managed to go out walking in the morning for about 3 hours. I started by looking for a place to get a sandwich. I found one, and it was slightly different from ones I have had elsewhere. Unfortunately, this lady put pieces of pork fat in hers. I just picked them out and threw them away. But she put better quality meat and pâté that seemed to be homemade into hers. She also put a light product of some kind (looked like beige fiberglass) on it at the end.

I walked to the south of the city and quickly found myself in the countryside. I saw a village to the left and walked down a road toward it. I came to a school and a stadium, but then the road was covered with a big puddle of water that was impassable on foot. I reversed myself and found a quiet road heading further south. Everyone was friendly along the way. Eventually, I came to a temple. It seemed very quiet because on Sunday the monks can sleep late and have no duties. But one novice saw me and said, "Hello." Soon he was downstairs and talking to me along with a couple of local boys who had been visiting with him. Eventually four monks were talking to me. It was the usual story. They all have plans and hopes for the future and are using their time as a monk to help them get an education they would not otherwise get. It was pleasant to be able to talk with someone, however. Coming back to the hotel was difficult because it was so hot. I passed a home where a woman was selling small fried pastries filled with cream, and I bought 6 of them (1000 kip each or 6 for 5000). After making it back to the hotel, I was so hot that I drank a whole liter of water.

The Paksan Hotel is really rather nice even though I am staying in their basic room. It has a casino (mostly slot machines from what I can see through the windows), a sauna, a scenic river running just behind it, and an outdoor restaurant beside the river. There is a large staff--more than there are guests!

There was a restaurant I saw this morning while walking that looked nice, so I decided to go back to it for dinner. There was thunder and rain in the distance, but I took my umbrella and just hoped I could eat and get back before getting soaked. Fortunately, the restaurant was empty when I arrived and ordered. Just 5 minutes later, however, about 20 young South Koreans arrived. A couple of them started talking to me, and they told me they are all volunteers here in a program that South Korean has that is similar to the Peace Corps in the US. Many of them are teachers. One of them I was speaking to teaches taekwondo. I guess it is a PE class. Most, however, taught normal school subjects. They have been here for a year and have another year to go. They told me that I had chosen the best restaurant in town. I was glad to hear that. The food was good, too, although I only had fried rice with pork. She served it with a nice spicy sauce on the side which I used completely to spike the dish!!

Tomorrow, I will catch the bus to Vientiane, the capital of the country. It is a rather small city, however, and does not have the look or feel of a capital city. I have been there before. I hope I can find a decent place to stay. It should be easier, since I will arrive in the late morning just as people are checking out of the best places. I have my choices made and just have to try to get to them and find the one I think will be right for me after seeing them.