More than a leetle

I half thought that I'd have a hard time getting a seat on the bus to Luang Prabang last night, so I got to the bus station early just in case. As it turns out, I was there 20 minutes before the 6pm bus left and it was cheaper than the next (8pm) bus, so I took it. A few hours in to the trip, I turned to look out the window and was amazed at the number of stars I saw in the sky. I ooh'd and aah'd for a second and then just as quickly as the thought "I wonder if they can still see stars like this at home, what with all the snow they're having?" sprang into my head, tears just as quickly sprang into my eyes. Hey, whoops, whaddya know? I actually am more homesick than I realized. So I laughed at myself for crying like a baby on a bus and tried to get some sleep.

The bus arrived in Luang Prabang on time. I didn't expect that. I certainly didn't expect to be plopped at the bus station at 4am either. (Maybe next time I'll pay the extra money just to be sure that I don't arrive in a new place before sunrise?) My tuk-tuk drove me to the guesthouse and then drove right off again, regardless of the fact that the place was very obviously closed and locked up for the night. I couldn't exactly go looking for another guesthouse because it was likely that at that hour all the others would be closed, too. So I sat and waited. For, I don't know, almost two hours? Only to be told that they were full. Argh. Here goes the search-for-accommodation walk again. Some places were full, some places were out of my budget. It was at about 7:30am when I started thinking that maybe Laos didn't want me to be here. I've never had such a hard time finding a place to stay before and then my stomach revolts on top of it all? Jeez. Right about then I found a place called Wat That Guesthouse. It's a bit out of my price range at 70,000 kip, but it's a single with a nice view and a CLEAN, hot shower. Let me tell you, after a long, hot shower and a nap, I was feeling restored. Still more than a leetle homesick, sure, but restored nonetheless.

After my nap, I wandered around LP to get a lay of the land. It's very cute and is bordered by the Mekong River on one side and the Nam Khan River on the other side. There are tons of wats and since I'd been templed out and avoiding them recently, I actually checked out quite a few of them. Wanting to give my stomach another day or so of a break, I ordered a chicken sandwich that came on the largest baguette ever with tomato, cucumber, lettuce, and mayo - for just over $1. I ate half and saved the other half for later, that's how big it was. When I finish up with email I will go back to my guesthouse and plop down on a hammock with a book for awhile before I go out to see the night market.

So - I'm feeling better. My stomach's been back to normal for 36 hours now and homesickness hasn't gotten the better of me and forced me to pack it in early. Thank you to everyone who commented with kind words. The comments brought on some tears, too, but this time just because I was reminded how much people miss and love me.

Pictures coming soon. The connection in Vientiane was pretty bad, so hopefully it will be better here and I can get everything uploaded.