Saying goodbye in Luang Prabang

The great part of traveling is meeting new people and making new friends. The bad part is saying goodbye to all those friends.

Saying goodbye to my home and friends at the library was difficult... My students, my teachers, my friends... I will miss you all.

It's been an exhausting day of having the same emotional conversation over and over and over. Yes, I hope to come back next year. No, I am not sure yet. Thank you for the scarf. Yes, I will miss you too...

Makes me wonder if it would just be easier to stay. Oiyoiyoi. But I'm excited to be heading to Japan to see some friends I haven't seen in a while and back to the USA thereafter.

Exhausted. I hope to see you again soon Luang Prabang!

Boat Racing Festival

The Boat Racing Festival in Luang Prabang is lots of things besides boats and racing. Sweltering heat. Throngs of people. And certainly not to be forgotten, Beerlao... Its really more of a week long BBQ that culminates in a boat-race...



Drinking beer with Say... And eating moua noi, gop and bot kwai with MeeMee...


Thanks everyone for inviting me into your homes to drink beer and eat weird foods!

I got married!

Everyone knew I would be coming home with an Asian wife... Here's a photo of us from our special day.


One of the staff at the library has gotten into using photoshop to put friends photos into strange places. This was his birthday present to me.

birthday 33

Happy Birthday to me! 33 years... Oiyoiyoi.

What a year. Last year I was just leaving Hiroshima, Japan and eating a satsuma dinner in Kagoshima. And today I'm in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. Who could have possibly guessed - certainly not me. I love the adventure of infinite possibilities that life affords.

I received a special lunch of naem khao from the library and a birthday cake with "Happy Birthday Mad Scientist" written on it. Spent the afternoon cleaning our new aquarium. Couldn't have been a better day. Well, except seeing my family and friends in Colorado. I miss you all!

The evening started with a surprise party back at my house. So humbling to be greeted at the front door with "Happy Birthday" and singing. Oiyoiyoi. Presents of shirts and scarves. Heaps of food and drinks. 3 more birthday cakes. Oi. I don't deserve such wonderful friends.

Off to my favorite place, the Muong Swa for some lamvong lao dancing and the ubiquitous Beerlao! Limbo dancing. Line dancing. Evol even got up on stage and sang a song for me. Oiyoiyoi. One of the birthday cakes came along for yet another Happy Birthday singing. Lao people are crazy. I love it.

I'll post some pictures as soon as I get them from Saiphone.

Thanks everyone for a wonderful day! And thanks for all the incredible emails from friends far away.

a typical day in Lao

You know you are having a typical day in Laos when you...

... drive a scooter one-handed everywhere you go because the other hand is holding an umbrella.
... eat fur moo noodle soup for breakfast.
... see women riding scooters side-saddle.
... no longer think eating fermented fish sauce is weird.
... have students that are novice monks in orange robes.
... eat sticky rice at every meal and it doesn't bother you.
... get a craving to eat spicy chillies instead of running away in fear.
... no longer get annoyed at the Lao pace of doing things.

(I will keep adding to this list)

8888 anniversary

Today is the 20 year anniversary of the 8888 Uprising in Burma.

The resignation of General Ne Win, leader of the socialist ruling party in Burma, brought mass demonstrations for democratization to a climax. August 8, 1988 marked the official beginning of the so-called Four Eights Uprising by students and Buddhist monks. The uprising ended on September 18, after Tadmadaw soldiers sprayed automatic rifle fire into crowds of protesters. Other demonstrators were carried away in trucks and never seen again. Human rights groups say at least 3,000 people were killed.

Aung San Suu Kyi entered politics to work for democratization, helped found the National League for Democracy on 27 September 1988, and was put under house arrest on 20 July 1989. She was offered freedom if she left the country, but she refused.

Take a moment today to think of the struggles of others for basic rights.

the strongest animal in the world

Today we got a new visitor at the library, the strongest animal in the world - the rhinoceros beetle came to visit.

I know what you're thinking... A beetle cannot be the strongest animal in the world, surely an elephant is much stronger. Well yes, but, an elephant con only lift about 25% of its own weight. In comparison, a rhino beetle can lift 850 times its own weight! Can you imagine?? For a chubby farang like me weighing in at 80 kg (175 lbs) I would have to lift 68,000 kg (145,000 lbs)! Oi!

He's been an active member of the staff so far. Quite smart and incredibly strong. He's escaped from his box twice already and goes PSSS, PSSS when he's scared. So far the staff has declined on finding him some food to eat - buffalo poop. We might try some rotten fruit instead...