Sam and I had an amazing last day in Luang Prabang. We began the day by attending Tak Bat at 6AM (shortly after I returned to bed). At around 10 Sam nagged me enough to get me out the door. We decided to rent bikes--I was feeling much better and we both could use the excercise. Unfortunatelly for us the sun in Laos beats the hardest between 12 and 3 and many of the locals looked at us like we were crazy!
Despite the sun, we had an amazing time exploring and at 3 we found ourselves lounging in a resturant overlooking the Mekong (one where you sit on the ground). We had our own private bungalo to eat in and a blue and red spotted lizard joined us. On our way back into town we enjoied biking in Luang Prabang rush hour traffic and watching the sun set on the river.
That evening Sam had his heart set on dining at l'Elephant (one of the fanciest French resturants in Luang Prabang). I was indifferent. We made our way over, but I was still feeling full from our late lunch. I decided on a salad.... Figuring if there was any place safe this would be it (we had also already had salads from way sketchier places... So this place would of course be fine) BIG mistake.
The following morning we attended Tak Bat again (this time we decided to participate by handing out rice). We had to pack up and get to the air port (our flight was leaving for Siem Reap). At breakfast I was feeling bloated, so I decided to go with fruit and yogurt instead of the normal banana pancake (our guesthouse made amazing pancakes!). As the morning progressed so did my stomach ache.
Once Sam and I were at the airport my stomach was fully upset--but I still couldn't pin what was wrong. The flight was horiffic, Sam and I were both sitting next to each other clenching the barf bags. When we arrived we took the first guest house our driver took us to (I wasn't so sick that I couldn't negotiate $5 off the price though!)
Once in our room (at 12) Sam and I crashed. I have been sleeping/watching CNN in the fetal position for 24 hours now, and just begining to feel better. I think we are ready to brave the outdoors. There does not appear to be a lot special about Siem Reap... There are 1,000s of hotels and guesthouses, many of which are designed to look like Angkor Wat. Oh yeah, it's HOT here. In the uncomforatable way.
Sam went out for a small walk earlier this morning and came back with the report that the people are much more agressive than they were in Laos, grabbing your arm and following you down the street. I think we are both looking forward to seeing Angkor Wat and then moving on to more tropical settings. What is the point of heat like this if there is no beach? (hotels with a pool were $10 more, so we skipped it... Incase you were wondering)
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