Luang Prabang, Laos
It's a sure fire sign that I am feeling 100% better when I decided it's time for a beer. Maybe that was what was ailing me - lack of ale. Anyway, I have been bumping into this Irish fella, Owen, on my travels (Thai border, Vientiane, Vang Vieng and now also in Luang Prabang). He is a cheeky imp and it seems that a night out with Owen registers something swinging wildly between 'Wha Hey' and 'Uh Oh' on the fun-o-meter.
I re-bumped into Owen at a bar in Luang Prabang called the Hive Bar, a buzzing (oh dear) joint for a sleepy town. Well, after catching up on what we'd been up to, it seemed we were fairly merry and it was closing time...which in Loas is a rather nanny-ish 11 o'clock. We bumbled (stop it) out of the Hive Bar and Owen was convinced he knew somewhere 'to go on to'. I was easily coerced.
So, that was how I ended up at a Laos bowling alley at midnight. It's hardly mopping the high brow of culture is it? To add to the sordid situation I think I chucked maybe eight balls down the track and not once did I trouble those ten wee fellas at the other end altho' the gutters got a thorough working out.
Here's a (the only) snap of the back of Owen's head in the bowling alley, clearly wandering off to cause more mischief. I think the quality and composition of the shot says everything you need to know about the night.
Things didn't get any better after I left the bowling alley. I had 'forgotten' the guest house I was staying in had a midnight curfew. I mean, why not? Bars all closed at 11pm so what could anyone in their right mind do after midnight...right? Apart from go bowling...but that would be ridiculous. So at 3am I was presented with not only a tightly shut guest house but also a dangerously spiky and firmly closed gate. I decided I'd scale the gate and proceeded to do so. It didn't go well. Climbing hazardous obstacles in flip flops and when perhaps a little bit dulled in the senses isn't clever or indeed easy. I got stuck. One leg was in front over the railings, one was precariously holding me up and I couldn't seem to move from this yoga-esque position. Fortunately my attempts to be 'quiet' had clearly been far from that and a young lad working for the guest house opened the main door and sleepily rubbed his eyes, clearly bemused by the vision in front of him. Thankfully he helped me down and I have to say if he didn't save my life, he certainly saved the precious runner up in the chart of 'Things You Mustn't Lose'. Fortunately he saw the funny side of it and we had a giggle about it the next morning.
Here are some snaps of the less seedy side of Luang Prabang:
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