Where Am I?

for a few days it seemed like maybe thailand was just a dream and i'd never left oregon. if it weren't for the delicious sum tam and the cozy guesthouse overlooking the mekong river, i may have forgotten i was on vacation. temperatures dropped to 11 degrees celsius (that's about 52 degrees fahrenheit for us 'mericans). most of the time i was bundled in blankets, drinking beer leo and watching numerous pirated movies with other travelers, which wasn't bad... it just wasn't what i expected. it's been the little joys each day that remind me what a glorious life i am leading. i have been able to sleep in as late as i please, taking little damp bicycle rides into town for the best coffee i've had thus far on the journey (a place called bamboo mexican house in the border town of chiang khong... the owners are very friendly and they bake fresh bread for their sandwiches, make an incredible pumpkin soup and they have a sweet spotted dog named salsa). they didn't at all mind us sitting and playing card games, reading, drawing and journaling for hours until the rain let up enough to head back to the guesthouse.

it's been great to stay in one place for a while, but tomorrow we must say goodbye to baanrimtaling guesthouse and chiang khong for we head to nam ha national park for a trekking adventure, then on to luang prabang for another extended stay.