Drunk in Laos
19 March 2006
We were staying in a place called Champasak in Laos and had been cycling for the day, to see yet another temple. We were trying to get something to eat but apparently it was a village festival, so it was party time for the locals and most restaurants were shut. We went into a place which looked busy but were told that there was no food being served. However, they invited us to join them for a Lao Lao, which is a locally made rice whisky, that the villagers make themselves. Of course, we accepted, just the one mind you. It tasted foul, I haven't drank white spirit but I would imagine the taste to be similar.
We had a bit of a chat with the locals who kept handing us shots of Lao Lao and because we are very polite and did not want to offend anyone, we accepted every one. Eventually we started to feel the effects of the home made paint stripper and decided that enough was enough and we should head home. I would like to be more specific about the length of time we spent with the locals, enjoying their hospitality but unfortunately, it is all a bit of a blur.
We still had our bikes and had to cycle about half a mile to our guest house and this was where the trouble started. I mounted my bike and began to cycle. Unfortunately, my co-ordination momentarily left me and I cycled straight into a ditch and over the handle bars I went. A group of locals picked me out of the ditch and put me back on my bike but I cycled straight into the ditch on the opposite side of the road. The locals ran over and picked me back up. I just kept laughing and shouting Whisky Lao Lao, Whisky Lao Lao, which they found hilarious - and a perfectly acceptable excuse for drunken behaviour - and patted me on the back and kept shaking my hand. At this point, Laura was laughing hysterically and telling me how stupid I was not to be able to ride my bike. A second later myself and a group of amused locals were picking Miss Menzies out of the ditch!
We eventually got home after mustering up all our powers concentration. The next day was a total loss. We were meant to be leaving but we have to stay as we felt sooooooooooo bad.
A few days later in the different place - further south in Laos - we got chatting to a couple of girls that we'd met previously and had seen again in Champasak . After a while one of the girls said, "was it you two that were riding around Champasak totally drunk?". They had heard about it from another couple, which just shows, you that we can still get a reputation wherever we are in the world!
This only confirmed my suspision that these foreign cycles have inferior steering. I will be writting a strongly worded letter to the hire company!
Laura may have been able to get on her bike and cycle straight if only she had stopped laughing and opened her eyes!
We were staying in a place called Champasak in Laos and had been cycling for the day, to see yet another temple. We were trying to get something to eat but apparently it was a village festival, so it was party time for the locals and most restaurants were shut. We went into a place which looked busy but were told that there was no food being served. However, they invited us to join them for a Lao Lao, which is a locally made rice whisky, that the villagers make themselves. Of course, we accepted, just the one mind you. It tasted foul, I haven't drank white spirit but I would imagine the taste to be similar.
We had a bit of a chat with the locals who kept handing us shots of Lao Lao and because we are very polite and did not want to offend anyone, we accepted every one. Eventually we started to feel the effects of the home made paint stripper and decided that enough was enough and we should head home. I would like to be more specific about the length of time we spent with the locals, enjoying their hospitality but unfortunately, it is all a bit of a blur.
We still had our bikes and had to cycle about half a mile to our guest house and this was where the trouble started. I mounted my bike and began to cycle. Unfortunately, my co-ordination momentarily left me and I cycled straight into a ditch and over the handle bars I went. A group of locals picked me out of the ditch and put me back on my bike but I cycled straight into the ditch on the opposite side of the road. The locals ran over and picked me back up. I just kept laughing and shouting Whisky Lao Lao, Whisky Lao Lao, which they found hilarious - and a perfectly acceptable excuse for drunken behaviour - and patted me on the back and kept shaking my hand. At this point, Laura was laughing hysterically and telling me how stupid I was not to be able to ride my bike. A second later myself and a group of amused locals were picking Miss Menzies out of the ditch!
We eventually got home after mustering up all our powers concentration. The next day was a total loss. We were meant to be leaving but we have to stay as we felt sooooooooooo bad.
A few days later in the different place - further south in Laos - we got chatting to a couple of girls that we'd met previously and had seen again in Champasak . After a while one of the girls said, "was it you two that were riding around Champasak totally drunk?". They had heard about it from another couple, which just shows, you that we can still get a reputation wherever we are in the world!
This only confirmed my suspision that these foreign cycles have inferior steering. I will be writting a strongly worded letter to the hire company!
Laura may have been able to get on her bike and cycle straight if only she had stopped laughing and opened her eyes!
# posted by Laura & Catherine @ Wednesday, March 29, 2006 
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Great post girls, I had a good laugh at those deadly photos! Somehow you both look like fashionable drunken cyclists :)
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