Christmas is coming. Actually it's here! It's everywhere and it's bloody brilliant! Santa stands beside the doorway of our guesthouse here in Luang Prabang. He's as tall as me! We've stuck up a few decorations in our room. Liz has set up an advent calendar on her iPad for Nastassja and Oskar. Every morning begins with this before they get dressed. At breakfast today we were served by young Laos geezers in Santa hats. Who says they don't celebrate it here!?
Last night we watched "Enchanted" and "On her Majestys secret service". Both have a very Christmas vibe. Oh shit, this is actually starting to make me feel homesick. I'm starting to long for the freezing cold 5.30 am starts back in Morden. I want CK and all the boys at Kennington Park. I want Mummy! But hang on, what's this? Pink eggs?
We spent much of today, post Pink eggs shocker, doing a very relaxed walking tour around the town, stopping off at a few temples where the monks hang out. One group had a pet monkey called Mickey who they'd adopted from someone bitten a few times too many by the little feller.
One of the monks in particular, seemed to know how to handle the little monkey who is probably in very safe hands with these men of very bright orange robe. These guys even have orange towels, you could see them hanging out on their washing lines.
We came to the foot of a very large hill called Pho Si. Liz had wanted us to come here for sunset. Here we were, early afternoon and it was extremely hot at this point. We toyed with blowing this one out till later but a pretty lady called Nadine beckoned us to where she was seated. In front of her were several tiny cages, each housing a pair of very small but perfectly formed birds.
She smiled and began to explain that these tiny birds were her prisoners, but if we were to pay her 20,000 Kip ( about two quid ) for one of the cages, we could then take it to the top of these huge slopes and set these poor creatures free, bringing us all much, much luck.
" Go on my bald Prince " she purred, " everything deserves a second chance."
So we payed for two cages and proceeded to carry the four prisoners up some 190
Steps to the top of the hill. It was incredibly hot and we were in grave danger of melting, so before we turned to liquid we pulled at the tiny bars of the cages until there were gaps big enough to allow escape. And then they were gone.
I heard Stash and Oskar whispering that they wanted to spend their Christmas money on freeing the rest of the birds down there with Nadine, so beautiful yet so ugly.
High up there on the hill was a cave, with a big fat Buddha sat inside it. Turns out, when real live Buddhas walked the Earth, they were in fact giants. We saw the footprint of one of them up there on the hill and it is huge, with toes as big as eggplants.
There are also the remains of a Russian anti aircraft cannon which may have been instrumental in bringing this Buddha down. I wonder if I can talk Liz and the kids into going for a curry tonight?
Location:Luang Prabang
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