We received word from Caesar. It’s over… he’s thrown in the towel. Just over 2 weeks in, barely out of Thailand, we’ve lost 1 man for good, and been separated from another with no certainty of when we’ll see him again. I didn’t want to dwell on it.
Soon Tiberius and I were in the back of a truck once more, trundling down to the river. This time there were two boats instead of one, which was extremely fortunate because we were the last ones to board again, and had I to suffer another 7 hours in the engine room I think I’d have thrown myself overboard.
Back upon the lime-brown water of the Mekong we went. Whereas yesterday I could feel nothing but the rumble of the engine, today I swore I could feel the water beneath the boat. It rocked us pleasantly from side to side, allowing us choppy but safe passage. Each side of the river took turns becoming a mountainous jungle. There were many proud hillsides heaped with trees, and we began to pass fishermen too; the people of Laos, out on long rowing boats in their non la’s, dragging their fishing nets through the sunlit water.
After just under 7 hours of sailing we arrived at our destination. I hastily got out and we ascended a flight of rocky stairs to the city of Luang Prabang.
Tiberius and I checked into the nicest hostel we’ve had yet. It’s equipped with a swimming pool, deck chairs and a mattress-laden balcony which overlooks the pool and a tributary of the Mekong beyond it. The check-in desk doubles as a bar. We got our hands on some Beerlao immediately.
Wondering what was to become of us in this new country, how long we would stay in this city and when, if ever, we would see Caligula again, we were joined by a 24-year-old called Verity, who managed to slide neatly into our conversation and fill it with various fascinating stories – like the one about her friend who got covered in human shit while hiking a mountain in the Thai islands.
Verity helped us forget the sorrows of our fractured group as she talked away about her adventures in Bali and unloaded upon us her endless knowledge about things like ‘Bali Belly’.
In the company our new temporary friend Verity, we went to the night markets of Luang Prabang and picked up an American girl on the way. I tried some Laotian sausage and didn’t regret it. It tasted like a proper British pork sausage – far superior to the stuff in Thailand.
Verity talked all about the corrupted business owners and accountants on the island of Jersey, while I busied myself with a bowl of chicken noodle soup. The American girl tried to get us to go bowling with her, (we didn’t) and then we all sidled back to the hostel.
We’ve received word from Caligula. It’s starting to look like two of us may become three. We’re hoping for the best.
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