A tuktuk brings me in to town and I am joined by a lovely old lady who was trying to show me how to protect my handbag by tucking it under my tshirt. She had hers over her shoulder and a cardi on top. Sweet and she had a lovely smile. I walk to the hotel dropping my laundry off as I go. 3kgs of washing will cost me about $7:00 and she will deliver it to the hotel tomorrow avo. Yay. Job one tick.
I cross the road to the hotel nd ask to leave my bag there until I come to check in. I dont have cash so have to go to th emkmey machine anyway. As I am sitting filling in the forms the young ma writes on a piece of paper "broken heart today" and pointed to himself looking very sad. Then he pics up his guitar and starts singing "yesterday". What a hoot. He could play and sing quite well and I suspect the relationship drama was a load of rubbish to get himself a better tip. Wont work buddy amd quite frankly I dont give a toss that your girlfriend dropped you. I came here to relax away from the world.
The place looks OK and the pool super. I have booked two nights here to give me time to go to the dressmaker this afternoon with Bianca and then a spare day just in case. Then I am taking myself off to a retreat for a couple of days away from everything.
I load my bag with a piece of fabric from the outfit I want to wear at the wedding (waistline permitting) so I can get a jacket made to go with it and hopefully avoid freezing up in Luang Prabang. I will get the dressmaker to make something for me. Walking into town I pass Banneton and have to go for a coffee and a croissant. Mmmmmmmmm so good.
I cross over to the dressmaker to check on the time for the appointment. The owner tells me that the dressmaker is ill and appointment has been delayed until Thursday. I do wish they had let us know. I only came back for the appointment and could have otherwise stayed in Kamu Lodge a few more days. Bummm.
The dress hasn't been started, but options are few and we have pretty much exhausted them so a bit late to anything about changing dressmaker now. I will get my sewing done in Hoi An if I can and maybe that is plan B for Bianca. Lets hope for Thursday.
I change my retreat booking so I leave on Friday, but now I will need to go back to Biancas to get more stuff before I go and hope the hotel can take me until then. What a pain in the rear end. Oh well. Maybe I cancel the retreat totally and stay on in the hotel?
I walk to Talat Sao Mall/Market and buy flat irons. So sick of my hair being a total mess all the time. Expensive here. I buy what appear to be OK ones for about $30 which is more than the ones I have at home cost. Interesting that they have a European plug. I don't recall having gone to another country where their plugs are so flexible; wall plugs take american style flat two pronged, american style flat three pronged, european two pronged and it looks like european three pronged. Everything except for NZ and Australian plugs. Oh well.
I am over the road from the Visa extension place so figure I may as well do that while I am here. The only westerner here in a beuraucratic, paper moving basic room with a bunch of offices and a couple people sitting in each. Papers get stamped, moved, moved again, stamped, copied and moved and so far I have been here for an hour and still waiting. The crowd has grown. The biting objects in the air have multiplied and I am being eaten alive. So much for the vitamin B I am taking. Ha ha ha.
No one is leaving so I am not sure if all these people have done anything all this time. Reminds me of Greece when a visa extension could take days unless you were young, slim and wore a mini skirt. In those days only men worked in the immigration offices so the mini skirt sped things along by days. Here there is a pack of very rude ladies, one in particular who screams "what" every time shedoesn't understand, which is often. Might have been quicker to cross the border to China or Denmark..........
The place starts to empty. I sit like a fool. Eventually I go and ask. Just as well. Miss "what" had put my stuff to one side and forgotten about it. I retrieve it and take it the man who does the processing. He asks for USD. I don't have any, but Miss "what" had told me I didn't need it and kip would do. I told the guy that. He rolled his eyes. So I cross over the road to the bank, get dollars. While I am waiting a young guy next to me is taking wads of USD100 notes out of a bag which had been slung over his shoulder. The wads are lined up on the counter. On the assumption that each wad held 100 notes each wad would be worth $10,000. I counted them 48.... Nearly half a million DOLLARS in cash in a shoulder bag that had probably arrived by motor bike. Wow.
I get my measly USD22 and go back to the office and within 5 minutes am on my way, and told to come back tomorrow afternoon to collect my passport. All of which was done with a smile and a thank you crom the guy. Maybe he thought yay someone else has complained about miss "what". Glad I didnt leave it till the last minute. Another tick.
I leave and go get my phone topped up. Three seconds by a lovely lady with the biggest smile at Beeline. Another tick.
Tuktuks line the street and I tell the first where I am going, it was very close but by now I am hot tired and so over it. He asks for a stupid amount. I tell him "bo" and walk off. Within 15 minutes I am back at the hotel on foot.
Mr Tragic waits with my bag. I go to the office to pay and then I get the whole lifestory, my eyes are closing as he talks, I grunt as if to make out I am listening amd eventually I have paid (the kip equivalent of USD35 per night) and he carefully counts out the 4000 kip change and tells me it is coming out of his pocket and is only worth .50cents. I tell him it is worth more in NZ. Don't care what its worth mate, I want my change.
All done and he shows me to my room. I give him the 4000 kip back as a tip. I would normally give more but he just sealed his own fate. He comes in to show me around and I get more tragedy. Get over it buddy or go tell someone else. I DO NOT CARE.
My room is lovely. Two good sized twin beds, with spotless sheets and flat pillows, fridge, safe, nice bathroom with bath and a balcony with furniture overlooking the gardens and the pool. Two wee kids play quietly around the pool, the lady in the adjoining room sits on her balcony sewing, another lady in the garden reading. I think I love it. Will tell you tomorrow morning.
I always check that rooms and a safe and wifi access. This place does. Except that neither their wifi seem to be working. Grrrrr. I feel quite isolated without it but have gotten used to tethering my ipad to my phone to be able to get a connection for the ipad. Great solution but a pain in the proverbial.
I sit out on my balcony enjoying the quiet for a while then walk into town to meet Bianca and Michael at Sticky Fingers for dinner. Yum, pork schnitzel,with mash and wedges. The schnitzel was extra yum and so so tender. I remembered the Winny snizzle I saw on a menu in Vang Vieng and laughed as I was eating.
We bid goodbye and I wander the market for a short while before walking home. Not a sound to be heard from the Manoly Hotel. All is quiet save for a few people on their balconies talking, quietly. Heaven.
I watch TV for a bit and crawl into bed, pretty hard as the matress is it doesnt stop me cuddling under the covers and quickly drifting off. I woke many times during the night, probably because I was unused to no noise. Yes, thank goodness for peace.
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