Exploring Khong Chiam with Yao!

On the one night I stayed in Khong Chiam I had a wonderful traditional Isaan region meal with Yao. Isaan hot pot with frog! Basically its a soup over hot coals in an iron pot with vegetables and noodles and whatever meat/fish you want. Yao liked frog, so frog it was, and believe me not a morsel of the frog (aside from the bones) didn't make it into our dinner! As a vegetarian I didn't have any previous experience with eating frog but it wasn't too bad. Just the innards didn't really appeal to me, but I respect their mind-set that if you are going to eat an animal you may as well eat the whole darn thing.

After dinner Yao and I talked for hours over beers and appetizers. Her English is very good and she shared with me her life and her experiences. In her first job she worked as a nurse in Laos after the Vietnam war to help the people there. Being so close to Laos and Vietnam Ubon Ratchathani had a US and Australian bases that some say were the bases for the illegal bombings of Laos and Cambodia. Because Thai and Lao in this region are nearly the same language many people like Yao went to Laos after the war to contribute to the country's recovery. She also showed me pictures of her sons, her family, her life in Laos, the people she met, and her friends in Thailand. Truly a wonderful soul. We talked about love and relationships and travel and staying friends.

Even though it was a short amount of time I feel Yao is part of the group of amazing women in my life that are over 50 like my host mom in Japan Abe-san, Mama aka Kikuchi-san a friend's host mom in Chofu Japan, my dear friend Nancy in Maine, and my mom who are all inspire me in their own ways.
















Here are some pics of the mystical, mighty Mekong. The Mekong is a means of transportation, source of food and water, as well as of conflicts over who should control the river's resources. Here it is easy to forget about all that though....













































A temple with a whole lot of big Buddhas...