I’m sipping red wine and eating Turkish figs and chocolate-covered lokum, thanks to Tracey Z, who breezed in to town Saturday night with another friend, Andrea (and bags of special treats). They both teach at Koç School in Istanbul, where Tony and I got our first taste of international teaching. We worked and played with TZ back in 2004-5, so it was great to see her again! It doesn’t take long to show visitors around our little city of Vientiane. A mani-pedi here, a massage there, some Beer Lao here, spicy papaya salad there … and so it went until the girls boarded a bus for Vang Vieng on Tuesday afternon.
Tracey found some hot boxers at Home Ideal, which she tried on in the middle of the store to my amusement and the store clerk’s dismay.
TZ and Andrea at That Dam, the 14th-century “black stupa” which legends say was once coated in a layer of gold and/or houses a dormant seven-headed dragon.
Buying sweet potatoes from a street vendor (unfortunately, they turned out to be taro … still sweet, but not the same).
TZ posing in front of a stage at the Morning Market, where two singers were lip syncing while bubble machines and dry ice set the mood.
The ladies in a tuk tuk. I miss you already!
