How many lais do I put on this thing?

There is no "S" in Laos. Well there is, but you don't say it. Blame the French colonists, they pull that stuff all the time. You can also blame them for the incredible piles of baguettes and fantastic colonial architecture next to the ruins and temples in the ancient city of Luang Prabang.
This place is just as amazing as the whispered rumors made it out to be-- completely worth the 6 hour drive to the border, 3 hour long visa wait(only 1 of that was actually waiting on the visa-- when you get to the boarder at 5 am and can't go to immigration until 8...), AND the scenic 2 day trip on the wooden benches of a rickety old slowboat(and the worst overnight ever in the most beatup guesthouse on the planet-- no electricity in Pak Beng, no fan, no ability to breathe because it was so hot and sticky.)
Booking myself a seat on that boat spontaneously was hands down one of the wildest things I've ever done. I thought this when the border patrol ripped my thailand departure form out of my passport. No going back, I was on Laos soil. Well, thats not true, with a bit of bus travel I can go right back to thailand.
Anyway I'll document the whirlpool excitements and naked village people on the lush jungle shore another time when I'm less tired.
I'm in Luang Prabang now where its 8,670 kip to $1 and you walk around with a wad of cash that's a nightmare to figure out.
I figure I'll enjoy myself here for a few days, then head down to Vietene, skipping over Wienvang, where all you do is get drunk and watch dvds of friends episodes (it's some sort of phenomenon here) Another weird phenomenon that happened when I stepped into Laos? I became Canadian. I'm now from Ontario. Or maybe Vancouver. If anyone asks, anyone not official who does not need my passport? Like a waiter? I'm from Canada.
And, like everyone here, I have a curfew.
Well I'm off to meet up with Higo, Robert, and maybe Angela and Curtis too. We all met on the bus from Pai to the boarder and hung out on the slow slowboat and have been hanging out and rooming together. Robert and Higo and I wandered down to the night market last night and ordered a smattering of things, threw them on the table and ate them, not knowing what they were.
I misjudged Robert when I got on the bus to the border with him. He was just some american frat boy who wanted to talk politics with me at midnight while I was already half asleep. Then, all of a sudden, from the back of the bus I hear fluent thai coming out of his mouth, telling the driver he drank too much beer and needs to pull over before he explodes. Robert spent 2 years in the peace corps. 2.5 actually. Half a year in morocco before the Iraq war started and he was sent back to the US. He speaks fluent thai and a lot of loatian, which, despite what people tell you are NOT the same thing. They are only close enough to get confusing! Robert really shocks people when he starts up speaking to them in the touristy places. He's taught me a few phrases like Khop Jai lai lai, which is thank you very much, you can either do 2 lais or one or 7 if you feel like it.
His favorite loatian phrase? it means "Pretty girls go where?" and it causes the women here to descend into giggles.
So he's still a frat boy at heart.