Joma I love you

"Can we go to Joma for lunch?" "Do they have a Joma in Luang Prabang?" Oh yes, how did we ever survive without Joma. Joma is officially our favourite hangout in Laos. It's like Starbucks of Laos. But a hundred times better. I've had their brownie, choc chip cookies, choc chip muffin, apple and bran oatmeal muffin, apple pie, lemonade, tuna foccacia sandwich........ Yeah..... Joma is good.

We went elephant trekking and bathing yesterday. Tristan and I got Orla Thai, a 19 year old beauty that we nicknamed Chubbs on account of her neverending snacking on greens. Steve got a renegade that often decided to do his/her own thang and named him/her Rambo 4x4. Adam and Sophie got the docile and sweet Humphrey. Slow Nelly was temporarily adopted by Mark and Christina. I skipped the elephant bathing and was the official photographer for the occasion. I'm being eaten alive by the mozzies (and some spiders), literally and did not fancy going into the river where I would inevitably become the next late afternoon snack for the water-dwelling beasties. I don't understand why? Why me!! No one else has been bitten as much as me. I've also started drinking lemongrass tea. Apparently lemongrass is a potent mozzy repellent. Pfftt!!!! Rubbish. Phil reckons that I have a high likelihood of being bitten by a malaria-carrying bug. You don't say? Thanks Uncle Philly. I've been taking my malarial pills and eating my 5 -a-day and praying to God. Hopefully they will provide sufficient protection. We also went to the waterfalls. Standing infront of the waterfalls, with the cool air blasting from the cascading water, I forgot about my lousy bites and remembered how much I loved it here and how much fun I've been having with the guys.

We went to a cool place for dinner last night where we had to bbq and cook our own dinner. It was hard and sweaty work, sitting there with the bbq set infront of us on the table. But it was delish. Later we went ten-pin bowling. Half of Luang Prabang was there. I was sh*t. I reckon the mozzies have sucked out more than just my pure healthy alcohol-caffiene-meat- free blood. They've sapped me of my bowling prowess. This blows. I hate losing.

I'm off to the spa for a massage. Later, sunset viewing from the top of a hill. Tomorrow, up the Mekong in a boat to Thailand. I could go on travelling forever.