May 29: Nong Khai, Thailand

I stayed at the same guest house in Vientiane that we had stayed at at the beginning of our trip.

I was awake at 6:00 this morning -- to many early mornings will do that -- but guiltily went back to sleep when I heard the rain pounding on the tin roof outside my window. "I should be getting up and heading to the morning market," I thought. "I have to get a backpack."

My 300 peso backpack, purchased in Manila, had completely fallen apart after a week in Laos. I had a tailor sew a few seams back together when we had been in Vientiane, but it continued to disintegrate until the zipper fell apart and rendered the bag worthless. But what can you expect for six bucks?

So, naturally, I was headed to the market, where I'd probably buy another six dollar backpack. It turns out the morning market isn't an early morning market, so I was glad I had slept until 8. When I arrived at 8:30, a third of the stalls were still closed, but I did manage to find a decent North Face backpack for $9. It looks like it will hold together better, even though I question whether it is actually a North Face product. The first hint, aside from the ridiculously cheap price, is that while the bag is yellow and black, the zipper to the main compartment is forest green and the straps on the back are navy blue. Or maybe the North Face is doing interesting things with colors these days.

I found the tuk tuk driver we had used a couple times and paid him for a ride to the border, where I stamped out of Laos and back into Thailand. Found another tuk tuk driver to take me to a guest house along the Mekong in the city of Nong Khai. I was only in Nong Khai for a few hours, but I wanted to see the strange sculpture park known as Salakaewkoo. Without question, this is one of the strangest places I've ever been. I met an old man working in the main building, who let me ring an enormous gong and showed me, through a glass wall, the mummified body of the artist, who is reclining in what looks to be a rather comfortable bed. After a $1 sunset cruise on the Mekong with two Australians I met and a handful of other tourists, I had an early dinner and an early bed time. Tomorrow is another travel day.