Fourth of July in Laos

I'm sitting at a Bhuddist Wat towering one mile above Luang Pra Bang. The sunset is about an hour from now. Photog tourists begin trickling up the steep hill for a glance at a city perched amongst rolling jungle hills, that's soon to be cloaked in gold as the sun dips low over tiered temples, & retires into the Mekong.

A stray kitten has taken a liking to the back of my leg. He sits cuddling his body into me as he bites and tears at the fleas in his paws. I know he's mite ridden and likely diseased.  I should push him off me but he's so thin, scared, and young. His tail is broken and his face his scared. The poor thing has probably been itching and scratching, & fighting and starving since he was born, but he now looks so content lying against me as he slips into slumber. So I let him rest, and shoot myself a mental reminder to buy hand Sanitizer on the way home.

The sounds of the city coming alive for the night, echo from the main walking street below. Wood xylophones and haphazardly constructed can mandarins, mingle with the evening drums from the temple beside me. A Thai family strikes up a conversation with me and upon hearing I'm American, all the aunts and uncles and cousins begin posing around me for pictures. Two other nearby Americans overhear the conversation and introduce themselves. We start the standard traveler conversation: "Where are you from? Where have you been? Where are you going? "  After our introductions, I realize I've spent 4 hours up here lost in awe and contemplation, & I should probably head back into town for some food. Before leaving I remember the date, & turn to the American boys- "Hey by the way, happy fourth of July!"

A few hours later along the same lines of patriotic mentality mixed with a never ending appreciation for $1 beers, I head out to celebrate.  Laos has an 11pm curfew and there are only 3 bars in town so its not hard to run into everyone you know on one central downtown street anywhere from 9pm-midnight. I run into the two Americans, & happen upon three others at the bar. The place is run by a Canadian expat who lays out an unbeatable offer: bring Americans into the bar all night, & I'll play "American music" & make u free red white and blue drinks all night. Sold! Obviously, it doesn't take us long to stock up on Americans who were interested in a free fourth of July libation. Though his choice of "American music" ended up equating to played out classics such as Hotel California and American Pie, the entire deal worked out decidedly in our favor as we spent the pre-curfew hours dancing, and drinking, and celebrating 'Merica beside the lazy lull of the Mekong.

Luang Pra Bang, Laos