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Chopsticks from Luang Prabang’s Sunday Walking Market

Luang Prabang, Laos - More than a few people have been surprised to hear that I’m traveling alone, thinking that it’s some act of bravery, but the fact of the matter is that I’m not an independent adventurer striking it out on my own.  In fact, I’m more dependent on people now than ever.  One of the people I’ve been depending on is Gade, the wonderful and warm-hearted owner of Elliebum Guesthouse & Cafe. She’s gracefully tolerated me during the countless hours I’ve logged at her cafe.  She’s looked after my luggage when I took off for Mae Hong Song, Laos, and now Cambodia.  And she played translator when the sleep-deprived wife of a Mae Hong Son friend of mine wanted to meet because she’d heard we were having an affair. (I didn’t, but it was a good lesson in the downsides of small towns everywhere.)

Needless to say, I feel indebted to Gade, but what do you get for a Thailand resident who has her own arts and crafts store?  Certainly not a Beerlao t-shirt.  I’d been racking my brains for awhile, but then the perfect gift idea presented itself.  One night Gade had made a hotpot dinner as a going-away party for some friends.  We set up some tables outside with the hotpot full of broth at the center and she layed out an array of carrots, mushrooms, cabbage, fish balls and so forth for dropping in the hot pot, plus a pile of marinated chicken for grilling on the side.  The only thing that was missing were chopsticks.  She ran across the street to get them.  We finished the night drinking wine and beer and dunking vegetables and meats into the bubbling pot.  And now I knew what the girl was missing.

As soon as I got to Laos, I was on the hunt for some chopsticks, which weren’t very hard to find.  At the night walking market in Luang Prabang, local villagers come to sell their handicrafts and that’s where I found some chopsticks.  A gift for a friend back in Chiang Mai that also gives back to the local Laos community.   I bought a set of eight pairs in different patterns so that if she ever wanted to add others there wouldn’t be a striking discord in patterns.  Hopefully, I’ll get invited over for the next hotpot.