Homestay in the Mekong–Phoungja Homestay

The homestay (Phoungja Homestay) was a cute house and all the money they get they share with the village. Food was included but we had to pay for drinks–$0.75 for soda, $1 for beer and $0.50 for water—which were the cheapest were seen. Dinner was great and there was so much—pancake with beansprouts (then let people try to make them but after the first person they gave up half the work so I only poured), rice, meat, green beans, spring rolls and wantons. Desert of bananas and pineapple.

 

We talked a lot especially about passports and Sit showed us a trick with paper and writing heaven and hell. One girl in the group had troubles remember peoples names so she gave everyone nicknames and mine was 2 legged lexicon (encyclopedia) which I quite like.

Slept under a mosquito net which I have no problem with but many were worried. One person kept hitting wall to kill bugs inside the net and said hers had holes and another was worried about the rat we saw. I had a grasshopper inside that I had to kick out and in the morning I saw he had been eaten by a lizard. Felt a bit bad about that.

Woke up early due to turkeys and rooster but fell back asleep until 6:45 or so. Took some pics around and after breakfast finally found the turkeys which were huge and I think intimidated by me because they blew up their bodies and then ran away. Breakfast was 2 eggs in omelet from a nice loaf of bread and bananas. I’m not a fan of their tea. They had many dogs (only one friendly), geese, chickens, roosters, turkeys and hammocks.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving time! In Korea! I went to the US Seamen’s Club with a few friends.

It was a buffet which if never great, but it was pretty good! Everything needed salt and pepper but that seems standard for buffet. They had ranch dressing for the salad, pumpkin pie, apple pie, cool whip, corn bread, gravy, chowder, mashed potatoes, chopped and baked sweet potatoes, creamed green beans, dressing (stuffing that was never in the bird but had sausage in it) ham and turkey.

 

Not eating the ham, turkey or dressing the worst part was the sweet potatoes—if they did not have the skin on them, they were just mush. The best part was the apple pie—that really tasted like everything was done by someone who knew what they were doing!