Home sweet home

It's official, I'm no longer a vagabond. Last night I went to Basi (a Laos blessing ceremony/party) for a friend's new house.....and now my new house as well. She just moved to Laos around the same time I did and found this beautiful house a bit out of town, right on the Mekong river. Lucky for me it's four bedrooms, and she wants a housemate.

It's a really neat Laos style house with a large balcony overlooking the river and a huge downstairs guesthouse. It has a beautiful lush garden with a little outdoor patio. It's also right next to a cute little Wat, with monks and all. The only downside is a longer commute into town but some friends who live just across the road said it's easy to grab a tuktuk or even bicycle in during the cool season. I figure you only live in Laos once so why not feel like you're living in Laos. It's also nice to have so much space for guests and Zoe, my new housemate seems like a good fit as well. She is a wildlife veternarian working with the world wildlife fund.

The Basi itself was interesting. It's a blessing for goodluck and to remove any past spirits or remenants of the past. A village elder comes, does some chanting and then we all tie string around one another's wrists while offering them a blessing for the next year. All the time, everyone is drinking beerlao and snacking on tasty lao food. Our evening ended with some dancing with one of the little old Lao ladies. I was sidelined by my ankle but got some good photos at least.