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I had slept a total of 14 hours last night and yesterday which is pretty crazy for me, I guess the bus ride took it out of me. It was quite overcast and Laura was stirring beside me. Instead of waking her I went for a walk around the local area and stopped by a little eatery with locals tucking into soups. I ordered a rice porridge with pork which was super tasty I might add. After finishing I continued by walk around the dusty streets meeting only local people setting up shop for the day. It was cool, peaceful and somewhat surreal considering he reputation this town has had for a long time, the party Mecca of South East Asia.
Laura was up on my return and me soon met up with Kratos who had also enjoyed a mammoth nights sleep. After showering we headed into town to the area where the riverside bars are located. Most of the bars have become famous for showing continuous loops of such shows as Friends, Family Guy, South Park etc, combined with cushions around tables to sit on (the are no chairs). The main river splits in two at the town, separated by a small island mass which used to host most of the infamous bars. These have been replaced by holiday bungalows, you can now see how the image of his place is changing. I feel it will not be long before it becomes a package tourist heaven considering the stunning backdrop. Sitting on our cushions overlooking the mountains we tucked into more food and fruit shakes. Even though it was relatively early, it was so quiet and peaceful here, a far cry from the once crazy reputation it had. After a while the hungover crew were appearing ordering their greasy breakfasts.
You immediately notice the sandwich craze going on here. Every street vendor and bar sells baguettes with various fillings that are great value for money and even cheaper than the local food. We took a stroll along the river which was rather tranquil but it wasn't long before we were drenched in sweat. Laura had spotted a little restaurant/bar over the water and we headed there for refreshment. Tuna baguettes were washed down with fruit shakes and we spent the afternoon watching kayakers and tubers drifting back down the river. It is amazing how time does drift away when you aren't doing much, similar to the river beside us.
We had convinced Kratos to come tubing with us tomorrow despite his reservations. I think the last time he was here he felt it was an overrated, overpriced tick box exercise. He eventually bowed into peer pressure so we were now set for hitting the river tomorrow. We weren't to bothered but just wanted to ensure he did it. The rest of the evening consisted of relaxing before we grabbed a bite to eat later.
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