Roadkill and Big Tang Finding Little Pants

So and I go to Pakse to run some errands. We pay for a ride on one of the small trucks that transports people and their goods to the market in Pakse. So and I are lucky and get the front seats. This helps with So's car sickness. On the way there we see a pink baby pig on the roadside that walks out onto the road. As the truck approaches it begins running across the road. The driver doesn't slow down and I see the piglet disappear between the two front wheels. I think maybe it got lucky until I hear a squishy crunch and I feel the truck's back wheel go over the piglet. So and I are silent for a while. I feel a mixture of revulsion and pity. I ask if the loss of the pig will impact greatly on the family that owns it, she just responds, "for sure they're going to eat it." I guess when you don't have a lot of money, you can't afford to let a protein source go to waste. Most likely that pig was destined for market to earn the family some money. The families of the students at the school are too poor to eat chicken, eggs or fish, let alone pork or beef. They mainly catch small animals for protein, like lizards, mice, rats and insects and hunt for birds in the forest (hence the decimation of wild bird populations).

Other sights on the road. Two white guys on touring bikes asking for directions in the rain. I felt an immediate kinship towards them and was reminded of my bike touring in Cuba. I remember having to stop many times to ask for directions, often in the rain due to the summer wet season. I kinda wanted to catch their eye and give them an encouraging thumbs up, but the truck went by too quickly. I can understand why they would want to bike through Laos, the road we're on is only a couple of years old, in really good condition and the ride from the Salavane province to Pakse is really beautiful. I miss biking.

Rural Laos.

The more I travel, the more I value packing light. For my trip to Guatemala last summer I just brought one backpack, not even that big (less than 18 lbs when weighed at the airport). I have been priding myself on being a smarter traveler in that respect. This has backfired on me for my trip here. I have never had to hand wash and air dry all my clothes on a long summer vacation before. The mixture of weather, physical activities and long drying time for clothes has made it necessary to have more clothes than I brought with me. I've basically been cycling through the same pair of pants and a couple of pairs of shorts. So's sister gave me a pair of pajamas to add to my quick dry artillery, but now I've come to Pakse to buy at least another pair of pants. How does a giant like me by a pair of pants in Laos? It's not easy. Even the large is a bit tight on me, and stuff that is extra large is too big at the waist, but I still can't get the pant legs over my calves. Evidently the average Laos woman is not only very small, but has very spindly limbs, and if they gain weight, it doesn't seem to distribute into their legs. My legs are too muscular for Lao pants! So directs my attention to some Falang pants that she says all foreigners buy because they can't fit into anything else. It's these horrible cotton-lycra stretchy and baggy jogging pants that are cinched at the cuff and end mi-dcalf. Yuck. I see a few foreigners sporting these pants on the streets - they probably think it's cool.