ITS OFFICIAL

....I am still out of shape.  Since moving into the house Tom and I have found new running routes that avoid the busy traffic of the tourist section of Luang Prabang.  We have been heading out to Mouhots Grave (pictured on the right in 2008) but haven't made it there just yet.  "Henri Mouhot was a French naturalist and explorer of the mid-19th century. Mouhot is credited with "rediscovering" Angkor in Cambodia. Mouhot died of a malarial fever on his 4th expedition, in the jungles of Laos"(Wikipedia).  It is one of the attractions in the Lonely Planet Laos dealing with Luang Prabang.  Not many tourists make the trip out and I cant blame them.  This keeps it relatively quiet and the road much less busy.  In stark contrast to the Stadium we had been running it this is a very hilly and paved for the first few miles then becomes a dirt road winding through the jungle.  I will try my best to make a video of this soon.  It is peaceful out there just Tom and I with the occasional car.  The hills really do test the legs in a way that a track never could.  I think I prefer it because time passes quicker when the scenery changes.

As per my few readers I will now discuss our culinary exploits. 
Breakfasts have been in the more Parisian vain.  I most breakfasts we have eaten consisted of fresh fruit, baguette or muesli, yogurt, coffee or tea, fruit shake or orange juice.  If we are in a rush to get to class then this gets thrown out the window and we find little pastries, one day this was a delicious chocolate croissant other it was a mini loaf of banana bread my personal favorite.  The price range for meals has been 3 dollars for the full meal and 75cents for he pastries.
Lunch has been a mixed bag of random eats.  More recently we have been getting into the street baguette sandwich.  These are found almost every where and for the chicken, cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion (if you like), cucumber and sweet chilly sauce (a nice mix of sweet and spicy).  This will run you just under 2 dollars.  Other meals at restaurants have been anything from pad thai, noodle soup with beef, spring rolls, and sometimes curry.  The options of course are more expensive depending on where you go. 
Dinner has been a meal where we have had everything from pizza (I know not very creative), Indian food (really good chicken tikka masala), laap (a traditional lao dish), and Chinese food (the pig snout was some of the best fall off the bone meat I have ever had).
Laap or Larb is most often made with chicken, beef, duck, turkey, pork or even fish, flavored with fish sauce, lime juice and fresh herbs. The meat can be either raw or cooked; it is minced and mixed with chilli, mint and, optionally, assorted vegetables. Roughly ground toasted rice (khao kua) is also a very important component of the dish. The dish is served at room temperature and usually with a serving of sticky rice as is customary in Laos. (Also wikipedia).
Chanta was kind enough to make this for us.  She made both the cooked and uncooked versions.  The Lao eat this dish with there hands making a ball of rice and then dipping it in the laap.  After dipping they pinch some of the laap with their thumb and the ball of sticky rice.  It is delicious. I do prefer the cooked though.

That what I have for now any other questions I will do my best to post about.  A special thanks to Wikipedia for defining what I could not.