absinthe minded

first off, internet connections in cambodia leave me longing for the days of 28.8 modems. it takes 30-60 seconds to open up a page, and on top of that, half the buttons on my keyboard are sticking. and this is one of nicer cafes i've found.

that being said, there's no way i'm gonna be able to get many pictures online. not in siem reap, at least. more importantly, i still haven't written much about laos, so for now i may just skip around in terms of what i add on here. seeing as my trip hasn't involved any foresight or planning, there's no reason for the blog to be any different. yet for sore reason, i AM gonna start up where i left off before.

day 1 in laos was spent in vientiane, the capital city. this has to be the most laid-back capital in the world...very little traffic, very little noise, and none of the hustle and bustle you see in, well, any other urban area on the planet.

within mere feet of crossing the thailand/laos border, i met nadja (germany), zoe (nz) and stacy (nz). we spent the majority of the day together, exploring sights such as pha that luang and some arc d'triomphe knockoff for which i've already forgotten the name. the lao name and pronunciation were plenty difficult, i assure you. i'd look it up in my guidebook, but i left it at the guesthouse. and i could look it up online, but it would actually be quicker to find my book. pha that luang is a magnificent gold wat, and is the pride of laos. actually, beerlao is the true pride of laos; this gold-colored temple is a distant second. and as for the arc d'triomphe structure, it's a tad lopsided, and it's interior consists of multiple floors of souvenir shops. just like the one in france, i'm sure. on a side note, the structure was built with concrete donated by the u.s. in the 60's; concrete that was intended to be used to build a runway. we may have bombed the bejesus out of them, but at least we had the decency to give them some a mixture of stones, sand and water.

after strolling the tiny town and checking out the views of the shriveled, dry-season mekong river, nadja and i grabbed drinks on the 4th floor of a riverfront bar. opening the menu, i was shocked by two of the listings i saw: the first was absinthe, the second was its price: less than $3.

i've never had the stuff before, yet it has piqued my interest ever since hearing friend's tales of wormwood-based debauchery on study-abroad programs in europe. the closest i've ever come to the stuff was finding a bottle in canada, which didn't appear to be authentic, and still cost about $90. this bar offered bottle service for a whopping $25. laos 1, canada 0.

while the traditional french method of drinking absinthe is to dilute it by pouring water on a sugar cube above the drink, the laofolk use a more direct approach: the shot glass. oh well, at least i was getting an opportunity to try it.

all i had to do was smell the stuff to realize i wouldn't end up more than $3 in the hole on the stuff. this hooch was so strong, i half expected to see vapor lines rising from the glass. it took me 6 attempts to finally finish my 1.5 oz serving, but only after using a bottle of water and half of nadja's drink as chasers. i actually felt buzzed afterwards, but in more of a bad way than a good way. as in, "i think i'm going to end up under a toilet if i so much as smell the stuff again." there's video of me finally killing off the shot, but posting it's gonna have to wait.

will i ever try absinthe again? if served in the traditional manner, sure. in shot form, hell no. i'd be better off eating one of the mystery meals from the local markets.

-sg