A Laotian woman at the “Spoon
Village” prepares a spoon mold to
pour molten metal salvaged from
American bombs.I grab a cheap room with a private balcony
overlooking the Ou River. Two days later, I’m
on a boat to the backpacker haven of Muang
Ngoi. The sleepy little town, touted as the
friendliest place in Laos, is charming, but it’s
certainly not untouched. The main dirt road in
town is lined by a jumble of hand-painted signs
offering drink specials, accommodation, and WiFi.
It would be easy to spend a week here; however,
the Festival of Lights is quickly approaching.
After catching a boat back, it’s a soft cruise
through golden hills thick with tall grass and corn, as
I pick up Highway 13 to Luang Prabang and a cel-
ebratory dinner at Tamarind Restaurant and Cooking
School. But what I’m really craving is Sau’s special
sauce. Sau’s is situated across the street from the mighty
Mekong River. On a table of Sau’s stands five large glass
jars, like enormous pickle jars. But the juice is 90-proof,
local-style whiskey, seeping between gigantic,
venomous centipedes, geckos, the twisted body of a
King Cobra and forest scorpions.
The Honda CB500X is
heavily loaded for the trip.Sau sits next to his large glass jars of local-style
“whiskey,” which are crammed full of enormous geckos,
venomous centipedes, snapping turtles, and king cobras.AdventureMotorcycle.com 57