It wasn't all sticky rice and grilled meat for the last couple months. Setting out on a road trip to central Laos with my trusty driver Christophe (above, on the left), I picked up a grab bag of French goodies at Les Boutiques Scoubidou, Vientiane's best French deli:
There was raw milk camembert, saucissson and liver pate. Both loaves of bread were from Le Banneton, Vientiane's best bakery. And because I was with Christophe, who is Lao but who spent most of his life in France, lots of pastis. All of this was enjoyed in a bamboo hut at the edge of the Nam Lik:
The other gentlemen controls the cross-river ferry here, and in his youth was a revolutionary fighter, having fired his gun at American planes in Vieng Xai in the late 1960s. He ate more camembert than I expected.
In addition to being a fan of pastis, Christophe is also an excellent driver, speaks fluent French and decent English and knows Laos like the back of his van.
Christophe Kittirath +856 21-223 663, +856 20-550 4604 laowheels@yahoo.co.uk
Les Boutiques Scoubidou Th Tha Deua +856 214 073 8am-9pm
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