The man returned with groceries an hour later, and the wife then prepared for us some yummy noodle soup over the fire. Aftewards, we saw a Laotian guy who had sat with us on the truck from Pakse to the islands. He invited us to his house, and together we attempted to get to know one another underneath his abode, which was larger than many of the other village homes. (Lao houses are built on stilts, and Laotians rest during the day on hammocks, bamboo mats-underneath the foundation). Through broken English, we learned that he was a student at the argicultural school in Pakse, and had another sister living in the capital. His family although still very poor by Western standards, seemed to be one of the village's more prosperous ones judging by the fact that some of the children made it off this tiny island.
