small indulgences and great pleasures...

Celebrating Yvoine's birthday a week late (we were both sick on the actual day) in a fantastic, small restaurant in Vientiane - the "Cave des Chateaux". Menu that night included roasted duck, chocolate mousse and even Roquefort cheese (Mike's favourite)! All of that accompanied by a delicious "Cotes du Rhone", our first red wine since our Essilor breakfast in Singapore the day we left. In a superb decor, at candle light, with a French chef, who is also a rugby fan: on the wall, the rugby shirt of jonah lomu, signed by himself, is framed... A small connection between New Zealand and France that of course, we can only appreciate...

Indulge in a herbal sauna and traditional massage in a small Lao temple, surrounded by trees and silence, and drinking, from time to time, a cup of green tea...

Finding a jar of "bonne maman" raspberry jam and fresh baguettes in Luang Prabang... We devore them one after the other!

(less of an indulgence than a certain pleasure:) stopping at the last minute, about 7 to 8 metres from a King Cobra about to bite its prey (here the prey being Yvoine since she was riding in front at that time). The King Cobra finally decided to bit the truck that drove passed 2 minutes later. It got the tyres without much impact (on the truck that is) and its killing got complemented by a few good hits with a big wooden stick...

Almost forgot one: finding a 2 to 3 week-old "l'Equipe" (the French main sports paper) with the front page dedicated to the victory of the French over the English during the 6 nations tournament...