Dancing, bowling, more dancing & a stolen bike

I think there is a theme happening here. On my week off in Bangkok, I did some boring stuff, like apply for a new passport (mine is kind of filling up really fast) and going to the Vietnamese Embassy twice for Jane (Aussie Jane not young English one from earlier stories). At least I know where it is as I need a new Visa too. We also went to Jim Thompson's House Museum, he apparently revived the silk industry in Thailand. I also managed to see Superman...I am a big fan, but the story was a little lame.

Anyway, so a group of us Leaders were in BKK and Mikey is going back to China, so he wanted a night out. We dressed in our best, my new silk blouse I bought in HCM City no less, and headed off to Bed Supper Club. Check it out at www.bedsupperclub.com (Beware the music for you people reading this at work!) This is a very funky restaurant, bar & nightclub. It has big white beds that you lay on and drink and eat. We had some fabulous food, including kangaroo and some nice red wine. Absolutely blew the budget, but we had a great night. After dinner we went dancing in the nightclub, not really my scene, getting too old I think, but fun. Then we headed off to Q-Bar, but it cost $10US to get in, so skipped that and went to the Fun House down the road. It was ladies night, free house cocktails, thanks Mikey, he had to buy a beer and the 3 ladies got free drinks! The Fun House was a bit like Cooney Island at Luna Park, all gawdy red, yellow and blue - complete with the mirrors to make you look funny, a bit like a McD on overkill. Got home at some ungodly hour...2 ish??

I picked up my new group, this one of 11, including 4 men...yippee. In Luang Prabang in Laos, I gave them a free night (or me rather) and I went out 10 pin bowling with a lady who lives in LP who used to be an Intrepid Leader. She also has a great restaurant where her husband make great Laos food. There were about 15 ex-pats from varying countries at bowling. I won in my lane, so maybe they won't invite me again. After that we all headed to a local restaurant for a great Laos dinner. I am making my way between these venues on a bicycle that I borrowed from the guest house, everyone rides around in the dark with no lights and no helmets!

My friend had been invited to a party for a French lady who was going home, but afraid that she wouldn't know anyone, she took us with her, so 14 of us gate-crashed this French party. They had great music on, we were dancing for hours, and a free bar... Eventually I decided to go home as I had to work the next day. I went outside...and alas, some rotten person had stolen my bicycle. It had a lock and all, but not enough to deter the thieves.

Some nice man then drove me home on his motorbike, but when I got there, the lady at the guest house had decided that I wasn't coming back, so she had locked the gate! I had left my group a note telling them there was change rooms at the waterfall (the one with the tiger...oh yeah patted the tiger again) but in a 'lost in translation' episode, she thought that I was changing hotels, so locked me out!! So, I had only one option...climb the fence! Once inside, I then had to knock on the door of her house to wake her up to get the key to my room. You can imagine that she was not too impressed as it was about 2am by then, and then she is looking over my shoulder asked how I got there and I had to admit that the bike was stolen! Doubly not impressed! That little lesson cost me $50US. It would be an hilarious story if not for the stolen bike!