The Talat Sao, or ‘Morning Market’ was the most delightful market I had ever seen. The main building had a roof like a temple, and the area around it was packed with street food stalls. It was a great place for a breakfast of noodle soup (gwetiao) or sticky rice (khao niao). Lao vendors sold vegetables and fruit, fish and meat, while Vietnamese sold groceries and condiments. Dozens of samlor (pedicab) drivers were always hanging around waiting for customers. In the morning, they drank ‘cafe fai’ (electric coffee) laced with a dash of amphetamine, to rev them up for the day, but by noon their energy would be dropping into the siesta zone. Even so, a portly policeman with a megaphone warned pedestrians of the danger of being run over by speeding samlors. If you had plenty of time, you could go to the Indian restaurant, Himali Chacha’s, for lunch. If you were lucky, lunch might arrive by late afternoon, and it would be excellent. In the meantime, Chacha would present you with his special bhang lassi ‘on the house’, which would provide you with infinite patience and anticipation for the feast to follow.