Happy Fiftieth Anniversary of Your Twenty-first Birthday Tommy Stoeckel!

The one and only consolation that we have for not being  home to celebrate Tom's birthday (all the fall birthdays really) is that for the last few years we have been in some  exotic place celebrating this day in a most memorable fashion. This year was not any different.  This year we were in Lao and the physicians we have been working with arranged a beautiful party for Tom at one of the authentic Lao restaurants. We knew we were meeting that night for a 'banquet' we just didn't know it was to honor Tom.

We started the day with a leisurely breakfast and then walked down the street for a spa day.One might get confused when reading this, thinking that this day was my anniversary/birthday but I think Tom is hooked on these massages. He always avoided them in the past because he is so ticklish but he has definitely gotten over that.  The thought of spending a couple of hours on massages and pedicures is now as appealing to him as it has always been to me. It was a traditional Lao massage with a warm herbal oil added in. We put ourselves in the hands of two small women and they worked wonders on every part of our body for a couple of hours. It was like heaven. We grabbed a quick lunch…a tuna sandwich which we have not had for months and a cold beer at a sidewalk cafe. It was perfect.

We  slowly sauntered home and began to prepare for the evenings festivities.  We arrived at the Pamnak Lao Restaurant and there before us was a banquet of wonderful traditional Lao foods. The table was covered with the specialities from different regions of Lao and so we tried things we have never seen or heard before. I sat next to the Physician who represents the Communist party and oversees the work of the hospital and the distribution of the medical equipment we send. She was lovely and explained how to eat the food before me. For example, we each have a cylinder like basket that is is filled with hot, purple sticky rice. You get a piece of that, roll it in a ball,  and then dip it into your soup broth or the broth from one of the other meat dishes. It is delicious and we feel right at home eating with our hands as this is the way most countries that we have been in this year eat. We are quite skilled and for those of you who know about Tom's need for every eating utensil when he eats, he can now roll rice with the best of them! We wanted for nothing and every time our plates looked half way empty someone put something new for us to try. It was delicious.

The restaurant also had traditional musicians and dancers so we enjoyed a beautiful evening watching and listening to the customs of Lao antiquity. Suddenly, everything came to a stop and Tom was called forward while the musicians played Happy Birthday on their instruments. It is the tradition to ring in your new year by hitting a large metal disc, 'as if you were twenty one'  He did it and everyone enjoyed it. They brought out a beautiful birthday cake and two dozen red roses. It was a beautiful evening and Tom felt very honored and humbled and I was  happy for him.

Tomorrow we fly to Malaysia where we will spend a few days. We plan on taking the "Jungle Train" through this country and into Singapore. We have heard that it is a beautiful journey and we are excited to be on the train again. We  are eager to see the countryside this way.

 We will let you know...