Morning Run: I woke up early again on Thursday and ran three miles, as I had done on Tuesday. There was a nice walkway along the Perfume River where I would run, then across the bridge and back along the other side of the river before turning around and coming back. As I was exiting the walking path to go back to the hotel, I kicked the low chain fence used to block motorized vehicles from entering the walkway and fell. I scrapped my shin on the chain, bruised both palms of my hands, and banged my left knee. Not good three days before a marathon.
Ride Back: We packed up the bus and returned to Laos. Vietnam's rainy season is opposite to that of Laos's, and after crossing the border into Vietnam, the skies clouded over and it rained a very light drizzle on and off the whole time we were there. As we approached the Laos border on the way back, the clouds started breaking up and it was bright and sunny back in Laos. It's like they decided to draw the border between the two countries right where the clouds started, so all you have to do is look up to know which country you're in. We will probably go back to Vietnam, but to different cities and not with a Lao tour group.
That Ing Hang: We stopped and toured a famous stupa, That Ing Hang, in Savannakhet. Then we stopped to see the sight where the casino will be built. Back in Savannakhet that evening, Peep and I again left the tour group, this time to have dinner with Dr. Poup, Peep's brother, and a couple of his friends. He treated everyone to steak dinners (I had spaghetti and a side order of fries, still carb-loading for the race) for $15 total.