Life Lessons & Banana Crepes

It was 2018 and I was in Laos for a few days before heading over to Cambodia to visit my good friend, Dee for her birthday. As I wandered the streets on my first evening, I came across a man cooking & selling banana crepes from a cart. There was one other customer eagerly watching his crepes being prepared and enthusiastically commented “these are the best, but he’s only here on some nights.” The vendor handed Mr Enthusiastic his crepes and he skipped off, popping his nose into the open bag, taking in the sweet smell.

As vendor started to prepare my crepe, pouring the batter onto the sizzling hot plate and tossing in the chopped banana, he and I got to chatting. I was quite curious about where he would be the following night so I could find him and eat more crepe and his answer was unexpected. “I don’t know yet” he replied. He continued by telling me that he lived about 3km away pushing his cart to set up near the hotels & night markets. He would sell crepes until he either ran out of ingredients, or it was a slow night, or he didn't feel like selling crepes any longer. He would then push his cart home.

He never left home before 5pm because he liked to sleep past midday and ease into the afternoon. He also knew customers wanted his crepes at night, after they've had dinner and a few too many drinks. He gestured the universal sign for “drinking” with the audible mouth clicks and eye winks. We both giggled a little. Unlike other vendors, he chose not to attach his cart to a motorbike. When I asked why, he replied because he enjoyed walking and wasn't in any hurry. Additionally, for him a motorbike would be an unnecessary expense.
He stayed home when it rained. He rested when he was tired.

By this stage my crepe was finished and he was bagging it up. Though this is where the vendor’s story was most intriguing. He told me he used to work as a corporate banker in a fancy office in Malaysia (suit and tie, briefcase and all that). When his children had grown and finished university, he packed up and moved to Laos, he bought a small home which was enough for him and his wife and he started selling crepes. He lives very simply and can meet his financial needs by only selling about half of the crepes which he currently sells.

And, the reason he chose to sells banana crepes? Because he wants to spend time chatting with people, listening to and telling stories, particularly with travellers like me.
#goals

Cheers for now, -Rhea.

P.S. The crepes were fucking delicious!