shopping in town & downtime

we met up with the bus and the rest of the crew in the center of town, just across the river bridge, walked around for a bit, and popped into a few stores to get some postcards and souvenirs. the shops all have tons of weaving, scarfs, bags, etc, along with a variety of Buddhist paintings, statues, and ceremonial wooden masks. 

it is also fun to see the local shops that have a variety of clothing, foods, and tons of packaged snacks and beverages. just about every sign above the doors is in the same style (and font) with little descriptions of the goods or services they are selling. 

our shopping expedition didn't last too long (the cold water totally drained us all), and we returned to the hotel by mid-afternoon... and enjoyed the free time to chill, write postcards, and read our books by the warm fire in the dining room. we have been on the go so much that downtime was much needed!