We are the "Champ"ions

April 30th is Queen's Day in the Netherlands, which as far as I call tell involves wearing lots of orange, drinking heavily, and engaging in general silliness. Oh, and there is something about the Queen celebrating her birthday, but that didn't seem terribly important.

Here are the Dutch girls (Marije and Jennifer) who were forced to spend Queen's Day in Champasak, Laos with a Brit, a German, and four Americans, but somehow I think the alcohol took the sting out. Notice the home-made Queen's Day shirts they are wearing. I'm sure you are as shocked as I that they couldn't find ready-made ones in Laos.


Here are Jeff, Jennifer, and Daniela as the party really starts to get underway. I assure you that the pictures are blurry because of poor lighting, not because of the number of beers and Lao cocktails I consumed. In fact, the bottles are just for show. There was no drinking involved -- all of the smiling is just happiness for the Queen on her birthday. And if you believe that, I have some oceanfront property in Kansas to sell you.

By the end of the night, which, at 12:45, was a late night for Laos, the local cats had found some very receptive new friends. Here are Marije and Daniela playing with a cat that somehow made his way into everyone's arms at some point during the evening.

I will cease with the pictures now, as they become very silly and blurry. Suffice it to say that Queen's Day rocks!