A few notes on Laos

People:

The Laos people haven't been as friendly as other SE Asian countries. In Thailand, at first glance the locals would often just look at you. But if you smiled, it was returned with anything from just a small grin to a full blown smile and wave. In Laos, they just look at you.

Dancing in the Rain:

The rainy season is upon us. It rains at least once a day, if not more. But it's only for an hour or two, usually less, and then it clears up and the sun comes out again. The nights are cooler, there's less tourists and dancing in the rain is one of my favourite pastimes. The other day I was walking with a friend through the rice fields when it started to rain. We dashed for some cover and found shelter under the eve of a house. As we watched the rain pour down in buckets, two local girls ran by, shouting with glee and running through puddles. It didn't take much convincing for me to join them. :) I spun them around in circles, played clapping games, jumped in puddles and they taught me how to count to 3. One of the best afternoons ever!

Travel:

If the ticket seller/travel agent/brochure/etc quotes the travel time from A to B as 3-4 hours, it will probably take 8-9. Nothing runs on time here and the buses stop every 10 minutes, either to let people on/off or because a repair needs to be made. We counted 28 stops on our way from Vientiane to Kong Lo Caves, total travel time – 6-7hrs, distance travelled ~300km. The best was yet to come. The next day we left Kong Lo Village at 12:30pm on a sawngthaew. After 4 hours of bouncing around in the back of a pick-up with 15 other people, we arrived at the bus station in Tha Khaek and quickly found a bus headed to the 4,000 Islands. We arrived at our guesthouse at 10am the next morning, after a 15 hour bus ride and hour boat ride. It was exhausting....Total time: 22 hours. Total distance: ~615km.

4,000 Islands:

I've been relaxing in the 4,000 Islands for a few days now. During the rainy season (now) this section of the Mekong River fills out to a breadth of 14km. During the dry season, the water level falls, revealing hundreds or thousands of sandbars, islands and islets. Everything is laid back, life is dictated by the currents of the Mekong and a typical afternoon involves a nap in a hammock on the porch, a walk through the rice fields or a pleasant walk along the dirt paths.  There are no cars here and biking is a test of dodging dogs, cats, chickens, cows, buffalo, pigs and kids AND GINORMOUS MUD PUDDLES!!!!!  It's a wonderful place to take a break from the trials of travelling. :)

Cars:

I've been in countries that drive on the left for so long that when I arrived in Laos, where they drive on the right, it took me awhile to get used to the change. I stared at a parked car for a good 5 minutes, trying to figure out if it's set-up was the same as home or not. :P  You know you've been travelling for awhile when.... 

Note: the water that came out of the tap and shower at our guesthouse in the 4,000 Islands was definitely Mekong River water......