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Hi guys - lack of updates: have been travelling through rural southern villages where electricity, water and telephones are a luxury, let alone internet. For now, feast on this:

"Sawadee". "Sawadee". We responded to the huge friendly smile characteristic of this region. It turns out that he is Laotian, and an epitomy of everything that is rumoured about Laotian people. Warm, friendly, highly-loveable and so laid back he'd almost fall over. Traversing and experiencing such beautiful people, one is a far cry from the familiarity of fear and unrest of the West, that it is difficult to believe the world is in certain parts, in turmoil. Ironically, the Democratic Republic of Laos is considered to be one of those countries. And for sure, it has its share of political instability, under-development and economic struggles, but, a certain flame of happiness dances in the eyes of the locals with whom I have interacted - a flame whose light is often missed in the West.

In Laos. In Love.

Asha Patel
2006-08-23 10:48:48

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bus ride to Vang Vieng...

... Breakfast was omlette filled with mulberry leaves. Three hours later, I'm still sat here. So, while I wait for my organic mulberry mulberry pancake and mulberry shake to arrive I'll update on Vang Vieng: you can always tell whe I love a place, as my writing is infrequent, irregular and often brief, for I am having too much fun to be sat in an internet cafe. Anyhow, today is faaaaaaar to hot, so I'll take Mm, that's more like itthe opportunity for a brief update of the highlights since arrival:
a real feel good factor such that a week later we're still here; surrounded by mountains and local villages. The first time we came to this organic farm cafe (now the only place we eat), my eyes fell upon a noitce for volunteering at the organic farm that supplies the cafe. Knowing immediately that I would find myself working there, my mind of course still insisted on going through its usual decision making rituals. Ate fried tofu with sweet basil leaves and shredded beans. Roamed around before getting caught in the rain. Rain. One of my all time favourite things in the whole world. And when it pours like this: heaven. As soon as the clouds let loose their load, there was no sense in running for shelter as we were drenched to the skin in seconds, the pair of us looking like we'd been dipped in the dea (or.. stepped out of an indian movie song scene). Anyhow, we were loving every second. Within minutes, the dirt roads had become rivers of flowing mud, and in the dark, we squelched our way home, finding a youthful joy in
the sticky mess...

...Wednesday was tubing day. Well, it was on Umisha's schedule, certainly not on mine. I could think of nothing worse than floating downstream on a dirty water for four hours. Did I do it? Of course. After a breakfast of poached eggs, fresh ginger tea and papaya shake we headed to the start of the tubing track, which was coincidentally by the organic ...