I'm still alive!

Just in case anyone was actually worried.

About a week ago I wrote a big long thoughtful entry about Cambodia, but the internet connection went bad and I could not save or post it. But it was a good one, I promise!

Right now I am in Vientiene, capital of Laos People's Democratic Republic. That's Laos for short. But it is properly pronounced Lao -- the French added the S so it would fit in their scheme of pronunciation, but most people still don't pronounce the S.

I LOVE it here. By far my favorite country so far, followed by Cambodia. Laos is soooo mellow compared with everywhere else I've been. Its got a really small population and pace of life is about half speed. People leave you alone when you walk down the street, and there is not much to see except natural beauty. In fact, this afternoon I had planned to go and see the few sights of Vientiene, but it's so hot that I really can't be bothered. Better to just relax.....

On the other hand, Laos can be challenging due to it's ... ummm... shall we say Lack of Development? Electricity is spotty in a lot of places, many of the roads are mostly dirt, guesthouses are super basic, toilets are squatters, and public transport is an adventure in itself. Actually, I have to confess that the public transport is one of my favorite parts about Laos. More on that later.