Give Passion Life

I haven’t written in a bit for a few reasons. First, the connection in Laos is often slower than dialup. Secondly, there hasn’t been a great deal to report. I left Cambodia for Laos, and spent my first night in Vientiane, and moved on to Vang Vieng the following night. Vang Vieng is famous for tubing along one of the main rivers that runs through. I’d heard stories of how wonderful Vang Vieng was since the beginning of my trip. Essentially there are about 15 bars along the river. After renting a tube, you float down the river, buy drinks, dance, jump off high dives, 50 foot high rope swings, and enormous water slides that all spill right into the river. With the right people it could have been fun. However, the emphasis was on getting hammered and partying and that’s never really been my scene. It is literally like year round Spring Break in Vang Vieng. It is packed with young 20s who’ve flocked from all over the world to float down the river. Backpackers tubing down the river is what made this area famous but it’s unfortunate because the natural beauty there was incredible.

Luang Prabang, Laos was the next stop and I really enjoyed this little city. The food there was wonderful and there was much to do. I went on a trek to an incredible waterfall and also went to a service at a Buddhist Monestary for meditation and prayer. In the midst of the chanting one of the young monk’s cell phone rang and started playing hip hop music. He walked out embarrassed and was followed by what looked to be an elder. It was absolutely priceless. I got a bit of chanting on video, but missed the hip hop cell phone.

Now I’m on a plane on the way to Chiang Mai, Thailand, a country that I have eagerly awaited…..back in a bit….descending….cue “At the Bottom of Everything” by Bright Eyes

Little break there. I’ve arrived in Thailand….at my hotel now and I am loving it already. I didn’t realize how much I missed Western conveniences until I got back to them. Thailand, although  in the East, is very Western. High speed internet, highways, organization, and modern architecture are just a few things I noticed on the trip from the airport. I need to go explore the city a bit, so I am off for now.