The Little Stuff

I'm on my way to the south of Laos. Since they only issue a 15 day visa at any border, our time is running out and I'd like to be back in Cambodia soon. I just spent 3 hours on what the locals call a public bus. I've now learned that a public bus includes either a transit bus like back home, or a small pick-up truck. Our pick-up was hulling twenty-some people at any given time. Now, in Vientiane, we're letting time pass before jumping on a ten hour bus (real bus) ride to the town of Paske. From there we'll spend the night and then venture to the border of Cambodia - I'm eager to get back to Cambodia continue some work with Rainwater. I'm not sure what internet is like in these small towns so it may be a couple of days until I'm back online.

Climbing
There are so many unique places to climb around Van Vieng. I rented some gear and a guide book from a local guide company and a motorbike for about $30US. Definitely not cheap, but completely worth the dollars. We drove out to this deserted resort and found the river. We called over a boat man to take us across for about 50 cents. We edged our way between some rocks and found our spot. It was Jacquie's first time out climbing, so I gave a crash course on belaying and off I went lead climbing the coolest rock I've been on. The rock is not polished like back home so it roughed up my hands pretty good. So much fun. We managed to do a little bouldering as well. We finished that day with an organic beer and watch the sun set over the mountain ridge.

Local Cuisine
So far, my daily diet consists of rice (or sticky rice), vegetables, chicken, and spring rolls. In the morning, the staple is egg, toast, and Lao coffee - I'm also enjoying the daily fruit shake (pineapple or mango). The spices are really good but I'm unfamiliar with the ingredients. On the occational night, Jacquie and I will splurge for a pizza or pasta (cheers to globalization). I eat a solid three square meals a day and drink enough to experience local liquor (especially the whisky) for about $4 per day.

Guest Houses
There are not a lot of hostels in S.E. Asia and the affordable replica are the guest houses - families turning their homes into mini hotels. They all usually serve food and provide the basic amenities and they alter with shared or private bathrooms. We are spending about $6US per night.