Although we have traveled now through many different countries and cultures, one thing always remains constant; we are continously put in strange and new situations. Some are good, some bad, but undoubtebly all experiences add character to a trip. Our travels in Laos are no exception to this rule. Happily though, our friends Lindsay and Bob from California made the long trip out to see us and shared in a few new experiences with us

In only 3 weeks here in Laos, we've ridden more than 12 modes of transport (not always by choice). These included: VIP & local buses, tuk tuks, the back of a flatbed truck, Sawng Thaews (a truck with bench seats and covering), long-tail boats, a river ferry (which was more like a floating dock with a motor), mini buses (similar to a passenger van), bicycles, motorbikes, a couple of kayaks, and an inner tube down the Nam Song River. Since transportation isn't always reliable and often can take a few more hours than stated, how you pass the time is important. Genny found refuge from the madness by playing tic-tac-toe and drawing ocean creatures with a 10 year old boy in the back of a local bus. They also had fun with stickers she found in her purse, but that came to an end when the boy she was interacting with used the stickers to decorate the bus (Needless to say, without the drivers permission. Lesson learned: acts of charity can sometimes lead to acts of vandalism). Also on this bus, Bob and Lindsay, as devout vegetarians, realized their own personal nightmare as whole sides of chicken on skewers (and what Bob believes could have been a rotisseried rat) were shoved into their faces from outside the bus at a "snack stop." Lindsay's neighbor, however, passed on the chicken and bought herself a baggie of fried beatles instead. As the woman crunched away, all Lindsay could do was laugh, proving that a sense of humor about things can get you through anything.

Another adventure involved the drive shaft falling off the tuk tuk we were riding in. Aparently this little device not only provides a direct connection between the motor and the drive wheels, but also is crucial for the driver to maintain control and stop the tuk tuk. So without it, we could only roll to a a very bumpy stop on the side of the highway. The driver reassured us that everything was OK before running down the highway to retrieve this ever so important piece of machiner. He then quickly hailed us a new ride to our destination (this is where the flat bed truck mode of transport came to play). Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.

One of the most unique experiences we've had, though, came on a day when the four of us explored an astounding 5 caves. We were a little surprised to find that one of the caves was only navigable by inner tube. Lindsay, Bob, Genny, and I shrugged, laughed and floated our way over to the entrance. Once inside, we pulled ourselves along a series of ropes anchored to the walls of the cave. The cave itself was was completely dark with the exception of what was illuminated by our headlamps and the only sound was what sounded like a subterranian waterfall that kept getting louder and louder as we progressed through the cave. I'm not quite sure why we kept pulling ourselves towards the source of the sound, as I kept having visions of us plummeting over the edge of an underground Niagra Falls. Luckily the rope trail stopped and Niagra Falls did not emerge out of the darkness.

All in all, we have enjoyed our time in Laos; the people, the adventures, and the landscapes have all added to the beauty of this place. And the opportunity to share it all with some great friends has only made it better.