We were picked up early in the morning by our guide for the day, Coh, and his driver, Ding, for a day of trekking. The trek started in a local coffee plantation. Most of the coffee is of the Robusta variety and according to Coh has played a vital part in the recuperation for the local people from absolute poverty. Laos was until recently one of the 20 poorest countries. Wandering through a small village nested in the coffee plantation, we noticed a local farmer ...

It was time to leave the 4000 Islands and we awoke early to make the boat back to the mainland with a bunch of other backpackers. Looking around, we were far and away the lightest travelers. At first we figured maybe it was because our trip was much shorter than everyone elses. While this was the case in some instances, there were still people travelling for less time than us with 5-6 times the amount of luggage. Anyway, the boats arrived and we were crammed ...