332: WELCOME TO KHONG ISLAND

I LOVED LOVED LOVED Laos. Let's just say that the trick for me to love a place is to have low expectations. I didn't think much of Sicily before I went there last year, and I ended up loving it. The same goes for the country of Laos.  Before I left, I was incredibly excited for Cambodia and felt neutral about going to Laos, but now that I am back home I would say that I would definitely want to go back if I had the opportunity to do so.

The moment we crossed the border from Cambodia to Laos, it felt like we were in a richer country because of the better roads and toilets. I had always assumed that Laos was poorer than Cambodia, but it is actually the opposite. The Lao locals seem better off than their Cambodian counterparts, and I think it could be because it is a Communist country.

The south of Laos is known to be one of the most laid-back places in the world, and we spent the afternoon cycling around Don Khong, one of the 4000 islands in the area. Our $1 bikes were heavy, and the breaks didn't work, but it was such a joy to bike around the countryside and watch people work on the fields. Satellite dishes are the thing to have in this country - everyone, even those living in little wooden shacks, has one!

We had drinks at a restaurant as we watched the sun set over the Mekong River. My drink of choice? Oishi green tea! I drank that green tea almost every day of my trip.

We left before the sun dipped below the horizon, but we underestimated the time it would take to go back to our guesthouse. As we rode back, it started getting harder and harder to see all the potholes on the road - there were no lights on the street!

What was even worse though, was that we started getting bombarded by bugs. They splattered against our bodies as we rode our bicycles -  I ended up getting them in my eyes, my nose, my ears, my mouth, and all over my skin. The bug in my eye was the worst. I could feel it in there for the longest time before it eventually got absorbed into my body...

By the time I got back to my room, I was covered in bug juice. I even had bugs down my shirt!