"On The Road Again..."

Hey folks,

So it's been a few days since my last post and activity has simmered down quite a bit since then. The majority of my time, or at least half of it, has been spent on the road, traveling from one destination to another. While this is a necessary part of backpacking, it is getting rather exhausting and tedious at this point, especially after my experiences the past few days...

First, I headed to the Northern region of Laos to visit the old capital of Luang Prabang. I seem to have somewhat bad luck when it comes to who I sit next to/behind when I travel from one city to another. Unfortunately, I was sitting behind a woman on the way who had reclined her chair almost fully before I got on and had proceeded to pass out, leaving me and my long legs with no option but to sit cramped for the seven hour journey. Ironically, the person next to me was a full foot shorter than me and had all of their leg room, but he too was passed out and I was too polite (it's my Canadian nature) to ask to switch seats. Despite this minor pitfall, the scenery on the trip was magnificent and some of the best I have seen in two and a half months of traveling. The whole drive North is along twisting mountain roads, to the right a sprawling landscape of karst peaks and rolling hills, scattered smoldering patches from the heat and cows and goats crossing the road in front of us, delaying our journey only slightly in their leisure. Passing through little towns, the children always stare you down with their calculating eyes, transfixed by the gaggle of Westerners passing through their home. After the long bus journey, I was happy to find the first place I could to settle down and happened to end up in a nice little hostel, cheap and with all the amenities I was desiring. My next day, feeling a mixture of pain from my wounds, weariness from my commute, and longing for my own bed back home, I stayed in and powered through two full books, happy to have some down time. The day after, I rented a bicycle and explored the city in a few hours, stopping at temples along the way and for views of the river banks. All in all, Luang Prabang was nice peaceful city, and if it had been my first stop in Laos, I certainly would have been more appreciative. That being said, after the activity and beauty of Vang Vieng, and the culture of Vientiane, Luang Prabang was a little lacking for me and slightly disappointing. The drive to and from the town was the most entertaining part of my experience there...

After a trip back to Vang Vieng, and another night in my wonderful hostel there, I set out on the road yesterday for Phnom Penh, excited and eager to explore a new country and new surroundings. It was going to be a doozy of a commute, a full 30 hour journey with three to four separate buses and a passing through border control where I would have to obtain a visa, but I was determined to get it over with and have the last major commute of my travels completed. I took the four hour bus journey down to Vientiane and switched buses to a huge overnight VIP bus, equipped with a bed about the size of a single. The bus was supposed to leave at 6PM and take twelve hours, but it was two and a half hours before it finally took off. I spent that time having a light dinner and actually stretching out quite comfortably on the single bed, impressed at the amount of space I would have for the long journey and convinced it would go by quickly. Unfortunately, I soon realized that I was sorely mistaken in thinking I had the whole bed to myself. After two hours of sitting idle, the bus suddenly started to fill up and I took note at that point that there were two pillows on the bed, a perk that was too good to be true. Fifteen minutes before take-off, an English guy named Tommy stumbled up the stairs and notified me that we would be sharing the bed. I was a little mortified at the thought of spooning with a complete stranger, but alas, I had no choice in the matter and he crawled into the single with me! At first, it was not too bad... he got out his laptop and we watched "Into The Wild", a great film and quite appropriate considering the protagonist is a 23-year old man going on a journey of self-exploration... but when it came time to go to bed, I had no room to get comfortable. I started on my side facing the window, but my knees were pressed up against the glass and my ankles were chafed together quite painfully. I then switched to my back and hoped to fall asleep that way but it was hopeless and my legs started to cramp that way as well. Finally, after four and a half hours of lying in pain and distress, I faced the other way towards my bed companion and managed to doze off for a few hours. Before this all occurred, the bus we were on stopped after only 45 minutes of driving due to engine troubles and a flat tire (at least that's what I assume, I couldn't see out the windows what they were doing). This caused a three hour delay in the trip. By the time we arrived in Pakse, the transfer point to my next day bus, it was just before 12PM and I had been on the bus for close to 18 hours! In the morning, when the sun came out, the window concentrated the heat all over my body, no curtains on the bus to shield me from the blistering 36 degree heat and nowhere to escape to. All in all, it was an absolute horrendous experience, and my worst one with transportation so far. Because we arrived so late due to all the delays, I missed my connecting bus and I'm stuck in Pakse for the day and due to leave in the morning bright and early to get to the border. I still have at least 16 hours to go and I am not optimistic about the comforts of my remaining transportation. I would be okay with the stop in Pakse if it were nice or there was anything to do here, but the town is one that has exploited tourism and yet has no natural beauty to offer. The streets smell of stale weed and palpable humidity and my current accommodation smells of sewage and body odor. I feel the world is playing a cruel, cosmic joke on me right now and I can only hope that the journey to Cambodia is worth it and I am met by something wonderful to make me forget my current state of despair...

Sorry for the somewhat cynical, depressing post but there really has not been much to brag about or praise in the past few days. Hopefully, the next post will be a cheerful one. Less than two weeks until I arrive back home!

Ciao for now,

Max