Laos - Expect the Unexpected

On the day before I came back to KL, I sat by the Mekong in Vientiane with a Beerlao in my hand, reminiscing about my adventures in Laos.

To wrap-up my trip to the Jewel of the Mekong, here's a list of memorable moments (in random order) of my trip there:

1. Drinking Beerlao by the Mekong.
   
   
2. Watching the sunset on Phousi with almost every tourist in Luang Prabang.
   
   
3. Pissing in the bushes by the roadside on the way to Luang Prabang. It was difficult without a penis.
   
   
4. Admiring the tranquility of the Mekong and the Nam Khan rivers in the cool hours of the afternoon.
   
   
5. Hiking to the top of the Kuang Si Falls.
   
   
6. Sitting in a bus for 12 hours from Vientiane to Luang Prabang.
   
   
7. Having to pay 5,000 Kip (USD 0.60 or RM2.10) toilet fee at the Pak Ou Caves. Exhorbitant ... but I had no choice; my bladder was bursting.
   
   
8. Enduring a 2-hour boat ride to see the disappointing Pak Ou Caves. And then had to endure the 2-hour journey back. What made the trip uncomfortable was the ultra hard seats on the boat which was not butt-friendly at all. After that incident I refered to the caves with a vulgar name that sounds like its original name, if you can guess what it is.
   
   
9. Watched in disbelieve as a female Caucasian tourist scolded a Lao girl and stomped out of the shop just because the girl spoke English with a Lao accent. Super bitch! Don't travel if you can't accept the locals.
   
   
10. The friendly Lao people who never stopped smiling. They're one of the friendliest people I've met.
    
    
11. Saw 7 men and 1 lady piss in the Mekong in broad daylight.
    
    
12. A bunch of locals who sat on stools in the aisle of the bus for 12-hours from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. Despite the long and uncomfortable journey, they smiled at me every time our eyes met.