From Laos...

I have lost all concept of time, date and money spent...so I think I've effectively assimilated into the SE Asian culture! Since my last update, we traveled from Railay to Koh Phi Phi and then Bangkok and into Vientiane, Laos and are now in Vang Vieng, Laos.

I spent so many days on the beach that I lost count. Days blended together in a sublime mix of white sands, warm sun, pad thai and fresh fruit. One afternoon we hiked for about an hour through the back cliffs of the Railay peninsula--lush green jungles and looming cliffs and incredible views. We scrambled over rock formations near the water with near vertical climbing-- holding onto roots and rocks while trying to keep flipflops on our feet! Another afternoon I spent away from my travel companions sampling the world-famous rock climbing of the area. Climbers come from all over to experience the rock climbing of Krabi...so it was a joy to take on 4 of the beginner/intermediate cliffs along one of the beaches. I haven't done much rock climbing since a few stints in college, but it all came back pretty quickly and I had alot of fun. I was amazed at how HIGH I went!!

After Railey, we moved on to Koh Phi Phi (PP Island) for a few days. Another paradise island, this one is where they filmed the Leo Decaprio movie The Beach. It is also well-known as one of the islands most decimated by the tsunami. Now, the island is largely rebuilt/restored and is literally swarming with vendors and tourists/backpackers. After the laid-back peace of Railay, we were surprised by the commercialism of PP and mildly put off by the "spring break" vibe.

Silly moment: The night before the Superbowl was to take place, many of the sports bars on the island were claiming that they would open in the early morning to show the Superbowl LIVE. So...like the good Americans that we are, we dutifully woke up at 4:45 AM to go for the 5 a.m. start. I got worried as soon as we wandered bleary-eyed out onto the street. The sun wasn't yet up and the streets were deserted, except for a few bar hoppers who were ending their night and a few who seemed to be making the Walk of Shame back to their own bungalows. Coming to the sports bar, the place was silent. I was SURE that it was all a huge prank...the brits and aussies who ran the bars decided to see if they could trick the Americans into an early morning to shame us for not loving their precious "football".

We finally found someone at one of the bars who told us it'd be another hour till they got things going/running. We went back to bed, and exhausted, I slept till about 11--missing the whole thing. It was dissapointing, I really miss American Football in China and was hoping to enjoy an early morning Superbowl experience. Megan managed to wake up in time to go back and see the end of it and recounted the fun to us over lunch!

Bangkok, Thailand-- We were hoping to avoid Bangkok this year, but had to pass through in order to move into Laos, so we spent about a day and a half there in a stopover. It was actually a great stop! Last year in Bangkok I spent all of my time in the international hospital with my friend Jeremy, who was then recovering from an elephant attack. The city seemed dirty and ugly and overwhelming to me then. This year, we slept in a great area and found our way over to the Grand Palace--which must be one of the Wonders of the World it's so glitteringly stunningly beautiful. We had our share of street-side shopping, exploring and temple-visiting as well. We ended our time there with a movie--Yes Man w/Jim Carrey--which might have been only so-so, but we LOVED it--so that shows how much we miss entertainment!

Finally, it was a night bus through northern Thailand into Laos. I'll write more later--but staring out of a bus window as Southeast Asia passes by outside will always be one of my favorite life memories.

Vientiane, Laos--This is the capital city of Laos, and yet paved roads resemble backcountry Virginia more than anything else. Dusty and rural feeling, you really get away from the tourism appartatus of Thailand and embrace the backpacker feel that I've been missing. It's incredible here--and already Laos is my favorite leg of this journey. We spent about 24 hours in Vientiane and visited about 3 buddhist temples, one city monument, a park and the Mekong River. I'll write much more about Laos later when I can reflect--but it is such a joy to be here.

This morning we took a winding 4 hour bus ride north to Vang Vieng, a sleepy tiny little river village that is a jumping off point for outdoor treking. We have a cozy bungalow near the river with hammocks right outside, bike paths nearby and views of the karst cliffs rising up among more rice paddys. Tomorrow we're hoping to go tubing down the river and maybe will explore on bikes or climb through caves after that. It is strange to be away from the dry heat of Thailand--today was the first cloudy day that we've seen since leaving China!

Then it's onward north as we begin to think about getting back to Wuhan. Being around all these backpackers with their multi-month/year journeys reminds us of how conditioned Americans are to only taking week-long vacations. I was beginning to get really travel-weary--but since we've crossed into Laos, the wonder of the country has given me a second wind...I'm just hoping it will be enough to stay energetic till we get home! From Laos...Love to you all!