Laos. Luang Nam Tha, Luang Prabang, Nong Khiaw, Muang Ngoi, Muang Khua. Bamboo-thatched villages, dusty children, rice paddies of luminous green. Landslides, BeerLao , Laolao whiskey with ex-pat Kiwis and all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffets.
Vietnam. Dien Bien Phu, Sapa. Potholed roads, plunging valleys, tourist-hungry touts and bed bugs.
Four weeks down, eight awaiting. No guidebook, no plan, no rules. Nowhere to be but wherever I am.
Which is not, unfortunately, conducive to regular blog updates. Spending hours in front of a computer screen is somewhat less thrilling than a jungle trek or yarning with strangers over cheap local beer.
And now: it's midday in Sapa, the fog has lifted and the valleys are calling [or the bar]. Tham biet.
