Laos

I have been in Luang Prabang, Laos for a bunch of days. It's hard to know how many because everything I read in the guidebooks about Laos being a slow-moving place is completely true. The pace of life here is so laid-back and mellow, not just for the tourists but for the locals as well. Even the light in my bathroom takes 10-20 seconds to come on. The streets in town often seem empty, most people are relaxing, napping, sitting around, and just basically doing nothing and they seem quite content to do it. I read in one book that this is part of the Lao philosophy and the attitude pervades the country which of course can make it enjoyable for travelers. One book says it's the Lao PDR: "please don't rush." That being said, I met a woman who started a library here and has been living here for 4 years. She has tons of books and is helping people to study, learn English, and basically get more educational resources in their hands. She says that the laid-back approach every traveler loves so much can be a real challenge when actually trying to accomplish something.

So I've wandered the streets. This town is a UNESCO heritage something or other, so it is well-preserved and I think there are all sorts of rules about new development. There are temples everywhere and it is the former capitol of Laos actually which is hard to believe since it is a very sleepy and quiet town, but apparently again that is just how they roll here. There are a lot of foreigners here. It is the number one tourist place to visit in this country. I have been contemplating some trips to the north for apparently beautiful scenery, boatrides on the river, and increasingly less touristed destinations, but I have yet to decide. I spent yesterday at a pretty crazy waterfall about an hour outside of town where I met a whole bunch of other travelers, hiked up a perilous half-hiking-path-half-muddy-river and got small baby leeches in between my toes. There's never a dull moment!

Time for lunch, I will report on my future destination when I've sorted it all out, though I'm definitely heading to China next, just a question of how...