Lao... no "s"

We've made it across the border (and tricked those sneaky Thai). After crossing at Huay Xai we headed to Luang Nam Tha. Now if the name isn't impressive enough, boy oh boy let me tell you... we had a grand ol time. The day after we got there we were off on one of the most grueling treks I've ever done... and considering I've never really trekked, I'd have to say it was numero uno. After roughly 40 hours of marching, bleeding, and getting muddy/soaked in the northern Lao rain... we successfully felt more like men than we ever thought possible. Our crew consisted of 3 Americans, 2 Aussies, 1 German, 1 Swiss, 1 Canadian, and 4 guides. We spent the majority of both trek days fighting off evil leaches, scaling unscalable muddy cliffs, debating who would win a fight between a bear and a tiger, and feasting on sticky rice and whatever animal flesh was available. One close friend of mine referred to the whole experience as "Man Day". I tend to agree with the label. (for more on Man Day, please see either Wikipedia, or arianimal.blogspot.com, both of which are credible sources)

Since Man Day we've made it as far as Nong Khiaw for some downtime. This cosy little town is tucked in between some of the most beautiful emerald mountains I've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, it's not perfect, it's bloody hot. I'm pretty sure I've been in a constant state of sweat over the last 4 weeks... but the scenery is like nothing I could have imagined. The only thing that can put a damper on the experience to and from are the 6-8 hour bus rides down winding (and I mean WINDING) mountains. Let me put this into perspective: winding roads + David's motion sensitive stomach + 2 packages of fish chips/(square root of -1 for good measure)= an interesting experience to say the least. I think I've spent a good 6 hours per travel day with my eyes closed trying not to look at anything moving by. Other than that... beautiful country, super nice people, solid food.

We're back to civilization tomorrow as we travel to Luang Prabang. Some say it's the most beautiful city in SE Asia... but will it compare to the lush beauty and ladyboy shows of Thailand? Only time will tell. So far so good.

I also think I'm adding in Cambodia to the mix, just to keep things interesting.