Lao's indomitable joie-de-vivre is irresistible.... and its tranquility bewitching, (blue hour-rush hour Ventiane) I'm completely convinced there's truth in the old saying that 'the Vietnamese plant the rice, the Cambodians watch it and the Lao listen to it grow': Don't fall for the cliché, that Laotians are always napping! They're secretly listening to the precious rice grow! This starts at a young age and lasts a lifetime There are moments though, when it’s hard to reconcile the prevailing laid-back vibe with the country's violent, not so

It's  not all roses and moonlight on the road. Our momentary stepped up travel pace makes for a lot of (seductive, tummy-twisting) bus station -and bus journey- snack time And for a lot of reading and research (-and anxiety eating?!) on humdrum necessities like where to sleep, onward transportation and a not to be underestimated aspect of perpetual travel- visa rules and regulations. Here's an example: We knew we needed a visa extension for Laos. Extending a visa costs $2 a day, or apply for a new

In the best tradition of innocents abroad, we stumble across unexpected, mysterious and colorful religious festivals at our destinations quite frequently: And as luck would have it, (or was it Buddha??), we arrived in Luang Prabang shortly before the October full moon, just as preparations for Lhai Heua Fai, (floating boats of light downstream festival) were taking off. The festival marks the end of Buddhist lent. Buddhist lent, or Boun Khao Phansa, is the traditional three month “rains retreat” during which Buddhist monks

Our one motorcycle, two boats, four caves loop, out of Van Vieng, reminded us how eye-catching, brilliant and varied the small creatures of Laos still are- cocooned  in far-flung swathes of verdant green- a world upon themselves Down near the Nam Xong river, little clouds of butter colored butterflies circled the muddy paths in flickering zigzags. Dark iridescent Great Mormons, the size of small bats, careened along dizzily in couples. Once in a while, the most decorous in this colorful pageant

After delivering our medical supplies, we spent an impressive morning at the Mother and Child Hospital in Vientiane, Laos Because of my medical background, we were generously invited by Urs Lauper, founder of  the Swiss Lao Hospital project,  to share a routine morning at the hospital. The day started off with an intense discussion of the past night's cases, (had to fight off the microphone a few times, *phew*) Then we tailed the doctors on their rounds, exchanged  lots of heartfelt smiles, tip-toed into

Proof here! The traveler lifestyle is a bed of roses.... (I laid out all my possessions on this particular bed, plus the small-looking backpack they're supposed to fit in to, and a box of weighty plaster dressings destined for the Swiss Laos Hospital Project  in Vientiane, LPR). Then, two days ago, I woke from rose-tinted slumbers and felt like I'd landed in one of my all time favourite picture books- the story of a little boy who is transported to the open countryside

Just a whiff of the homeland for us. It's not like our adventure is put on hold here. When the familiar bounces back with an exotic flourish, raises eyebrows and sometimes voices, provokes tears of joy and of frustration, then that's part of the journey, (if not the destination..........). I'm re-honing my nursing skills here and M. is busy keeping me fed with fresh SALADS here First view of new family member Amélie-Louise, sharing with family and friends- that's home.

Thank you Padang, Indonesia, for making it easy on us to go home, (working vacation, folks). Padang was badly hit by earthquakes in 2007 and 2009, so I’m not judging the decrepit buildings or the crumbling infrastructure, but the omnipresent pollution got to me again: The choked black river the stinking garbage dumps in a city of so much potential And that sort of sums it up for all parts of Indonesia that we saw- a lot of abused potential. For all our frustration