It was just idle Sunday evening curiosity that attracted me to an article called Going Nowhere: Ten tips for expat Stayers who want to stay well. It’s probably one of those boring listicles bloggers use to pad their pages, I said to M. … Continue reading →

There’s no doubt about it, Laotians love their “stick rite” They consume more sticky rice than anyone in the world! Many people subsist on it- and on not that much more. They work hard for their modest harvest, and still … Continue reading →

Please remind me why I’m here? Ok, thanks M decided to skip the backpacker fave, Thakhek loop, so we stuck to sights nearer “home”. A satisfying, Laotian way of doing things it turned out. Because there are LOTS of caves right … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →