Asia rendezvous recap.

I'm sitting in the Lao airport right now. It's 6:30am. I'm a bit foggy, a bit anxious and a teensy bit sad. Gave Linda a quick hug this morning before jetting out the door. I'm going to miss my funny, tell-it-like-it-is Dutch traveling partner. I've had two pretty amazing months, and now I'm preparing for my second half of the journey. Though indonesia is also southeast Asia, it seems to be an entity all it's own.

Cambodia was my favorite country in SE Asia. The people were incredibly kind and genuine, the prices were much cheaper than anywhere else I traveled, and the sights were outstanding. The travelers you met in Cambodia were a different breed...not there for the party like most that you meet in Thailand or Laos.

Though Thailand was overrun by tourists and jaded Thai people, PAI in northern Thailand was hands town my favorite town in all of SE Asia. Quaint, intimate, amazing. A sort of Utopia. A place filled with really outstanding food, cheap and delicious street food as well as inexpensive restaurants that offered up outrageously stupendous dishes. Also, here is where I had my good friends Ramzi, Linda...and of course, Mick. Pai is where I began to feel like myself again after such a shitty year. I will definitely be making a return trip....sooner rather than later.

And then there is Laos. The "fuckall hatefest" Laos. I know that my friend Emily Corkill will adamantly disagree...but Laos was absolutely my least favorite country. Yes, many Lao people have a smile on their face, but that's because they are ripping you off; you know it- they know it- and theres not much that you can do about it. The rain definitely tainted my experience here, along with the whole stolen bike scenario- but the trip was saved by the beautiful landscapes, delicious local food (laap, jaew mak len, Lao salad...I could go on) and of course- rock climbing. Almost every inch of Laos looks like a postcard. The heart of mother nature lives in the limestone cliffs of Vang Vieng (it's just a shame that the town has become overrun with inappropriately drunk and inconsiderate Brits). It was impossible to take a BAD picture in Laos...whether you were in the old sleepy town of Luang Prabang, party town and outdoor adventure destination Vang Vieng, or the french-inspired capital of Vientiane. If it weren't the case that I was blatantly ripped off Atleast once a day then maybe I'd leave with a better taste in my mouth. Oh well, a great time was still had, a new sport acquired, and some fabulous new friends were made.

And now- a short flight to Bangkok, several hours of killing time in Bangkok International before my afternoon flight to Jakarta, then to Bali. I can't wait to be reunited with my Meesh, and to be reunited with my beloved ocean...it's been too long.