Laos Roundup

Ok, so here is the deal with Laos, 10 days was plenty, at least for me... Don't get me wrong, cruzing down the Mighty Mekong River was pretty cool, and the landscape was beautiful, it's just that who really wants to spend to full days crammed insides of a boat like cattle going to slaughter??? If I hadn't ventured up onto the roof of the boat with a few other pirates on the second day think that I might have lost my mind... And if you are thinking to yourself, come on Ryan it's not that bad, I say yes, yes it is... Mind you u don't have a seat, so u just sit on the hard wood floor all day crammed in between a drunken British girl that won't shut the hell up and a Laotian that can't afford soap let alone deoderant... Yah, I'm glad I did it, yes it was cool, but it was plenty long enough... Next came Luang Probang.  Again very amazing French colonial town full of cool things, yet the tourists and elivated prices (dirt cheap by American standards but expensive  when it comes to SEA).  Then you drve on down to Vang Vieng.   To be fair there are a bunch of really cool caves you can check out and the abundance of westerners to talk to and watch the super bowl with was cool...But i don't really feel the need to experience perpetual spring break parties... That right, the activity of choice their is to float down the river drunk off your keaster, come back to town an drink some more... That or watch endless episodes of Freinds, Family Guy, or the Simpsons while enjoying delicious shakes laced with your drug of choice... I went to Berkeley, i don't really need to hang out with wanabe CoOpers stretched out on pillows while they trip through their time here in SEA... Finally take yet anther junker minivan ride for 6 hours or so with 14 of your fellow travelers while you cruz down Laos' best road... Ane and a half lane of oil and chip network of patches as you try not to look as you take ever corner at terminal velocity... In fact I think that it might be a government conspiracy to create their very on CERN, with the minivans that smash into each other being the poor man's hydron collider, infact I feel like I could make a pretty baht selling t-shirts with slogans like "I survive the ride on the Loation Atom Smasher"... But I digress... Vientiene, U have a long ways to go my friend... You have no heart, no class, and certainly no tourist appeal... And yah, I got way the hell out of that hammer and sicle banner flying country.... where everyone seems corrupt, cheating people out of their hard earned Kipp is a national past time, a place the US should have  boldly stayed  the hell away from where everyone had gone a failed before, and the food makes you sick... before I wrote any such things... Consequentially I'm glad to be back in Thialand by Jove, in a land who has no peer in beauty, where the people are always wonderful, and the government has done a standup job in every aspect, where great leadership shines through his royal magesty the King, peace and blessings be upon his name.