Due to the fact that people from our traveling groups will be reading some of these texts, I’ll try to compose some of them in English.

Entering Laos, (Locally pronounced Lao) went fine. We traveled by boat, which made the immigration very slow and confusing. But everything worked out fine in the end.

The first couple of days we explored the Mekong River by boat, enjoying the beautiful, scenic nature along the shores. We entered caves and visited local villages. Several of the local people were amazed when we showed them our cameras and took pictures of them. Apparently they never met western people, with electronic devices. It was a great experience to see the smiles on their faces when I gave them an opportunity to use my camera.

After a couple of days on the river, we got to Luang Prabang, which is a stunning small town listed as a world heritage by UNESCO. During our stay in Luang Prabang we got to visit several waterfalls, jungle areas, local temples and much more. Especially our kayaking trip is worth mentioning. We got to work our way through severe rapids before we stopped for an intense exploration of the jungle on the back of local elephants. Before we made our way back to town, we took a quick swim in the nearby waterfalls surrounded by spectacular flowers and palm trees.

In the evenings we try to dine as local as possible, even though we all seem to be fed up with rise and noodles. The small shawarma bars in Copenhagen seem so far away, and for some reason I really miss having a greasy durum in front of the TV. But no worries; I’ll find a suiting replacement to fulfill my desires when we get to Hong Kong. Charlotte eats tons of cream cheese (Den leende ko), so her longing for western food doesn’t seem to be as strong as mine. She actually had a whole box the other day, which filled up her depots.

At this point, several of our group members struggle with different sort of travelling illnesses, including stomach aches and mosquito bites. But that’s a part of the game, and our German doctors are taking care of everybody as much as possible. It comes in handy that they’re able to communicate the professional names of the necessary medicine to the local pharmacists.

While writing this, we’re on a bumpy bus ride to Vang Vieng, where we’re going to stay for two days before going to the capital city; Vientienne. Everybody seems to be a bit grumpy due to hangovers from a trip to the local bowling alley last night. I, on the other hand, feel fine. Bowling is big out here because all other bars, beside the bowling center, have to close at 11.30 pm. This legislation was passed to ensure the sleep of the locals who normally get up before sunrise to give alms to the monks.

I’ll be writing again soon.

Best regards, Christian