planes, trains, n tuk tuks….

Finally could pick up our India Visas and pay the exorbitant $90 fee.  The Consolute was so clean and austere it felt like waiting in the principles office for bad news.  No problems though, and it was such a relief we both did a little ”we”re going to india””dance that broke the thick air and put a smile on all the next in lines.   Off to Chiang Kong to get the slow boat to cross into Laos.  (Pronounced LAO by locals)  Happy and relieved there was a direct bus for on 211 B cause the package deal we skipped  on was 2000!   They warned us we wouldn”t be able to find any accomidation, but an obvious tourist scam, so we boarded the 5 hr bus ride, 2nd class, bench seats straight to Chiang Kong.  Not so straight it turns out it stopped in every tiny town along the way, picking up school kids gong home form boarding school for the weekend and droppin them off at driveways, feilds, markets, guess anywhere they wanted….8.5 hrs of rolling hills, rice feilds complete w/ farmers in the conical hats tilling wasya nd we arrived, jumped in yet another pick up truck and headed to guesthouse to crash before having to get to immigration, ferry across to Laos, immoiration Lao, then board the boat all by 11:30am.  Guet house was really charming with a resteraunt  communal chill out area overlooking the Meakong River.  An American gy, retired engineer lived had been living in the guesthouse for  a year and a few months so we asked his impressions of Lao.  He replied, “”haven”t quite made it that far””?!   5 minute ferry ride to Laos and he hadn”t gotten that far?  Guess it”s nice to leave things to look forward to in retirement?  What”s the rush….

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