advice: don't try to go to a (the) hospital in Laos, - no one knows where it is! and i mean no one! although you probably shouldn't go to the hospital here - even if you could find it - so...
I arrive in Vientiane after an overnight bus ride or better known as a "new version of hell" ride to find that my plethora of minor ailments had reached some sort of peak (someone like me probably shouldn't travel in countries like these...): the list as it is - includes namesly a blister type thing on my inner right calf the size of a half dollar (motorcycle burn), at least three different kinds of rashes, some sort of finfer skin problem that consists of pain - pealing skin - and more blisters, and then of course the throat virus - stomach nausea - better described by Ryan (a TEFL friend) in his email: "i do not know what kind of crazy virus i picked up from sleeping next to Doug in BANGKOK for a week, but is a DOOOOZY. i think it is some sort of asian super virus. i have had this thing for like 10 days now. i think i have bronchial chitis of the left and right bronchials, actually i think i may have caught the asain death cold."
i also then will blame doug, but seems like a few of us picked up something from living in the ban phe area that isn't so pleasant....we leave this afternoon on another overnight bus ride to bangkok - all i know is that somehow praise be to Buddha this one has to be better than the last ones...
the "new version of hell" bus ride - went like this: squishing ourselves into our vinyl upholstered seats we found that somehow - although we couldn't understand how - this bus had even less leg room than we had experienced before, also the overhead lights and air didn't work - yep thats right folks - hours and hours of no air and light - but then - oh yes there is more - amber who is sitting on the aisle points out that there is someonw now opening up a seat in the aisle next to her! which means she is squeezed in between men a japanese man who over the night proceeds to fall asleep on her arm..meanwhile we are going through a mountain range - yes a mountian RANGE - which means that we are constantly taking curves - our bodies being slightly thrown from left to right to left to right and the only way to stay in place is to wedge yourself into a position that holds you paralled-vertical-in place - in a palce of smallness that makes one - i dare to say it - makes one actually miss the speed boat!
Vientiane however is a very cool city and we magically yet again found ourselves in the heart of the perfect neighborhood to wander around in - the city is in a big uproar as the river boating contests are this weekend - one of the biggest festivals for this city = so last night as we walked to find dinner the streets were lined with stall and a carnival with a ferris wheel and everything!
