China to Laos

I took the first bus from Mengla this morning to the border town of Mohan. The border crossing was so simple and laid back. The border guards on the Chinese side were conversant, joked with me, and were so friendly! Most, if not all borders I've crossed have been incredibly formal and strict. The guards never talk to you, unless out of necessity, rarely look at you other than to confirm that your face matches your passport photo, and push you along like you're a splinter in their foot. It was such a pleasant change! Laos was very much the same. Nice, curious, genuine people. I crossed the border with a man from England, who unfortunately epitomized the loud, obnoxious foreigner stereotype. His words were obscenely loud and condescending and he moved with a "holier than thou" air that was completely revolting. To top it all off, he became so aggravated when a language barrier presented itself, exponentially increasing his volume and frustration. Why he travel to places like China and Laos is beyond me. I'm just glad we weren't traveling in the same direction for long!

After a series of bus and tractor rides, I arrived in Udom Xai, a dusty little town in North-Eastern Laos. I'm just staying here for the night on my way to the Nam Om river. So far, I can't say enough good things about Laos. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to come here was fro the sticky rice. I know it sounds silly, but to be honest that's pretty much all I know about this country. But I'm happy to say that sticky rice was the first food I ate here and it rocked! The food in Laos appears to be much like Thailand, minus the tear provoking, lip searing heat. A funny thing happen today regarding food. I ordered a plate of noodles for dinner and was brought a fork and spoon as my utensils. I attempted to eat the noodles with the fork, but it was so difficult and awkward that I had to ask for chopsticks! I can't believe the use of a fork isn't second nature anymore-- a tell tale sign that I've been in Asia for too long!

The people in Laso have been incredibly friendly and surprisingly, the majority of street signs are in both English and Lao (what a welcomed surprise!) and a good number of people speak some basic English (again, this is great!). There's a feel about South East Asia that I really began to miss in China. Maybe its the warm weather or the bright smiles, I'm not sure. But I sure am happy to be back!