In Responce to Eating Dog

In response to Eating Dog and Animal Cruelty, I did not really mantion the fact that it is culturally accepted and has been around longer than the USA has existed making any argument a difficult one. Yes they are domestic animals but says who, what culture, and what is the difference between a cow, duck, chicken, lamb, goldfish, parrot, or dog when it comes down to the actual act of eating meat?
If you didn't have money, your family was starving and there was food all around you, but your religion told you not to eat it, would you? Hindu's allow cows to pass them in the streets every day, slums in Mumbai are an ugly place to live and i'm sure people die of hunger or malnutrition, yet their are cows every where, do you find that strange? If you were hungry, and your family was starving and there was a socially acceptable animal to eat lets say cow or chicken in the west, lets say dog in the east, would you eat it? unless your a vegitarian i would assume the answer is yes. I hope you understand where i'm going with this, don't judge another culture just because it's different!

my response to this ignorant person is below and is based mostly on the animal cruelty aspect of it, it negates the points made above about culture differences, as well as the fact that some PEOPLE live in far worse conditions than Animals in Asia, and unless Orwell's book "animal farm" is going to become a reality, we better start educating and helping People before worrying about the dying fad of dog eating.

I'm really sorry that i may have offended you or "made you sick," but I really can't sympathize for you. with that said by no means do i stand for animal cruelty I despise the fact that such things exist. If indeed the animal that i ATE was abused in anyway prior to being killed and i was aware of this, i would not have eaten it, but to generalize and say that all dogs are poorly treated and slaughtered, is an ignorant statement.

Life in aisa is cruel, the possibilities of that animal being miss treated are high, but then again so is the likelihood of any chicken, cow, pig, lamb, or fish being poorly treated and slaughtered. Going to a wet market would be a nightmare for any vegetarian or vegan, fish placed in buckets with no water suffocating, flopping around, animal heads and parts laying on open air tables at room temperature. it's not a pretty place, but you have to realize where you are and why this exists.

We live in a 1st world country, we have the luxuries of refrigerators, farmed livestock, super markets which really aren't so "super" if you ask me, Temperature controlled slaughter houses, but we have come a long way and still there are atrocities with in the industry that go on everyday and will continue to happen due to public demand of the products they produce. I have not eaten fast food in 10 years and honestly think anyone who does (weather you eat meat or not), is contributing to an institution that causes the most harm and maltreatment to animals than any other in the world. Factory Farming... this is a bit of a elementary style clip but the web sight is a great, and i think you should watch it if you have not already. http://www.meatrix.com/

Even prior to factory farming, our slaughtering of animals was and still is not the best. Asia may still do it the old way, quick and dirty, but we the USA are guilty of our own practices,(a mandatory summer reading book back in high school) Upton Sinclaire's, "The Jungle" may have been written 100 years ago, but is a perfect example why it is difficult to pass judgment on non-developed countries. the book was written in 1906 and describes what we (the US) were doing in our Slaughterhouses. A "developed nation" and still we mistreated, killed, and inhumanly butchered our livestock (amungs other things).

I'm going to go under the assumption that you are a vegetarian, which is outstanding. this earth needs vegetarians, because with out them we would be approaching even higher levels of methane in our atmosphere, deforestation would be 10 fold due to slashing and burning in developing countries for grazing and farm land, and all this leading to more desertification like we have seen in parts of Asia, South American, and Africa. SO kudos to you, i love vegetarians, i'm not one obviously but this earth needs them, in fact, we need more. As you may have the luxury to be vegetarian because your diet can be healthily maintained, and as you shop in a supermarkets where both produce and proteins are neatly packaged, or MAYBE eat free range animal products WHICH really is a bunch of shit and only legally means that "animals have access to the outdoors."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_range#cite_note-0

Many people in this world do not have these luxuries, lots of people don't have the money to buy food and depend on what they grow, harvest, or hunt. in Asia and developing parts of the world where money is tight and food can be scarce, people will eat what ever it is that allows them to survive. I'm a DOG lover but to mentally get over the hurdle of eating dog was difficult (it took me 7 months), but what it comes down to is that these people have been doing it for years. It was a means of survival in the old days when money and livestock was scarce. During the war In Vietnam the US dropped MILLIONS of bombs on the country, not to mentions tons of Agent Orange (chemical warfare) which made raising livestock and even growing rice near impossible, bomb craters scattered the fields and the animals that were raised for food died off with the poison we blanketed the country with. SO..... what was available in hard times.... dog. I'm not saying the Vietnam war was the cause of dog eating but it is an example of hard times and people doing what is necessary to survive.

The presence of dog as food really has only been apparent (to me) in southern China and Vietnam, but as i talk to locals I am finding out that it is more of a "old school" type of food. As i have explained above, it was eaten out of necessity, and is not common fare. It is beginning to fade in popularity, not because of it's taste, because i'll be honest it was good, but because more and more "Asians" are becoming westernized and eating dog is not accepted as a norm in our society.

This is NOT to say that it is WRONG, cows, pig, fish, sheep, camel, alligator, dog, cat, snake, rat, gofer, bugs, I've seen it all and it is all fair game to be eaten when people are hungry and their are mouths to be fed. Just because it is not our social norm does not mean we have the right to pass judgment on others. Animal cruelty is apparent all over the world and i think what we have with factory farming in the USA far surpasses the cruelty levels of a fading necessity of eating dog. I love dogs, i had one as a kid, i look forward to the time when i am settled down and can have one or two as my own. Will i eat dog again? i don't think so, it's possible, but probably not. I'll tell you where you wont find me though, AT ANY fast food or chain restaurants no matter how hungry i am, that is much more of a stance against animal cruelty than not eating a dog, raised, killed, and cooked in a persons home. if this is all old news i apologize but just to clear the water, i don't stand for animal cruelty either.

Vietnam

Saigon: i was pleasantly surprised when showing up here, i didn't expect such a modern, "hip," fast paced city, it was a nice surprise. This is not to say though that it did not hold tight to what SE Asia does best, and that is markets, food, and culture. there was plenty of it, the markets in china town were pretty entertaining, definitely for locals, i stuck out like a sore thumb sitting down at a noodle bar. The market close to District #1 was outstanding, with really interesting food inside, filled with your nick-nacks, gadgets, and cheap clothing as well. At night the stands set up out side the market and create mobile restaurants where everything is FRESH, from the seafood that sits in tanks to the frogs (still alive) dangling from strings. I enjoyed district #1 and would have stayed a day or two longer but a short visa pushed me onward.

Mui Ne: famous for it's sand dunes is a pretty touristy town, but much quieter and NOT highly visited by the average backpacker who is only looking to party. Accommodation is a bit more expensive here, getting around will cost you, but the dunes and ocean are great and the beaches are EMPTY. this may be because the wind is pretty fierce, but an hour on the beach by my self was good for me. I rented a scooter for 2 days and cruised around the town my self, apparently it is not legal to rent them in that town so i picked mine up off a scooter taxi who was happy to sit on his ass and do nothing while i cruised my self around town.

Dalat to Hoi An: Heading inward away from the backpack "party train," bi-passing Nah Trang i headed into the hills and did a good hike up the side of a mountain, the hills got green, the forest was lush and the climate was much cooler. Actually i put pants and a jacket on at night, it got quite cool. This was a real relaxing town the population was about 800,000 but it didn't feel like that, the food was good, people were friendly and again i would have stayed here for another day if i had more time. Learning to drive Vietnam style in a city was a LOT of fun, i rented a scooter here (which was legal) and had a ball, i road it until the very minute it had to be returned at 10pm.
the road north to smaller cities in Vietnam was a lot of fun, public transport was very very interesting, not the vehicles them selves, but more the company, a woman throwing up from motion sickness in my buddies lap.... well between his legs into a barf bag, but still! the scenery was amazing, green hills, tons of coffee plantations, and GOD was the coffee outstanding, in fact i mailed 1/2 a pound home of different kinds. Vince if you haven't gotten it yet, it's on it's way and it's fair game, i hope you enjoy, just keep some in the freezer for me! ---Sorry about that people--- ANYWAYS, the sights were great, the towns were quiet and rural and i was away form the backpackers and back in more "true" Vietnamese areas, hell i was on the Ho Chi Min Trial.

Hoi An: was a touristy town filled with suit shops (get your self a custom make suit) or shoe shop (get those custom made as well), along with great restaurants. I had the privilege of meeting up with a great chef, eating, traveling and talking food with him throughout the town. We did some binge eating at a couple of places, we also indulged in a Cobra Blood and Vodka shot.... It had to be done. Anyway i liked Hoi An, stayed here for 4 days enjoying the sun, and just north is a hidden jem, Danang (sp?) which is an upcoming tourist town with beautiful EMPTY beaches.

Ha Long Bay: OK, so here is the deal with this place. It is unbelievably beautiful but following suit with all the other "photo destinations" i have visited, i always get a poor day for taking photos. Rainy, overcast, cloudy, it was rough, but NOT AS BAD AS THE COMPANY. My advice is book your boat trip from a backpackers in Hanoi (to be more specific Hanoi Backpackers Hostel) and go with them, the will find a boat that fits your lifestyle. My tour agency put me on a boat with the, i'm 60+ years old, i can be in a wheel chair, and am French lifestyle, so needless to say i didn't fit in so well. the Frenchies warmed up to me after a while and the 6 beers i drank by my self while listening to my ipod on the upper deck of the boat, and watching beautiful scenery pass me by didn't make the trip all that bad either. Sharing a room with one of them was interesting, but i've had worse.

Hanoi: Ok, this city is pretty cool, lots of cool little shops in the old city, tons of things to eat, and the most famous part is the beer corners where people sit on plastic stools and get moderately cold beer poor in 10 oz glasses for a whopping 4,000 dong or 25 cents a glass. it is entertaining for a night but your body pays the price for drinking such crappy beer, it's a must while in Hanoi. Eating at their Deli's was another pleasure i had, tons of cured meats, pates, fresh french bread, it was a good place for me. while there i stayed at a families home in my first "couch surfing" experience (check out the web sight if you don't know is http://www.couchsurfing.com/) and it was really nice to talk to locals and learn about their life in Vietnam. in this case they were x-pats but still, my own room and bathroom and an authentic Vietnamese meal one night and a great Vietnamese restaurant the next, it was a pleasure and a great way to end my trip.

Hanoi Airport: don't over stay your visa or they will KILL YOU with a fine, OR just be better at bribing the officers than I, mine didn't work all that well and i was slapped with a $70 fine. OUCH. pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com.au/vaccaro.marc24/Vietnam?feat=directlink

Vietnam Email

Arriving at the Cambodian/Vietnam boarder by bus, it was HOT, sweaty, and you were pushed into lines which quickly marched you into an air conditioned room, Thank God. I waited there until my name was called out, I went up to receive my passport and visa, there it was stamped in black ink, "March 10th.....March 25th" i got screwed by the agency in Cambodia who swindled me and only got me a 15 day visa. This was how i entered the country….

"Don't go there...," "I had my wallet stolen there....," "I heard someone got a motorbike stolen and had to pay double the price for it there.......," "People are so rude and pushy there...," these were constantly uttered through out my trip in South East Asia, all directed towards travel in Vietnam.

Perhaps I had had a watchful eye on my belongings, maybe I got lucky, I don’t know but I didn’t see any of this, in fact my stay was quite pleasant minus the last 45minutes at the airport where I was figuratively raped of $70usd for overstaying my visa by two days (my own fault).

I arrived in Saigon by bus and was dropped off in District #1 which is a central backpackers area, unlike most countries I visited the backpackers area was in the heart of the city surrounded by real life Vietnamese. I wondered into a back ally (more or less lured there), with the promise of a $7 room (private bath, fan, cable tv). At first I was skeptical but it turned out to a in a private home, a family renting out a room to tourists. When led up a TIGHT path into my bedroom I still had my doubts but the room and bathroom were probably some of the cleanest I have stayed on this trip and the family turned out to be amazingly friendly offering me iced lemon tea when ever I would pass in and out of the home.
Visiting the War Museum in Saigon was a bit painful, definitely ONE SIDED in the story it tells about the “American War” and rightfully so, but none the less the facts speak for them selves which as an “American” I was a bit astonished to know. Statistics can be skewed so you can only take the info so far but the proof was in what I saw through out the country. The most disturbing fact was the amount of bombs (over several million tons, were dropped), and the amount of Agent Orange (chemical warfare) which was used. The visible proof that I witnessed was craters in the rice fields where bombs had been dropped, as well as TONS of birth defects that I witnessed all over the country due to Agent Orange, that spoke to me very strongly (especially since the family whom I was staying with had a son, completely immobilized due to the outcome of this poison we spread on millions of innocent people).
Although US involvement can be argued either way, the Ironic kick in the balls was the quote that you read upon entering the war museum “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, USA declaration of independence July 4, 1776.” needless to say the museum was a bit anti-usa.
Even with the clear hatred for what was done during the war, all the Vietnamese I met were happy to see people from the USA, I was never looked at in a negative light, when I told them I was from the US I always got smiles, many times received the “USA, GOOD!”

Travel through Vietnam was quick do to my 15 day visa and my foolish refusal to pay $50 more dollars for a new one. As most travelers take to the coast and hit up the obvious spots on the “party train” I headed inland and road on local buses for 3 days from Mui Ne up through the central highlands where the coffee is outstanding, I followed the Ho Chi Min trail (by bus) until popping back out on the coast in Hoi An. The Small town of Dalat (800,000 people) was one of my favorites in Vietnam, a bit of a mountain town, a slightly slower pace, good food, great coffee and an introduction on Vietnamese driving. Really there is only ONE rule, the bigger vehicle has the right of way, anything else goes, and god is it fun ripping in and out of roundabouts cruising in and out of rural towns.
The food in Vietnam was unexpectedly diverse and good, I had the opportunity of binge eating with a fellow chef in Hoi An for 3 days, this was an amazing experience and made Vietnam worth visiting in its self. The stunning Beauty of Ha Long Bay is something that I was grateful to see, but as you’ll see in my pictures, it was VERY cloudy, dull light, rainy, and I was stuck on an overnight boat with 11 60+ year old French tourists…. Need I say more? Hanoi was a cool place, it was quite the opposite of Saigon and YES I did eat DOG, and Yes it was good. I’m not going to do it again but after dodging it in Asia for 7 months I put it on the list of things I had to do. I received a relatively ignorant message on facebook regarding my dog consumption, so if anyone has a bone to pick with me on that I’ll, please read my comments i made on that.

Cambodia

Cambodia:
Phenom Pehn: good lord I spent way too much time here but it was a city that caught me by surprise, with Zero expectations of a city I showed up after eating relatively bland food in Laos, to be surprised by the interesting variety that Cambodia had to offer. Staying “lake side” in a bit of a touristy/back packers area, I found my self trapped in Laos mode (slow moving lazy days). Going to the Dump to feed children was an activity that was rewarding and worth doing, a brilliant experience. Going to the “killing fields” and seeing S-21 which is the Genocide war Museum is a must do. Other than that, the Capital does not have too much more to offer, I managed to stretch my stay into 7 days.


Seam Reap: Catering to the mass amounts of tourists, this is a unique city that is located minutes away from Angkor Wat. Hotels and restaurants is what you will find here as well as a couple of markets which are cookie cutters of one another, selling the same trinkets and beads as the next guy, the most commonly heard phrase “hey mr. you buy??”gets a bit old after a while. The abundance of Tuk Tuk drives can begin to rattle your head a bit, but using humour is how I deal with most bothersome situations so after being asked “where you going” a 1000 times, my answer soon became “crazy man…. I’m going CRAZY” followed by the universal twirely/ swirling finger pointed at my head, a smile and a laugh, most of the time it was well received, and to the others… well the hell with them.

Angkor Wat: was a brilliant place to visit, not being a person who is too impressed by temples, and only going to 2 monistaries out of 8 that I could have graced in Tibet, I was thoroughly impressed and enjoyed my visit to these temples. Only spending one day there was OK for me, I could have easily paid the extra $20 and stayed for 3, but in an attempt to keep moving and being cheap I opted for a good 8 hours of touring, starting with the 5:30am sun rise. If I went back the $10, 10min. hot air balloon ride for sunrise would be on the top of my list.


PHOTOS OF CAMBODIA:


http://picasaweb.google.co.in/vaccaro.marc24/MarcvaccaroCambodia?feat=directlink

Cambodia Email

Cambodia
Just a day away from leaving this country and I realized I have seen NOTHING of it, just the two major points of Phenom Pehn and Seam Reap (Angkor Wat). It is sad to have moved so quickly through this area for there is tons of beautiful scenery and surprisingly some very interesting food to get involved with. My trip pushes me on and after an emotional twist with potentially landing an amazing job in Sydney, I was driven to keep moving, pushing into Vietnam. This is NOT to say that I didn’t get a chance to experience Cambodia, being here for 15 days has opened my eyes to the atrocities that plagued this country just 30 years ago, and it is apparent the scar that it has left on the social structure of the country today. Not to get historical on you…. But just 30 years ago a mass genocide of over 2million people were exterminated , the goal was to eliminate the upper class (educated people) and start the country all over from scratch. An extreme case of Marxism (thanks Sociology degree!); which clearly does not work when you have to kill off ½ your population. The out come, besides the killing millions, was an uneducated, torn, poor, emotionally, and physically scared country. After visiting 2 of it’s 3 neighbouring countries (Thailand and Laos), it is clear how this has affected it’s people, money is tighter, smiles are fewer, and life is still a bit tougher. It’s a sad reality.
The levels of prosperity is the most apparent in cambodia, where you can see BMW's, Lexus SUV's, whipping down the steet in Phenom Phen, and a mile away have litteraly a couple thousand people living in the city dump. I got a chance to do some charity and go to feed and visit 300+ children who were living there, the program was led by a British man who really is a saint. Spending an afternoon at the dump was just as touching as paying my respects to the millions lost to the genocide at the S-21 museum and the “killing fields” where mass graves have been dug up, revealing holes scattered across the earth, where thousands once lay…. That was a heavy day.
On a less MORBID topic, Angkor Wat was a beautiful assembly of temples and ancient architecture, being the cheap bastard I am, only paid for the $20usd for a day instead of the $40 for 3 days. Not being a person turned on by temples, I found the day to be plenty, but could have easily taken my time and spread it out through 3, that would have been fantastic. Sun Rise on Angkor Wat was probably one of the best I have ever seen in my life.
I travelled a bit to quickly through this country to really get into the fabric of things, I would have loved to get off the beaten path, head down to the ocean, and continue to eat Khmer food, but I have a serious urge to move forwards.

Lao Email

A 2 day 16 hour boat ride meandering through the lush green hills of Lao is how I entered the country. It was a boat ride I looked forward to for a long time, two days on the Mekong river through rural landscapes of Laos. Isolated Villages, happy children playing in the river waving to the boat as it drifts past, this was the unique experience I was looking for. With the exception of Luang Probang’s monk filled streets, heavily influenced French architecture and cuisine, Vientiane’s urban sprawl, and Vang Viengs bazaar out of place party atmosphere, Laos as a whole was very reminiscent of my first 2 days entering the country, slow moving, lazy, remote, and relaxing.
It’s funny for me to say, and is even more odd looking back on it, but it was hard for me to assimilate into the Lao way of life. It’s not to say that I’m not a happy person, friendly person, easy going person, I would like to think that I know how to relax and enjoy my self, but I clearly was not ready for Lao lifestyle. Maybe it’s a bit of the A.D.D. that I have embedded in my personality, but the lazy days, the relaxed days, the sun soaked days of doing very little were actually the days that were most memorable. Sure the scenery is beautiful in Laos, but it was the people and life style that I really enjoyed, although it took me nearly the entire trip to learn to enjoy it. As I have rambled on about in past emails, discussing my hopeful findings of primitive life styles, as I hoped to explore never seen before lands… naïve as all hell.... YUP sure is, but it was what I hoped to find. What I was looking for was a small piece of the world, less westernized, more down to its roots, what it has been for years and has remained to the day. Laos is as close as I have come to finding this. Hooking up with a great group of travelling companions, it took me nearly a month to allow the serenity and beauty of the people and culture to set in. The “hippie” in me took over on my last week in Lao, roaming Don Det (a small rural island on the Mekong) for nearly a week barefoot and shirtless, living in a grass hut with electricity running from 6pm to 10pm daily, a hammock on my porch facing the river, beautiful sunsets, a local pig roast, smiling people, and a whole lot of nothing... Lao life... rural Lao set in, and I loved it.

Floating into Lao

Floating into Lao,

A 7:00am wake up call on the the Chaing Khong (Thai) boarder was the begining of a 2 days on a long boat (hard wooden seats or the wood floor) for 8+ hours a day meandering down the Mekong River into Luang Probang, Lao. This was a trip that i had been eyeing for quite some time and i don't know what drew me towards this. The allure of my ass going numb on the floor of a boat was definitely NOT it, but the sights, the rural beauty of a country i knew basically nothing about was probably what did it.

What i didn't expect was the board the boat with 100 travelers, many many bottles of booze, tons of Thai and Lao beer and having the first 8 hour day turn into a glorified booze cruise. I did how ever manage to throw in the Ipod, play some relaxing tunes and gaze at the absolutely brilliant scenery as it passed me by. Day two was a bit more relaxing when most of the boat had realized that gassin' alcohol was NOT a sustainable way to travel, so again Ipod in and drinking in the scenery was exactly what i thought this journey would be. Passing Totally isolated villages only accessible by boat, living pretty much solely off the land and river. It got a bit "national geographic" on me as we slowly drifted passed little naked Lao children playing in the river, guys with AK-47's floating past on rickety canoes, it was a trip. Hill side villages tucked far up in the lush green hills, smoke stacks faintly climbing above the tree line, and fisherman down on the river using the current to push their catch into their strategically placed nets which are strung to two long bamboo poles. it was a brilliant ride, minus the first day bender, exactly what i was hoping for.

Luang Probang: caught me off guard a bit, Lao being colonized by the French, on arrival i was introduced to the most beautiful thing i have seen in a long long time, FRESHLY BAKED BAGUETTES, Beautifully crispy BREAD, which i have been deprived of for far too long. I think i tanked down about 4 baguette sandwiches on arrival and the madness didn't stop there and hasn't to the day. If the French have done anything right, it's food, and i thank them for bringing it to Lao. Other than my discovery of the baguette, Luang Probang was a pretty touristy city, a bit over priced, filled with good restaurants though which range from french, to thai, lao, to italian where pizza is the menu item of choice and is probably the one thing i see the most all over asia as a standard comfort food, still haven't gotten it yet.

Vang Vieng: a twisty, rolling, climbing, AMAZING 6 hour mini van ride down to the tubing capital of Lao, the ride from Luang Probang to Vang Vieng was fantastic, through small villages clinging to the cliff side, in and out of fields, banana plantations, over rivers and cruising through lime stone crass was a drive out of video game. As i approached the city all i could think about was renting a scooter and doing it my self (which happened on my last day).
A City which revolves around cheap liquor, shitty music, lots of drugs, all natural ones of course, which in some bars you can find laminated on a menu, still illegal though, it was a bit overwhelming for many. For me, i got my fill of beer and cheap "tiger wiskey" on the river but was tempted by a different beast, not druggs, but "the thrill of being a moron," with beer flowing like the rolling river water, free shots of tiger wiskey ($1.25 us A BOTTLE) being poored like.... well... like it is as cheap as it was (quickly and freely), and the presence of 30+ foot rope swings, my childish nature shows bright and hucking enormouse layed out back flips was something i felt like i needed to prove to the world that day. I would have to say they were pretty (wish i got one on video), but as the sun was setting and so was the amount of alcohol the final swing payed it's toll as i slipped off the handle and slammed into the river, winding my self, bruisin' some ribs, and pinching a nerve in my neck making my pinkey and ring finger numb for over a week. Yes i'm a dumbass.
Partyin' aside, renting a scooter and cruising through the dirt streets was exactly what i was looking for, remote towns, schools which consisted of three wall structures, some more naked lao kids playing in the street, old hunched over women sweeping the front door with a straw broom, remote villages that still do things the "old way" it was beautiful, really remarkable to see. the one comfort that they had was NOT hot water, was not Washer and Dryer, but a HUGE satellite dish, a single burning light bulb and a TV for passing time, it was a funny thing to see.

The only place i saw more rural than this was North of Luang Probang in a town called Muang Ngoi. Only accessible by boat, an hour north up stream from Nong Khiaw was a small village, No cars, dirt road, "one horse town," doing a hour hike back in the "jungle"/rice fields reveals some beautiful Limestone caves which are in abundance in Lao, small more remote villages, and extremely happy people, probably the nicest and happiest i have experienced on this trip, well, in my life, always smiling!

Vientiane: The capital of Lao is not the busiest city i have ever scene, if anything probably the sleepiest capital i have ever been to, but for me it works. most travelers pass right through this town using it as a stopping point before crossing the Mekong back into thailand, or heading south (which i did, down to Pakse and Don Det). Bursting with cool restaurants, French inspired food, Thai food, Coffee shops, and street vendors, Vientiane is a pretty cool city to get involved in food with. Lao its self has a pretty boring cuisine, it is not so much Thai, and not so much Vietnamies, but sandwiched between confused with who it is, in my experience it was a simple place to eat (luang probang and vientiane as the acception). I did however get a chance to meet up with a brilliant Thai Chef who runs the Lao Garden Pub and Restaurant, Ordering Three dishes and a beer in this relatively high end restaurant ran me a whopping 97,000 kip or $11.95usd, crispy pork, green mango, and cashew salad, Lemon cream glazed crispy chicken, and Beef tenderloin RARE with spicy/sour sauce all came out at once and was utterly devoured.

Pakse: A solid 12hr bus from Vientiane on a sleeper bus, ariving early in the morning, still dazed from my "shared double bed" (thank god i didn't have to share), was the town of Pakse. An unexpected NOTHING of a city, i quickly hoped a Tuk Tuk with some other travelers to the nearest bus station and boarded the SLOWEST moving bus i had ever been on in my life. Cruising at a top speed of 20mph on a 3 hour non a/c, NO ventelation sweat-fest, i headed to the town on Tot Lo. Again a beautiful experience in a rural town, this was a one day one night stop over. On arrival i headed right to the waterfalls went for a swim where some locals kids were jumping a good 20ft ciff into the falls (due to my injuries in vang vieng i opted out of the cliff jump) the first jumper scared the shit out of me, it didn't look do-able. after enjoying the swim and location for a hour or so I headed back to town to chat it up with some fellow travelers and local villagers. the thing to do here is RELAX, and/or rent a scooter and tour the Bolivan Platau, but i wanted to keep on moving so one night in this quite town was good for me.

Getting to Don Det my final stop in Lao was one that took a hellish day of traveling to get to. Back on the 3 hour 20mph sweat bus, accompanied by a 4 hour local transport. A touch larger than the flatbed of a pickup truck, enclosed by steal bars, plastic siding, and a roof rack which held anything from livestock, backpacks, to people, i was packed 21 people deep. sweating in 90 degree heat we barreled down the road stopping here and there to pick more people up, drop minimal people off, all painfully uncomfortable until i snapped. we had stopped to pick up another person, a cross country biker, while stopped this Lao woman who was transporting 9 piglettes in 3 burlap sacks was getting nervouse that they would die of heat so opted to tranfer them into a large wicker basket. Sufficating with in what i thought would be my casket i thought, this could be my chance, pushing my way out, i gave a look of desperation to the driver and pointed to the roof. Hel laughed, smiled, and nodded his head, the rest of the trip was a literal "breeze." Shirt off, sun out, headphones in and my eye on the passing scenerey i laughed at all the suckers squashed below me. The ride was fantastic, my eyes fixed on everything passing me by, farmland, rural homes, even Elephats being used as transport for farm equipment and crops, a freakin' elephant being used as a "real" non-touristic means of transportation....wild. the ride was out standing.

Don Det: located in the area of 4,000 islands (Si Phon Don) was a bit of an oasis. litterally thousands of islands scattered with in the large Mekong River. A river that brought me into Lao was the same River that would take me out. Lush palm tree lined shores, guest houses that offer electricity from 6pm to 10pm, and Hammocks, lots and lots of Hammocks. I spent 6 days here doing absolutly NOTHING, go swimming, reading a book, going to a local pig roast (which of course i could have done better :) ), getting to know some locals, going to look for a rare almost extict river dolphin (didn't see it), and discussing with friends the best method to catch fish in the river, this was the extent of 6 days.
After walking the dirt paths of Don Det bare foot for 6 days, rarely wearing a shirt, sleeping in hammocks, and being woke at sun up by roosters (which i can't stand), it was a bit sad to leave this area. It took me a while but after nearly a month in Lao i finaly allowed the tranquil life style to set in. the rural, relaxing, lazy days in Lao are somthing i wont forget, the happiest people i have ever seen, a beautiful culture, and a wonderful experience.

LAO PHOTOS:

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/vaccaro.marc24/MarcvaccaroLaos?feat=directlink