No catchy title. Lao after two days.

Sitting on a domestic flight with Lao Skyway to Houiesay (there seem to be about 10 ways to spell this in English), which is in the Bokeo province in the north, on the Thai-Lao border. 

An enjoyable 2 nights in Vientiane in a fabulous boutique hotel. We had adjoining rooms so lots of space, very clean and catered to business travellers. I even saw a woman wheeling a laptop bag with Deloitte on it, but she sped away before I could talk to her. I must say that this familiar sight gave me comfort! Most likely a consultant or an auditor involved in government work as that seems to be prevalent with all the embassies and consulates located near our hotel. A little piece of home. Lol. 

Granted we've been in this country for less than two days, so far I'm quite impressed. The people interactions have ALL been positive...friendly smiles, no pressure, very chill compared to other south East Asian countries I've been too. Not nearly as enterprising as the Vietnamese. Especially for the capital city. I went for a walk along the Mekong yesterday morning (while the other 3 slept) and was not asked once to buy anything or rent a scooter, take a Tuk Tuk etc. Crossing the road is a cinch. There are only 6-7MM people living in Laos so like Canada, they are used to lots of space. 90% of the country people are Buddhists but not strict like Thais and seem to really go with the flow. Pretty sure I could learn something from the Laotians. 

Will be interesting to see what the North is like if the capital city is this quiet! While it's a refreshing change, I also know I can get bored and restless pretty easily and don't love sitting around for hours on end. I have a feeling I may be going for walks on my own a lot. As Stephen would observe, I'm most comfortable on my hamster wheel! Luckily I've just started my 6th book and it seems like it will be a good one. 

The food here has been good so far...marginally more expensive than in Vietnam but we were eating in an expat district and once we become more familiar with the local options, it will likely be more comparable price wise. By our standards, crazy cheap. Coffee options are outstanding. 

June 19th afternoon update...in a very sleepy town...

We arrived safe and sound. We knew the guesthouse options here were pretty bleak, so Abby and I went to check out the rooms before committing. Our expectations were pretty low so mine were met and Abby was pleasantly surprised we weren't sleeping on the floor. Lol. Judging by the state of the sheets, she may change her mind later. Eek. 

We went to check out the gibbon experience that we had booked and decided to go tomorrow instead of Sunday since they had room and there's really nothing to do here. Less time for me to freak out. Had to buy chocolate today to calm my nerves. Hasn't really helped. Anyway, we are all signed up and leave at 8:20am tomorrow. 

We the had lunch and played a few hours of "presidents" with the kids. 

By the way, we are on day two of taking malarial pills. Day 1 started off as a bit stressful as the kids can't swallow pills. We could have crushed into condensed milk but since we are heading to the jungle, there was no time like the present to try and teach them. After tears, yelling and fighting in front of some locals at a cafe, they finally got them down. Abby was fine today and Robin struggled a but but is getting it. Hopefully tomorrow will be fine as my nerves won't be able to take it otherwise. 

So far the side effects are okay...Craig and I were dizzy yesterday but kids seem to be fine. 

Did I mention I am afraid of heights and that the treehouse we are sleeping in for two nights is 150m tall?!?!?! And the only way to get into the house is by zip line. Ahhhh!!!!!