About a 10 minute motorbike ride outside of town you'll find a quaint and happy little farm and it's happy owner, Hiep, one of Lifestart's recipients. Hiep (age 35) contracted polio when he was 7 years old resulting in the paralysis of his left leg. Hiep’s father passed away and his elderly mother owned the land around his tin house. The family were farmers who always worked hard, but struggled to survive with very little. In addition to these challenges, Hiep was unable to find any work because of his disability. Hiep met Karen last year and told her of his [View Full Entry]

---

---

Celebrating Karen's birthday on the beach with old and new friends... [View Full Entry]

---

---

From the moment I landed in Danang, it's been an emotional roller coaster. Excited from the high of being reunited with the familiar faces I fell in love with 2 years ago, and heartbroken from the raw, unedited, continuing struggles of poverty, neglect, and disabilities - all reasons that bring me back here today. Before I start on specific stories, I thought an overview would be appropriate. And because I’m finding it difficult...OK, impossible... to write a neat and tidy paragraph that sums up this past week, here are the notes from my daily planner, as is. Giving a bit of [View Full Entry]

---

---

A 6-hour (horrendous) bus ride north from the farm is Luang Prabang, the place every tourist and guide book recommends as a must-see. Awakened from a long slumber brought on by decades of war and revolution, Luang Prabang has become Lao PDR’s foremost tourist showpiece. Encircled by mountains and set 700m above sea level at the confluence of the Khan and the Mekong Rivers, the city’s mix of gleaming temple roofs and crumbling French provincial and multi-ethnic inhabitants enthralls even the most jaded travelers. - Lonely Planet Luang Prabang is listed as an UNESCO Wo [View Full Entry]

---

---

It’s an unforgettable experience, but 3 weeks on the farm feels enough. I’ve decided it's time to let go of the perfect little bungalow overlooking the mulberry fields and begin the transition back to reality. Plus the longer I am here the more I question if I wasn’t really benefiting anyone but myself. But I know the farm was grateful, and I was given a nice thank you in the form of one large bag of mulberry tea. After this weekend in Luang Prabang (blog to come), I will return to Vang Vieng, but have chosen to stay in a less [View Full Entry]

---

---

From 10am to 5pm the farm slightly rattles and shakes from the thumping techno beats at one of the nearby river bars. It certainly offsets the tranquility of this place.The town of Vang Vieng has become a backpacker haven because of the growing number of river bars/parties and the ridiculously cheap food and accommodations. Although the farm is concerned about the growing numbers turning the town into party central, they decided to make the best of a situation under the philosophy of “If you can’t beat'em, join'em”. They set up a “drinks bar” to cater to the t [View Full Entry]

---

---

It was no smooth transition from Australian life to Lao life, especially after the leisurely comforts of Australia. Instead of looking forward to the thrill of the arrival in a new country, I became stubbornly resistant to the idea of the unfamiliarity of the culture, learning another language, having no friends or family around, eating too many bowls of noodles, unpredictable weather, mosquito bites, smelly clothes, cold showers, my very heavy backpack... and no Harrison. Adventurous Squirrel was on sabbatical and this mental whining session lasted through my 9 hour flight, a 6 hour layover, [View Full Entry]

---

---

Ok, so he’s only 7 months, but he’s really very mature for his age. This young man is full of positive energy, he’s attentive, an exceptionally good listener, loves long walks in the park and lots of cuddle time. And perhaps this is inappropriate, but I have also seen him naked. Why, Harrison… he’s the perfect boyfriend! Harrison John Clark was born to good friends Rachael and Jason and I’m happy to hang with the little man during my holiday (also known as Sausage, Woobily Woo, Bubby, Little Man, H-man, Harrison the Marrison, and when applicable, Little [View Full Entry]

---

---

Greetings from the other side of the world! It's amazing but somehow I feel that I've been gone months as opposed to weeks. It already feels like so much time to myself, when I'm not part of a daily routine that include the usual emails, phone chats and socializing, and of course a "job". I'm again here in Sydney (Balmain) indulging in a relaxing stay with friends Rachael and Jason. For the usual tourist photos, you're welcome to visit the blogs posted when I was here 2 years ago: , , . I can assure you the Sydney Opera House and [View Full Entry]

---

---

Weekend in Las Vegas: Feb 1st-3rd. Well, sometimes it's better not to write anything at all. For the select few, you know the story! [View Full Entry]

---

---