Road Showdown

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The road to Vang Vieng from Luang Prabang is a twisty turny one for the most part followed by a straight potholed one that means you do just as much twisty turny to avoid the holes.

The first 3+ hours takes you through the hills and valleys, and it is then you realise how green Laos is, i mean really green. The place is vibrant, everywhere you look verdant lushness assaults the eyes. The day is overcast most of the time which spoiled the camera's view of the world but it makes me feel like green is my new favourite colour. After 3 hours of driving, and although we have the best seats in the minivan just behind the driver, Shabana looks a little green around the gills and i think maybe I like blue the best after all.

In the spirit of sharing once we take a break I volunteer we move to the front seats so that a giant of a man who is 6' 8" can remove his knees from around his ears and have a bit more leg room. We move again after the next break to the middle of the van to allow the French couple that have been stuck in the back to get some much needed air. Lesson to all travellers, the back of the bus might have been cool when you were in secondary school but it sure is the worst place in a cramped minivan in the rest of the world.

At some point during this trip i realise that the rest of the animal kingdom in Laos is playing against the humans in a grand game of Road Showdown. What this essentially means is that who ever moves slowest gets to stay where they are and the other party has to wait until they move or find a way around them.

Size, shape or speed potential does not matter, so far we have lost games to elephants, buffalo, cows, dogs and chickens. None of them care they we have places to go, if they want to stand there, they will. You can toot the horn all you like but sometimes they have that spot just so and there they stay.

Now obviously dogs and chickens realise that a minivan has the weight and reach advantage but there is not a lot you can do when a ton of water buffalo is standing in the road.

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