Crossing the Thai-Lao border, the difference in travel-style is immediately apparent. Most places I'm used to, you could just jump onto a reasonably comfortable, decent-sized coach, train, plane or boat and be whisked off to your respective destination in relative boredom. Travelling in Laos, though, adds a whole new dimension of interest. Firstly, comfort and travel here don't really go together in the same sentence. Secondly, the country hasn't fully developed a decent travel network at this time - sure, you can get around without too much trouble, but it's a lot more hassle than, say, the UK or Thailand. For us, the whole experience is made a little harder by the fact that our guidebook really isn't suited to our style of travel (we're using the Footprint Guide to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, which is
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