Getting ready for Laos

I haven't written anything since I've been in Nong Khai, mostly because I haven't really been doing a whole lot. I've been sleeping in, having breakfast in the garden of my guesthouse, reading, and occasionally going on a search for something interesting.

The other day I went to a sculpture garden called Sala Kaeo Ku. Luang Pu, a Lao mystic and artist, is the man behind the garden. The sculptures are made from concrete and some are as tall as seven story buildings. They are quite impressive and have both Hindu and Buddhist influences. Check out my pics here. Luang Pu died in 1996 and his mummified body is in a building on the same grounds. Supposedly, his hair still grows and needs to be trimmed every now and then!

So. The other thing I've been doing is thinking about Laos and a game plan there since I'll be crossing the border on Monday. The last month in Thailand has been absolutely fabulous and I've loved it here, but I want to try to do things a little differently in Laos. I seemed to be firmly on the backpacker path in Thailand - I was running into the same people and/or meeting people who'd just come from where I'd been or were going to where I was headed next. This was mostly okay because I met and hung out with a lot of great people. But it also probably prevented me from meeting more Thai people. In Laos I'd like to ditch the guidebook, stretch the limits of my comfort zone a bit. Perhaps somewhat ironically, this has meant pulling out a guidebook. . .but only to study the maps and get an idea of which border crossing to use into Vietnam.

Tomorrow (Monday) I'll cross the border into Vientiane, the capital of Laos. I will stick around probably for the week because I will apply for my Vietnam and China visas. After that. . .who knows?