From Siem Reap to Don Khone
The tuk tuk driver showed up promptly at 7:30 a.m. We went to the head office of Asia Van Transfer where a Spanish hippie explained exactly how it was going to work getting across the border to Laos. He had a binder with photos of the border crossing, the minivans, the rest stop and explained the process in excruciating detail. So much the better. I piled into a minivan with about 8 other people all backpackers and we set forth to the Laotian border. The road was good but it was crowded. I prefer a bus to a minivan, I decided. We made a rest stop after 3 hours and after another 2 hours stopped for lunch in Stung Treng. Despite the morning briefing, no one remembered every detail of the plan but together we pieced it all together and remained absurdly confident it would all work out. Back in the Day Once upon a time, backpacking was a more convivial experience where you swapped stories shared tips and bragged about how cheap your last hostel was. No more. Now everyone is lost in there own digital world, their heads buried in their smartphones, not talking or interacting with other … Continue reading →