I just got back from a very long and seriously bizarre trip to Laos. It was with an organised group that were all doing the same visa run. Seriously a group of oddballs... it was like the cast from some crazy movie...

As follows:

-A very eccentric old man that made us stop the bus every 30 minutes so he could piss (he almost got into a fight with the driver over this).

-A Filipino lady boy (for those of you not aware.. a "lady boy" is a transvestite or transexual) with "her" husband who kept touching my hair telling me how beautiful I was...

-An alcoholic Danish guy who spent the entirety of the trip pissed drunk.

-A fat Aussie guy who, sadly, had his wallet stolen in a Laos disco.

-An old English guy who has lived in Thailand for 25 years and felt compelled to tell us endless stories of "how things used to be".

-A 30 year old American kid with multiple piercings and tattoos, with a scary obsession for Star Trek (he had over 20 Star Trek and Lord of the Rings related tattoos... it was unreal).

-A 50-something year old American guy whose hair reminded me of Elvis... and who could go on for hours about how much better Asian women are than Western...

-A 17 year old German kid who is out here for Muay Thai.

-A couple from Russia who felt it necessary to constantly make out in the bus.

-Me.


I played the role of a very amused, objective observer. The 12 hour bus rides there and back were spent watching movies, listening to WEIRD stories, and making endless stops at various petrol stations throughout Thailand. You could tell we were out of the main cities when I'd exit the bus and get huge STARES from Thai kids who were not accustomed to seeing blondes!

My night in Laos I accompanied the two American guys to dinner and then had to sit there and listen to them talk about Star Trek for TWO hours.. almost bringing themselves to tears talking about their favorite moments in the series. I felt like I was in a twilight zone. It was hilarious. I just sat there thinking "why isn't there anyone here I know that can witness all this?!?"

Just more material for my book....