Fortified with Coffee-Lao, I walked through the old Chinese quarter of Phongsali, on my way to the dusty bus depot. The bus to Hat Sa was waiting, and after the usual fits and starts of Lap travel, we were off on the 20 km journey down the dusty, switch-backing snake of a road that dropped precipitously from the mountains of Phongsali to the Nam Ou river at Hat Sa.
The perils of plunging over the cliff were nothing compared to the incredibly loud and grating voice of a Lao woman, who carried on a barrage of vocal gymnastics the entire route.
I vowed her murder should she embark on our five our down-river voyage. She was spared when she de-bused prior to the boat landing.
I was back at the Nam Ou, my favorite "highway" in Lao. In this country, river travel is the best.
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