Photos of Vientiane, Laos' very strange and sedate capital are up at the link. I made it ti Vietnam. Many people had 'warned' me that the Vietnamese were an intense group of folks. And I have to admit, they were right. But wrong at the same time.

I had this amazing lunch--I was one of four Westerners on the bus from Vientiane to Da Nang--with a group of Vietnamese on the bus. While the backpackers were stuck eating stale baguettes from Vientiane the Vietnamese I shared the table with were busy playing me with freshly steamed squid and shrimp and tasty fish and noodles and all kinds of other goodies.

It was one of those travel moments where you just 'dive in' and live the moment. It was brilliant. No one spoke English and I didn't speak Vietnamese but the kindness was communicated on an altogether more sophisticated, but more elemental level. It was a good reminder to spend less time in the backpacking enclaves and more time following my own travel instincts. I know I've been on the road for a full month now, but it takes time to relearn old lessons, like letting the journey take me, instead of taking the journey. So, I found a small hotel here in Da Nang away from all the backpackers and I'll be forced to immerse myself and communicate with the Vietnamese. And that is all to the better.

More soon.