D uring the Vietnam War the United States dumped two million tons of bombs on Laos. In the north along Route 13 towards Luang Prabang there have been recent incidents of bandits attacking tourist buses. The route I chose was considered safe, but to be sure I asked the day before at the US Embassy if the road was indeed secure. H anging for a couple days in Vientiane was easy living, it's a downright charming place with French colonial architecture and tree lined avenues. One can walk anywhere.
Life moves gracefully in a blend of past and present, East and West.
I was reluctant to leave it behind, asking myself how people in the countryside would react to a large white American wearing a goofy green helmet storming through their backyard on a beat up orange mountain bike. They had to ask themselves what I was doing there, or at least pose the question to me. Five kilometers outside of the city someone did just that. Her braided hair, slung over her left shoulder, was tied in a knot. She seemed genuinely interested in what I was doing and was nothing but smiles and engaging charm.