Epilogue
It was amazing how fast 28 days could have just blinked past. The starting date for this trip was planned and changed many times. When I finally left, I felt strange and even questioned my decision to do this trip. Perhaps the raw guts in me took control over the steering wheel, fronting me to face the loneliness encountered while being on the road alone. I might have gotten into undesirable situations but was rather fortunate to stay safe in the midst of friendly people I met along the way.

Laos had been wonderful and appealing. While the feelings I had in Argentina was focused on doing my Happy Together "pilgrimage", this land-locked nation gave an impression that conformed into an idyllic dream where I wanted and needed to be in. The famous French saying "The Vietnamese plant the rice, the Cambodians watch it grow and the Lao listen to it grow" was truly befitting. The word "rush" probably does not exist in the Lao dictionary. Yes, it had been unstressful travelling here. No one actually rushes in Laos even when there is a delay. The locals are cool and generally speaks softly (unlike China, I rarely had the chance to see anyone quarrel on the streets).

There were simply too much highlights for all to be mentioned in a short epilogue. While I am not ranking them in any order, special mention must be given to the LONG bus rides (especially the journeys between Sam Neua-Phonsavan and Savannakhet-Si Phan Don) which had provided so much inspiration. I also had lovely memories about the boat (Don Khong to Don Khon) and bicycle (Luang Nam Tha & Don Khong) trips, the rainy Luang Prabang, the Vieng Xai caves (ahem and the groaning), the absolutely serene Si Phan Don, the old rustic city of Savannakhet and the river-side village of Nong Khiaw. Well, there were also a few "been there done thats" like the Plains of Jars in Phonsavan and the UNESCO heritage city of Luang Prabang. It was all great.

Something (or maybe the "lack" of) in Laos just sucks me into this imaginary happy black hole like never ever before. To be frank, there were not a lot of places which I had been to and could give me that "return-to-visit" feeling. Was it the friendly people, the seemingly endless journeys along winding mountainous roads or the Laap (meat salad) that gave me such fondness for this country? Perhaps the answer is already found in its name, Laos P.D.R (Please Don't Rush) simply oozes inertness generously. Somehow it never failed to get into me; maybe this is just what I need in life.

To end it all up (I was missing Laos already), here was something which I wrote when my bus left Pakse:

As my bus crossed the Lao-Japanese friendship bridge at Pakse, I stared hard at the Mekong for one last time on this trip and it seemed to have a message for me. Like all great mother rivers, the greatest beauty was not in its physical forms which one often admired; instead it was the pure essence of life that provided the ability for survival while ensuring the continued propagation of the human civilisation.