The van

So, one night I buy a ticket for a minivan going from Luang Prubang to Vang vieng.
I buy the minivan instead of the bus ticket because it was "5 hours" instead of"7"..
It took about 9 hours.
I was waiting on the porch of my guesthouse at 800 am, because my ticket was for 830.
PLUS I got talked into drinking the Lao Lao with a bunch of australians the night before so, I wasnt feelin real hot.
About 930 AM, a Local came up and said "you minivan go!"
So I swung my pack on and followed.
He started running down the street.
I got it were late, OK.
So I run after him and jam in to a van with 7 other people. My pack and guitar get tied on top.
We drive to a bus station with 5 other vans.
The driver leaves, it's hot, people are starting to complain, and then I see him arguing with other drivers.
He comes back. "everybody go!"
Ok.
My pack and guitar are untied from the top of the van.
I sit on my pack in the gravel parking lot and wait.
"you vang vieng, you go!"
I jump to attention and jog to a van.
My pack and guitar are tied to the top
Of the van.
I go to board the van and everyone yells "no room! No room!"
Ok.
My pack and guitar are untied from the top of the van.
Next time I hear "you go!" I ignore it.
I see all the Aussies from the night before and some really cool south Korean guys from before.
We chatted it up, I sat on my pack and played guitar, one of the Koreans made
Beatbox sounds and I hung out and waited for the last van.
Soon I was on my way, but FIRST we had to park in a smokey alley while our driver went home to get food, kiss the family goodbye and all that. We weren't sure where the driver went though, so everyone sat in the hot van waiting.
We left and headed for the hills.
For 6 hours we rode roads so curvy and potholed that the average speed was from 25 to 40 on good stretches.
I was crammed shoulder to shoulder with a German fella, an Irish gal, a Swedish couple, two french men my age backpacking with their 72 year old mother (her dream was to backpack asia) and an Aussie couple.
Oh ya and a Canadian gal.
We all become good buddies, and the view was amazing, but it was a hard day of traveling. Toilet breaks were in the bushes, or primitive road side toilets costing 2000 Kip to use. (10 cents or less)
The Road was so windy and so bouncy that sleep was impossible.
Being crammed next to total foriegn
strangers crashing into each other on bumps for 7 hours is a great way to learn to be friends, even if languages can't mesh, the going mentality is "ok I'm stuck now, this sucks, but we might as well all be buddies"
I had homecooked fried rice and chicken at a hmong house and roadside restaurant. I had fun throwing rice to the chickens looking for scraps while we ate.
We finally made it to vang vieng and we all caught a pick up truck to the area with lodging for 1$.
Then I said goodbye, and found a really nice guest house, with dark wooden doors and floors from the jungle and bamboo walls.
Shared bathroom, mosquito net and fan and power socket.
50,000 Kip per night. (5$ US dollars)
No tv or phones anywhere here in rooms, but wifi most of the time.
From my room you can see mountains that are unlike anything I've seen. Ten thousand foot, sheer limestones cliffs or mesas, covered in green jungle and mist.
I have to move the Banana tree leaves
So I can open my window shutters.
So in the end I guess the van ride was just the icing on the cake for another great adventure.