Here's the summation: From Phonsovanh in Laos to Vinh in North-central Vietnam is only about 280 km. It took us, travelling by bus, 17.5 hours to complete this trip! Patience is very important in such a circumstance. Some reasons for such a lengthy trip are:
1. The fact that our bus stopped nearly every 50 meters while in Laos so that our 'captain' could scream out the door at full volume to see if anyone in the vicinity wanted a ride. 2. Customs/Immigration at the Vietnam border - where officers proceeded to check each and every bag that everyone was carrying, going to such lengths as asking me questions about the contents of all the books I was carrying (In Vietnam, it is forbidden to bring in books and materials that may be 'subversive' or potentially damaging to the image of the state). Bringing machetes across the border is OK though... 3. The 5.5 hour wait at the border because our bus did not have proper licensing to enter Vietnam. 4. The treacherous terrain once in Vietnam. Impossible curves on one-lane dirt roads thousands of feet up with no guard rails and villages and rivers and rolling napalmed green scattered hills jaunting out in every direction. Every turn the bus makes has your stomach turning. And to top it all off, the sun sets and everything gets pitch black. Can only imagine the abyss all around you. 5. Stopping for dinner in a tiny roadside village somewhere in the hills of Vietnam. No english spoken for 100 miles in every direction. The kitchen is carved into a rock and you sit and they serve you what ever they like. No menu, no choice...just delicious com (rice) and bia Ha Noi (Beer).
We finally arrived in Vinh and checked into a luxury hotel for a few American dollars at 2am...
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