Simone on the move

When I don’t blog often enough, or write things in my notebook, I forget sooo many little funny things that happen, conversations that are had.

Here are some random ones I did write down:

Trek near Umphang, months ago
Our mahout (elephant handler), climbed from the neck of the elephant, over us, and stood on it’s butt and peed off the back. We had stopped to let the baby elephant drink milk, and we were last in line of all the elephants.

Last week in the car in Northern Laos:

Raf: there’s a machete next to the driver, for if we have to hack through jungle
Emily: No, everyone has a machete for when you hit a buffalo, and have to divide it up. Whoever hits the buffalo, gets to keep it. Or half.

Emily is serious. She knows stuff, she’s just lived in rural remote Laos for 10 months. She’s said so many other things I’ve already forgotten :( Except this ones. This is a ‘joke’ in Laos, but really, it’s true.

In Vietnam they drive on the right, in Thailand they drive on the left, in Laos they drive in the middle.

It’s true, though Vietnam is more the middle too.   Also, they like to drive on the wrong side on the road here, when the traffic is too busy to cross the street. I came across at least 10 of those just this morning on my crazy trip on super cub motorbike to the Thai embassy. Vientiane rush hour traffic, oh what fun!!