Better out than in

I'm back. Hopefully we'll take it in turns to do the blog now I've shown Bec how easy it is. I've added some scenery pics from our balcony in Vang Vieng - Bec thinks they're boring.

We'd decided to travel on a normal bus again to go from Vang Vieng to Vientiane - a short 4hr journey. The normal practice is to give out sick bags as we start any kind of ascent as a lot of the locals aren't used to travelling in cars or buses and so they become travel sick quiet often. Once the sickbags are full then they are just chucked out of the window!

It's not the only bodily fluid that goes out of the window though; throughout SE Asia you will see people "hocking up greenies", "gozzing" quite happily - it's normal. So, it's run of the mill to see people spitting through open windows.

The couple in front of us on the bus were prolific, especially the bloke. However, after the young lady, with manicured nails, had done a couple her male companion gave her a lesson in what I'll call "greenie etiquette". So that there was no danger of any of her gozz going onto me he motioned for her to cup her hand as she was spitting. The next time she was ready she politely cupped her hand and gozzed right round it so that it came straight back towards me, hit my windowsill and sat there right next to my elbow. She was horrified but I wasn't that bothered, I just took out a wet wipe and got rid of it, like the true English gent I am.

After nearly 2 hours the bus stopped by the side of the road. My new mate did a weeing motion to me so that Bec and I knew why we'd stopped. The toilet was the side of the road, no bushes or anything and half the bus (men and women) got off and in full view of the other half of the bus relieved themselves. It's a bit different from travelling on the tube where you don't even notice the person sitting next to you. I'd seen the woman in front of me have a wee, puke up and nearly gozz on me!