Another Day in Laos - Middle of Nowhere, Laos

The man sat, hiding in the bushes 100 metres away from us. His lackey, a 16 year old chain smoking boy was pacing back and forth. Under his loosely slung jacket was a semi-automatic assault rifle. He was the 'man' in charge. We were on the side of the mountainous road with a smashed up bus, somewhere between Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng.

The man was pissed. Smashed. Inebriated. Completely and totally drunk. He was our bus driver and was hiding from his vehicle and passengers. I should have known by his swagger, which was more like a stagger of his state. Or, after the driver's 10th smoke and piss break.

But I didn't think anything of it.

The bus' side had ripped through the concrete guard rail as we rounded a corner. We came crunching, grinding and screeching to a standstill. Richard stood up in defiance and yelled, "you're drunk! This man is drunk!" and knowing smiles came from the assault rifle wielding boy and his coworkers.

We were stranded.

By now the driver had done a runner, abandoning his crew, and deserting his vehicle and passengers. The boy with the gun reassured us, however reassuring a trigger happy boy with a gun can be. It became dark. A bus came. We got on and drove. Vang Vieng's bus station eventually emerged, eleven hours later. I smiled. Richard grumbled.

It was just another day in Laos.