Vietnam 4: Sleeper Bus to Laos and Drool

I sat next to a friendly, scruffy Spanish man on my ride from Hanoi to Luang Prabang. After introducing himself he said, "I think an apology is in order. My last bath was this morning when I was swimming in Ha Long Bay but my last proper shower was a week prior." It was going to new long 28 hours. We talked for a good 7 hours and when my exhaustion kicked in my only response to combat the endless conversation was to play dead. I fell asleep mid-sentence and woke up to a healthy pool of my own drool.

I slept, drooled, ate a cookie, waited for the bus to pull over for a pee break (i have s freakishly small bladder) and repeated for the entirety of the ride...I've had worst 28 hours.

Finally I arrived in Laos (Luang Prabang), the country that several travelers I've come across have declared is the gem of SE Asia.