21 November, Luang Prabang to Somsanouk, 32km
 Hadya Guest House 50,000LAK

We met a young woman who was born and grew up in a hamlet 50km east of Phonsavan. Her village was electrified for the first time in 2005 and it was 2008 before running water was made available. Unlike most girls from her village, including her closest friend, who marry at 15 or so and start their families young, this young woman received a scholarship and moved to Vientiane to study linguistics. She was amazed at the size of the city thinking there could be no bigger city in all the world, and thrilled at being able to get water at the turn of a tap rather than having to trek to the river. Some years later she received another scholarship, this time a cultural exchange programme which sent her to Japan. She now runs her own business in Luang Prabang. This year she had her first baby. This year she also attended the wedding of the daughter of her closest friend. Last year she managed to raise funding from a Japanese businessman and has built a school in her village at which she persuades foreign teachers to volunteer. A special person leading an inspirational life. We left Luang Prabang after an early lunch (bacon, avo and cheese rolls and fresh pineapple juice) via the Old Bridge, which spans the Khan river and is open only to pedestrian and two-wheel traffic. And enjoyed our short ride to Somsanouk and our very basic accommodation in a dirt road village. Here Charl took a photo of a young boy. They boy’s mother then pulled down the boy’s pants and showed Charl his horribly swollen testes!

Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang - Old Bridge

Nam Ou river

Nam Ou river

Somsanouk guest house