A room with a view

I have a new room in the main guesthouse rather than the dormatory where I've lived for the past two weeks. I now have a balcony over-looking the Nam Khan River, a shower that does not share space with a toilet, a small deck, enough storage space and no barking dogs in the hallway.

The weekend has been pleasant.  I visited two beautiful wats (temples), took photographs of nightfall on the Mekong River, 

enjoyed an hour long foot massage and met many of the new crop of volunteers who arrived on Friday.

For some volunteers, Laos is a culture shock. It's quite warm and humid, the traffic is lively with no laws governing where and when you can cross the road, and many animals -- dogs and cats -- who roam everywhere. I am no longer the oldest volunteer here. A very pleasant 75 year old woman arrived from NYC where she is a retired college professor. The other new volunteers are from Singapore, Switzerland, Germany, England and Australia. 

It is a wonderful mix of languages and cultures when we meet.