The Routes of Earth

I'm in a town in the far east of Laos, very close to the Vietnamese border which, out of the various translations from Laoatian is called Sam Nuea.
 I've recently been struck down with some sort of sickness - an infected gum coupled with flu like symptoms and vomiting. Sounds nice doesn't it. On the bright side at least is that I'm actually in a town where I can buy most things and with cash machines that actually work.
 It's very evident that Laos is the poorest nation in south east Asia, and it has come with its challenges; most notably money. We arrived here on the 11th and in this town is only the second cash machine that has worked with my card. Sean has managed to find two also, whereas Marc hasn't been able to draw out money once. It's has been nice getting back to basics again though. Sleeping outside, eating noodles in small shops and generally scarping by. When we reached the town we literally had £1.80 between the three of us. Still, Laos certainly does have its charm and I'm looking forward to getting back on the road again tomorrow. Destination - Vang Vieng. I'll write some proper stories and upload some pictures while I'm there. It does take a while to get anywhere in this northern region due to the constant undulating mountains, but seeing as I'm on my own (don't want to be the sick burden that delays anyone) I should make good time with buckling down and committing.