Snapshots: Good Luck Bus Rides, Vientiane to Luang Prabang, Laos

A bus ticket wishing its passengers "good luck" doesn't exactly inspire the assurance of a safe trip the bus operators (all with good intentions, I'm sure) probably think it does. We were surprised (and relieved), however, that the nearly 12-hour bus ride from Vientiane to Luang Prabang was a very comfortable one, and one of my favorite parts of the trip. The bus ride back to Vientiane, however - a whole other, kind of hilarious, kind of humiliating (for my part anyway) story. More on that next time.

Snapshots: Partas Bus Station, Manila

This was a relatively peaceful scene compared to the one we witnessed last night. Crazy commuting!

Snapshots: In Transit, En Route to Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

The most enlightening parts of my travels often take place in transit - those moments in between two places, between departure and destination, a sort of real world limbo. I guess that's why they say it's not the destination, but the journey that counts.

Bus rides are particularly conducive to life-changing realizations. They may not be picture perfect or scrapbook-worthy, but they can have some pretty grand implications that will only manifest themselves to you long after you have stepped off that bus, hopped on a plane and gone back home.

Curious? Invite me for coffee and I'll tell you more.