We arrived in Pakse after 17 house in a third class train followed by a 3 hour bus ride. Third class is just as you imagine it to be. I sat in 40 degree heat with no fan sitting upright and directly beside my travel partner, Emanuelle. I was also facing and just a few feet away from two other passengers. It was an overnight train and the light never went off. People sold food, drinks and towelettes all nights long, walking up and down the aisle every 20 minutes hoping to sell stinky fish on a stick to some half asleep passenger. Everyone looked so uncomfortable. Heads bobbed, and backs bent, as people tried to catch some z's in some the awkward position of sitting upright. We were supposed to arrive at 6am. We arrive closer to 12pm. At least we caught our bus transfer.

Upon arrival in Laos, I obviously needed some local currency - Laotian Kip. So, three of us jumped out of the taxi and stopped at the ANZ to do a withdrawal. I put my card in the ATM, and it never came back out. Welcome to Pakse! I immediately stressed and needed to cry. The people with me were very helpful and quick to think, suggesting I take a photo of the building so to find my way back during opening hours.

My plan was to return on the Monday to try and redeem the card.

In the mean time, the ATM gave me my requested 600,000 kip so I wasn't stranded for money at the moment.

The next day proved overly uneventful. That is, until nighttime fell. Emmanuelle and I were sitting in our room quietly reading and writing. At 10pm she decided to run to the store for a coke and some chocolate. "I'll be back in 5 minutes" she said. I continued writing and thought nothing of it until I realized some time had passed. I looked at my clock - it was 11pm. Before getting alarmed I decided to give it another 1/2 hour; she probably got talking to someone and lost track of time. Another hour passed and I began to get very alarmed. It is very out of her character not to contact me to let me know of a change in plans. I was out of phone credit and still had a Thai sim card so my attempt to call her had failed.

Since it was our first night in Laos, I didn't yet have a "feel" for the place and my mind was going wild thinking of all the possible scenarios for this situation. The hotel I was in was dark and, to my observation, I was the sole person occupying it. I had no one to talk to or even join me for a walk to try and find her. I began to fear for the worst.

I called my mom and talked it out with her. My stomach was in knots as I waited by the gate hoping she would show up. From the other side the gate would appear locked so perhaps she was unaware that it was unlocked.

It's been over 2 hours now. I didn't want to overreact but I knew I needed to do something. If I did nothing and something was wrong, I would regret it for the rest of my life.

I knew she talked to her parents on Skype earlier and her computer was still opened on her bed. It was like a bad movie with all of her things in the last place they were left and awaiting her return. I opened her laptop, got on her Skype and tried to contact her family to let someone know that something was wrong.

"Parlez vous Anglais" I asked her father in response to his "allo". His reply was a hesitant "non". I knew this would be one of the hardest conversations of my life. I had to tell a French speaking man that his daughter was missing, in English. f*** my life.

After a lot of "I don't understand" and "oui oui oui" and "non non non", he told me to contact him in 1/2 hour to speak with his English speaking friend.

That half hour was long, my mind was racing and my heart was pounding. I was feeling faint. I was at all loss, trying to prepare for multiple different outcomes, and also keep my composure.

I was both missing my bank card and my friend. Could it get any worse?

Her dad skyped me back. They were all a panic, as was I. It's now been three hours since she went to buy a chocolate bar. I told her dad that the owners of the guesthouse where we were staying were French speaking and that their best bet was to try and contact them. I was giving my last words when... "knock knock knock".

"Emanuelle?!"

I thought I was going to faint.

She was confused by the commotion and i immediatley put her on Skype with her parents who were still on the line. Her presence relieved their stress and now they needed to calm their nerves. As did I.

She had texted me 2.5 hours earlier to let me know she had met a French guy from her same region and that they were having a beer. I never received that text. That simple communication failure changed the fate of the night.

I called my parents who were relieved by the news. They had been doing research and stressing out for me, way up in the high Arctic. God bless 'em.

The next day things were looking up. I had my friend back and, without too much trouble, also my bank card! Perfect.

As if all that stress didnt already push myself out of my comfort zone, Emanuelle and I rented a scooter the following day and planned a trip to see two waterfalls and a fair trade coffee plantation 40 Kms away.

To set the scene, there are no rules on the roads here. I was anxiety ridden as we speeded down the street cross-crossing with all the other vehicles, avoiding potholes, jolting through gear changes, and holding on for dear life. The seat was so uncomfortable I swear I could hear my ass crying.

We stopped at the first waterfall where we met some new friends - two Anericans and two Frenchman - to join us on our journey; they too rented motorcycles.

We had a beautiful visit at the local Fair Trade coffee plantation and I got a buzz off what I believe to be the worlds strongest coffee.

It was starting to get late so we headed to the second - bigger and better - waterfall for a quick peek before dark. I was getting nervous. We had an hour journey back to Pakse and it was obvious we were doing it at night. The first part was dirt road and we thankfully finished that stretch before dusk.

When darkness fell, my nervousness grew stronger as the sky filled with a deep rumble and lit with streets with lightening. We were driving straight into the storm. We decided that we would wait out the weather, once we hit it, under a shelter. The inevitable happened and it started to rain. We found refuge at a local Laotians house who welcomed us with a towel to dry ourselves. It was a lovely experience. We exchanged the few words of thanks that we knew in their language, enjoyed the situation and company, and offered them the cookies I bought earlier that day.