Well, I am stuck at the border. Through a series of events that occurred, I arrived in Sam Neua several days earlier than I had planned. This being the case, I am trying to take my time with seeing all this area has to offer, but I am quickly running out of attractions. No doubt, the scenery here is beautiful, rivaling any natural landscapes that I have seen around the world. But, given the circumstances, exploring them is a bit difficult. No trail maps, no emergency equipment in case I get lost, s*** I don't even have warm enough clothes. Not to mention this is one of the most heavily bombed areas in the world meaning there are hundreds of UXO's in the surrounding areas which makes wandering off the beaten track too dangerous to consider if you are fond of you limbs and/or life. And I am. That said, I have seen some interesting stuff here. There is an archeological site nearby that contains 2000 year old remnants from an ancient civilization that is now extinct. Also, Veing Xay is the original capitol of the pathet lao communist regime. The town itself is located in a small, narrow valley surrounded by countless limestone cliffs. Beautiful, sure, but the real attraction lies within the cliff walls. The mountains are home to hundreds of caves and an intricate network of tunnels that housed the seven pathet lao leaders as well as their army and surrounding villagers between 1964 and1973 when nearly two billion tones of bombs were dropped on the country by the U.S.of P. though this area is riddled with bomb craters and other evidence of massive attacks, all seven pathet lao leaders survived to eventually take control of the entire country. I never knew much about the communist revolution in Laos. They don't teach about scars in American history in schools back home. But, the story is quite intriguing. I respect any person who is willing to fight for their goals against all odds win or lose. And so far in recent history the only radical rebellions have been of the socialist foundation. Agree with the philosophy or not, you have to respect the men for their courage and achievements. Its too bad Ernesto Guevara has become more of a commercial icon not because of what he believed and fought for, but because he died doing it. Although their actions may seem fishy once in power, these people truly only wanted to give their fellow countrymen a better life than the one they knew under an imperialist state. Uncle Ho died for the same cause Che did, but unfortunately out west he is not regarded as much of a hero when, in my opinion, his achievements are much greater than that of Mr. Guevara. Ho Chi Minh's revolution was much more heavily opposed by the western world than Che's was. As a result, the war eventually cost him his life before he even got a chance to see his entire country united under one independent government. But, he nearly single handedly laid the foundations and gained the support for his revolution so well that, not long after his death, his plan was eventually successful. Vietnam now days, though still communist, embraces the capitalist ideology more completely than some European countries do. The days of sun, sea and socialism (at least in its purest form) seem to be numbered. Agree with the capitalist ideology or not, I think we all accept the fact that both systems have their pros and cons. Nationalist ideals don't have much of a place in our now "globalized" (I f***ing hate that term) world. If you want to know how the old style of communism, in practice, is working out, just go ask North Korea how life is for them. I have not been there (and neither have you, for obvious reasons) but the stories I have heard coming out don't seem to be very pleasant. Be that as it may, I still embrace ideals from both ideologies and also believe that a combination of both is the best possible solution in today's world. Most nations have realized this and now accept both practices under various aliases. Mention socialism to most Americans and they start s***ting themselves with fear and shouting about Stalin and Hitler. The same people don't think twice when they receive their social security check in the mail from the government every month without even realizing the social in social security is actually there because it is a socialist concept. Welfare, unemployment, Medicare, these are all socialist ideals the U.S. has come to accept without openly accepting them as socialist. Maybe one day socialized medicine will be available to the fifty million Americans now living without health insurance. I don't mind paying taxes so long as they are used in acceptable ways. Racking up trillions of dollars in national debt over some oil fields so a few rich f***s can get even more rich is not my idea of well spent government funds. But, I digress. Ranting and raving about personal opinions really gets me nowhere so please don't get me started. Anyways, my travel plans seem to change daily and I don't expect the rapid changes to subside any time soon. The reality is im not sure when I will be back home. It could be as early as March, or maybe longer than a year. It all depends on a few things that could fall into place differently than I imagine. But, I am flexible and not too worried because I know I will be out here on the trail again soon. When this is all over, I just want to go home, nurse my wounds and start planning my next big adventure. There is a better life out there for you if you want one. You just have to be willing to go and get it. That is a capitalist idea by the way. On a side note, I haven't met one pro-bush American out here on the trail so far. You can form your own conclusions. Hopefully see you all soon, Kelly