Tha Thom Road Trip #2

Laying on my back looking up at the palm trees far above me, I smile. "This has got to be the best hair washing I've ever experienced."

As I lay on a narrow wooden bench covered with a sheet of blue plastic and a towel stained by life in rural Laos, with a small pillow propped under my neck, an 18 year old scrubs my hair. Young children look on curiously at the foreigner who has entered the shared family yard/beauty salon. She washes my hair once and then rinses it with cool water from the green garden hose. She repeats the process and I relax and thoroughly enjoy the process.

Perhaps because I have just travelled all day in a well-worn bus climbing step mountain roads, crossing rivers without bridges, waiting along side of the road for four hours while the bus was rescued from a muddy river bank and enduring 1.5 hours of severe dust travel after the back bus window was broken in the rescue efforts, that I find this hair washing experience absolutely delightful.

The day's journey has taken me roughly 100 km from Paksan to Tha Thom, a district in the midst of significant change. Only next month will they have electricity for the first time and four construction companies are in the midst of building a paved road through the mountains allowing for year round travel. Working 24 hours a day during the six month dry season, they hope to have the road completed in 2010.

But until then, I expect my travels to this district will be filled with many adventures and solidarity building moments. In my travel bag I will pack water for 2 days, sunscreen, insect repellent, food, a dust mask, duct tape, footwear for water, mud and/or dusty road travel and a lot of patience and prayers, just because you never know what happens as you travel to Tha Thom.