Now preparing to bid Vientiane farewell, we try to save money by buying tickets direct from the bus station rather than the hotel.
We hire bikes and pedal 8kms to the station, only to learn that the price is actually the same. In an effort to salvage the day, we ride off in search of a massage parlour, hoping someone can rub the embarrassment right out of us.
Aristo goes first, while I endure total sensory deprivation in the pitch-black sauna. The next hour is a blur of shower gel and foaming cleansers and, yes, loofahs. I can now definitively confirm that Aristo did indeed whisper what I thought he whispered.
Intermittently, I get warm water thrown over me to wash off the soapβ a pleasant, albeit shocking, surprise. By the end of the massage, it seems ridiculous to assume any sort of modesty, considering I may as well have just gotten a gynaecological exam on his dinner table, so I stand and shake his hand, praying that it is neither Laotian nor Japanese custom to hug.
In , I finally fulfilled my dream of becoming a full-time nomad! January 23, TAGS: culture shock opt outside. The Comments. Adam Hall November 25, You May Also Like. February 19, January 27, February 24,
