Sent from Laos during my second Visa run

You have to leave the country to get a Visa to enter the country, thus the 'Visa run" to Laos.

On the pictures, besides the obvious scorpion boats, and my messed up skeleton, the drunk chicks in the minivan are all from Brazil, and we spent a sordid evening together riding all night in blissfully cramped quarters. If there was any doubt of my self-control with regards to partying, the girls were this far gone on booze and cigarettes, and I was still up and taking pictures. (editor's note: images have been edited for content) And if Jarod had been on the van, he would have slept with them all and left me table scraps.

And as far as the monk rock drums, I think we all can picture the scene. I actually have more fun with the bells, because if you slap them with the knuckle gristle of your thumbs, like slapping on a bass guitar, you can get really clear and pretty sounds out of them. Even the discordant ones are gorgeous in the morning.

And the tuk tuk motorbike taxis in Laos are a point of particular pride, as is obvious. I greased a driver 24,000 Lao kip (just under $3 US) to let me drive the tuk tuk to the border, which was 30k away. He sat in the back and chatted on his cell phone the whole time. Magic.

Part of an e-mail sent to my folks:

Ok, the phone reception is sketchy here, and Vientiene is a sleepy sort of hamlet. I am hale and well, upright and taking nourishment. My Visa paperwork seems to be going through, but I won't really know until I go into the Consulate (should that be capitalized?) and pick up my passport tomorrow after 12 noon.

A large dump truck barreled through the outdoor seating of the restaurant I was eating at tonight. I was eating inside, where the air-conditioning was, and several yards from the fray. Others not so lucky. Oddly, I noticed that the driver and the owner negotiated liability, with no authorities called whatsoever. The injured were put in taxis and whisked off.

I think it's prudent to keep you in the loop concerning the Guest Houses I stay in while traveling through other countries. It's called Kabayan, and it's 200 meters from the US consulate in Vientiene, Laos.

My room is OK, but the manager gave me the wrong key after letting me in to the room. Long story short, I was coming out of the communal shower, down the hallway from my room (which was of course locked) and found I could not get back into the room without returning to the lobby/restaurant to get the proper key. What I'm saying is, I strode into a busy restaurant wearing only a threadbare towlette and a scowl to melt even the hardiest. Jayzus this is a struggle sometimes.

This is just a check-in message, and so I don't have anything to relate that will concern you, but I think late-breaking updates on my exact whereabouts while out of the country of Thailand is prudent.

As always, I love you and I am as alive as I've ever been.

And another excerpt, sent to someone else entirely when back in Chiang Mai:

Sorry so busy... I'm teaching at two schools now, and getting the hang of it. I'm between classes, so I can't give you much now, but I'll get with you soon. Had a motorcycle wreck last week, and the foot peg punched through my calf muscle. That sucked. lost skin, not as pretty anymore, but still alive. Four stitches outside, two inside. Glad I didn't choose Korea to teach in, because they soon will be at war I believe.

And another to Sondra, a couple of weeks later:

I killed a dog the other night... At least I'm pretty sure I did. There's a pack of ferals down at the corner that likes to jump out at scooters and chase after them, barking and snapping. One jumped out at me a bit early, and I plowed over his spine. He was pretty big, and scooter wheels are bulls**t, so I went down. The other mutts took off, but the one I hit was howling to beat the beat the band, and trying to drag his back half off the street. It was a kind of surreal scene, to be honest. Anyway, I'm ok after that, just more scrapes.

Also, the last three open rooms in my building have been rented by ladyboys, and each one of them has two or three friends staying with them. So, the halls are filled with ladyboys, drugs, and gross prostitution. Burglary can't be far behind. I'll be moving out before the end of the week. There are plenty of serviced apartments available for roughly what I'm paying here, and they will be furnished, with security and linen service.