Dear Hettie,
I woke up early today and watched you sleeping, peacefully splayed like a starfish in the middle of the bed—a parent perched precariously on each side. Despite my arm being numb with pins and needles, I was glad you’d joined us at some point in the night. Your slow, steady breaths calmed my own and helped ease the anxiety that was already percolating. I needed this moment with you, to stroke your soft curls and appreciate your innocence (before you woke up and started bossing me around).
You have no idea what today is, what today means. One day, I’ll tell you the story of today—of what happened, whatever does happen. The two stories will be different, and both will likely shape the world you grow up in.
In one version of today’s story, we’re joyous and triumphant—we have hope! We’ve weathered adversity and overcome it, a plotline familiar from the fairy tales you love, though this story might seem even more unbelievable. In this version, some of the recent past will feel a bit rectified. I’ll still tell you about the past eight years, about the day I joined the Women’s March on the National Mall and why it was one of the best days of my life. I’ll tell you about the words on my shirt that day:
“Because love is love. Because Black Lives Matter. Because immigrants make America great. Because women’s rights are human rights. Because water is life. Because every vote counts.”
I’ll explain what those words mean, how things were back then, and how they changed—how I changed. I’ll tell you how the 2016 election played a part in my decision to quit my job, leave D.C., travel the world, and have life-changing experiences—one of which was meeting your Papi. I’ll still tell you that story.
In the other version of today’s story, the past is the same, but today is different. What happens today will stir emotions we’ll try our best to shield you from (difficult to do in a house our size, as we learned last night when I had ‘a moment’). But in this version, we’ll still be okay—I promise. This story is not over; it has a few more chapters to go.
Most importantly, my sweet Henrietta, in both versions of today’s story, you are loved beyond words by a Mummy, a Papi, and so many others who want nothing more than to provide a safe and fulfilling environment for you to grow up in. You are surrounded by people who want to protect you and also want you to have every opportunity, option, and choice in life. (Three years into parenting, I’m already sensing that striking this balance is the holy grail.) You will be loved and respected, unconditionally, whatever choices you make and whatever paths you choose. We may not always agree with you, and I hope that we don’t—but that will never change our support of you and your choices.
In one version, you’ll have more choices as a result of today. In the other, it will take a little longer. And in both versions, we’ll still have love and we’ll still have hope; we’ll always have love and hope. Because love is love and women’s rights are human rights and every vote counts. I promise.
I love you, my sweet angel, today, forever, and always.
Mummy
We also met up with another member of our group, Beth from the UK (who was also on a work sabbatical) and the three of us spent the next day touring around Kuching, most notably in the random ‘upside-down house’ we stumbled across (also lauding itself as the first in Kuching!).
So, while we clearly dove right into things, let me back it up a smidge…. where the heck is Borneo exactly? And what is it known for? Before arriving there, I think I’d heard something about head-hunting in reference to Borneo and was pretty sure a season of Survivor (that I didn’t watch) was based there. As it turns out, Borneo is not a country but an island, and the island includes parts of Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as the tiny country of Brunei (yes, where that Sultan is from). The island is known for containing some of the last remaining true “wild” in the world with biologically diverse forests and tons of unique wildlife. And that is despite the fact that the country has lost a horrifying HALF of their forest cover since deforestation began it the 1980’s, mostly for timber and palm oil.
The city of Kuching was “discovered” by a Brit named James Brooke who arrived via boat in the 1840s and kicked off colonialism in the region of Sarawak. James is “the man” in Kuching, with statues and buildings in his name sprinkled throughout the city along with lots of cat statues, as Kuching apparently means “cat” in Malay. There’s even a cat museum, that I had zero desire to check out. 
Unlike some other former British colonies I’ve visited where locals are a smidge bitter about being overtaken by those pesky Brits, the Borneo natives we met throughout the trip expressed gratefulness for that part of their history. The reason seems to be that the British rule put an end to some of their ancient religious practices such as the head-hunting I’d [correctly!] associated with Borneo and virgin sacrifice as part of the burial tradition, just to name a few.
There we stayed in a traditional jungle longhouse camp and visited with the Nanga Sumpa people of the local Iban community. (Ibans are traditionally known as a bad-ass tribe and are the ones renowned for the headhunting practices of the past.) Longhouses are their traditional housing and actually are long houses (go figure!), consisting of various rooms for sleeping but most importantly a huge (and also loooong) room where the residents hang out. 
Longhouses have such a great, communal vibe and we enjoyed some local rice wine with our hosts that night, presenting gifts of sweets we’d brought for the children. While the accommodations are extremely basic compared to Western standards, and there is no wealth or abundance, it felt so comfy and happy! All seems right in the world in a longhouse, and for someone who struggles with loneliness when I’m at my own house, alone with my Peloton, this was especially refreshing.
We also embarked on a few jungle treks, learning about the lush trees and plants (many of which are used for medicinal purposes) as well as the many insects bird, and animal species that are unique to that area. 
A goal of our treks was to spot the elusive orangutan and we were lucky enough to have a distant sighting of the massive animal waaaay up in a tall tree, as he shook it forcefully from side to side. It was a much larger and more aggressive version of those I’d seen in the zoo. I actually felt like I could not be further from a zoo (both literally and figuratively speaking). And, as if that wasn’t enough excitement we also came across an incredible waterfall, that we were obviously not just going to admire from afar! 
We “roughed it” that night in our jungle camp, sleeping in mosquito nets with the moon and an incredible array of stars providing our only source of light (and the flashlight app at times). This was the perfect atmosphere for group bonding and we had many laughs in the most remote and beautiful of surroundings, that we’ll likely never replicate.
One memory from that night randomly stuck with me: Keef approached me, in a fit of hysterical laughter. It took him a few minutes to stop laughing long enough to share the source of his mirth… a few people in the group had been troubleshooting a complex problem (how to hang the mosquito net) and a flashlight was needed. Julia (an incredible woman who lives in London and hales from Poland) reached into the pocket of her jacket to produce… a lightbulb (at the jungle camp with NO electricity)!! Oh the irony! [Julia claims to have no idea how or why she had a lightbulb in her pocket and since she isn’t British, I don’t think it was an over-preparation measure and actually an oversight] It was hilarious full stop
It’s difficult to convey what this means exactly, but you know when a life experience has had a genuine impact on you and you know when you’ll take something from that experience with you, always. This was one of those times. I’ll never forget the little boys I stumbled across in the village who were having a grand time, laughing and running about as little boys do, and then I realized their fun was from having captured a live bat and tying a string around it’s neck to swing it around and eventually hang from a tree! No screen time to keep the kiddos entertained in these parts! I’ll also never forget Keef’s uninhibited laughter at Julia pulling a lightbulb out of her pocket and what that entire situation symbolized. Or all of the smiles and laughter among the locals living together in the long house. Sometimes it’s the little things that leave a genuine imprint on your fabric as a human being.
We emerged from the jungle to spend a night back in the civilization of the city of cats (Kuching, if you weren’t paying attention earlier). There we were able to do some laundry and take in the remaining celebrations of the Chinese New Year, while enjoying a waterfront light show that is quite spectacular (and they put on every night!). 
The next day we jetted off to Garang Mulu National Park, which is so remote that the only way to get there is to fly (or take a 12-day boat ride, so basically a transatlantic journey!). There we welcomed our accommodations that not only had electricity but luxurious rooms, comfy beds, and gorgeous amenities. Since we came all the way here we decided we might as well see what the National Park had to offer but I think we all agreed that we could have also been quite happy relaxing at the hotel pool. Now we are quite glad we ventured out with Paul as the National Park is phenomenal! We first took a walk through the jungle with our local guide, who pointed out various wildlife and unique plants along the way. 
It was exciting when a “stick insect” landed on Stephanie! At least it was exciting to us and our guide…not sure how Steph felt at the time (we learned they are harmless, btw). 
The National Park is also home to several huuuuuge caves and we started by visiting the largest of them all, Deer cave (seriously, this cave is so huge you could fit five of London’s monstrous St. Paul’s cathedral in the main chamber!). We learned that it’s actually the world’s largest cave that is open to the public! 
Maybe the St. Paul’s comparison was made to appease the Brits in the group, because while inside the insanely huge cave (full of stalactites and stalagmites of all shapes and sizes) the guide pointed out a formation near the entrance and asked who it looked like. It was a spitting image of Abraham Lincoln! That was very cool and unexpected (maybe not to those who read the itinerary more closely than I). Here’s Honest Abe:
After exploring another breathtaking cave nearby we ended up at a viewing area, where people gather to watch an evening bat show. 
This I did know was coming! Apparently most nights at dusk (weather permitting) you can watch 3 MILLION bats fly out of the entrance of Deer cave, on their way to fly around the jungle and eat insects all night (IMO, it works better than bug spray as there weren’t many mosquitoes bothering us at Mulu!). Before I saw it, I couldn’t even fathom what it would look like but it might not have mattered as Casey had watched a YouTube video and he was still just as blown away by the show. Almost as if on cue, at dusk the bats started flying out in waves, that increased in size with each one (about 20-60 seconds apart). This was clearly a well-rehearsed performance and those bats really stuck together, flying in perfectly synchronized helix-like formations (turns out this was so they were less vulnerable to the birds and other pray waiting for them outside the safety of the cave).
It really was sooooo cool! And to top it all off, Paul had arranged for hotel staff to meet us at the viewing area and set up a little gin and tonic bar, so we sipped on G&T’s while taking in nature’s wonderment. Ah….this was the life!
As if the excitement of the day before wasn’t enough… the next day was a big one, as it was our caving expedition!! I wasn’t sure about this, as I pictured myself spending hours squeezing through tiny cave openings but when I saw the magnitude of the caves and how incredibly diverse they were inside, I couldn’t wait to explore one!
.In the afternoon most of the group explored the National Forest from the air, on a canopy walk high in the trees. Breena (who’s actually from Maryland, near DC!) and I were in the same group. As she bounded across the suspended bridges without a care in the world, I nervously followed, grabbing the ropes on the sides of the suspended bridges and grabbing (some may say clinging) onto the trees when we reached them. I didn’t realize I was afraid of heights (and I don’t think I am, officially) but for some reason this elicited some adrenalin for me (love a good adrenalin rush, though!). 
We enjoyed our final dinner in Mulu that night, reliving the days adventures over cocktails and laughter.
The next morning we were picked up by longboats and taken down the river, waving back to the friendly local villagers along the way, and we soon arriving at one final cave to explore. The Clearwater Cave is the longest in all of Asia, and while we only saw a small part of it, we got the gist. We then enjoyed a refreshing swim in the beautiful natural pool right outside the cave entrance before preparing to head to the airport.
I think we all expected the longboats would take us back to the hotel where the bus would transport us to the tiny airport, but alas, the longboats kept going down the river and deposited us AT the airport (literally), where our luggage had already been delivered. 
Definitely the coolest airport transport service I’ve ever had, and one I could get used to (next time I find myself in the middle of nowhere in Borneo, I guess?). Our quick flight took us to the waterfront city of Kota Kinabalu, where we stayed for the night before hopping on another flight… ready to be re-welcomed to the jungle. No rest for the weary in bad-ass Borneo!
First up was a delicious lunch on the expansive deck, covered with colorful flowerbeds and overlooking the river. We were then given our schedule for the next two days. It reminded me of the instruction during the epic safari trip during my 
Our jungle safaris were of the river varietal and the relaxing included hammocks and boardwalk exploration (the safaris take place early in the morning and at dusk when sitings are most likely). On our first river safari we were lucky to spot a female orangutan who didn’t mind us observing her at close range for a solid spell. 
She was the only of her species we spotted on our safaris but we were both entertained and mesmerized zooming about the river during sunrise and sunset and observing lots of playful proboscis monkeys. (We saw tons of other monkeys but the proboscis were our faves.) We also saw a plethora of other wildlife… most notably some radical birds and the occasional croc stealthily lurking about. Fingers had to be in the boat at all times!
Observing and learning about nature and wildlife, real nature and real wildlife, has been such an amazing and unexpected part of my travels, giving me an authentic appreciation that extends far beyond that of zoos, botanical gardens, and the woods behind my childhood home. I get it now. I’m especially intrigued learning about all the amazing, evolved features that allow different animals and plants to survive and thrive in their natural habitats. It seems like everything has a purpose, a reason, and a way that it works. Only problem is when things like deforestation and global warming mess with an ecosystem that was doing just fine before. I digress…
Rob from London had an especially up close and personal experience when an especially bold orangutan laid in the path, apparently to lure people close to him so he could try to steal their camera, phone, or wallet. And that was exactly what he attempted with Rob (who, for the record, was standing a healthy distance away, not falling for the trap). I guess tourists aren’t so much of a novelty for some of these apes! Gabriella from Australia was there to help Rob fend off the thief and he decided not to press charges on the attempted robbery (a thievery ring, really!). Thanks to his street smarts, Rob survived the experience with a great story to tell and a super-cool orangutan scratch on his phone case.
Jesse and I also got up close and personal with one of the resident apes but nobody seemed impressed by our story. 
Buzzing from the excitement of the past few days in the jungle, we returned to civilization once again. This time our landing spot was a beachfront resort in Kota Kinabalu, where we would be spending the final two nights of the trip. After some “roughing it,” we all enjoyed relaxing by the pool, with members of the group motivated to snorkel, parasail, explore the islands, and enjoy the on-site spa. I just kind of puttered about and took it all in. To each their own.
Our final dinner was epic and as we took in a final sunset over the South China sea it was hard to believe the sun was also setting on the trip. 
I was not staying any extra nights this time, which in some ways made it harder as I was envious of those in my group who would have a few more days together, but it was also easier as I could rip the band-aid off on good-byes all at once. Although I will say good-byes have gotten easier since I’ve realized it’s very likely that our paths will cross again. In fact, two members of the group have already reconnected and are exploring Cambodia together!
After spending the holidays in New England, I headed back to DC for New Year’s and a visit from Steve Thailand (he is neither Thai, nor is his last name a country but I met him on my 
We concluded his visit with a fantastic New Year’s Eve celebration that included a houseboat party and trombone concert. I’m pretty sure Steve now has some specific ideas about how Americans celebrate the holiday and I may or may not have played it up that trombones and houseboats are traditional components of any good Yankee NYE.
After a great visit with Steve, I had a few weeks of days filled with normal life administrivia, volunteering (
Rama is just a quick two minute walk from a gorgeous beach with the bluest water. This is where I spent a lot of time plowing through a few selections from the Rama book exchange and enjoying picturesque sunsets.
My five days really flew by thanks to a mix of yoga, surfing, and a snorkeling trip (all arranged by the amazing Lis).
We were very proud of ourselves for somehow figuring out the train system to get there and back. Although if we’d been relying only on Mark’s map for this expedition, we would have been in big trouble. Google Maps even helped me figure out the hiking trail! We also enjoyed some great meals in Gdansk and enjoyed competing in a daily “breakfast challenge” via my Instagram story (
I honestly wasn’t sure what I’d think of Poland and I really loved it. I found the country rich with history, beauty, and culture, in addition to oozing with character and having a refreshing “real-ness” about it. And, as I was there World War II came alive for me in a way it hadn’t before, in a way you can’t really convey in a history book or even a movie. All in all, I have to say that Mark & Me was a fantastic adventure and I have to give Mark credit for choosing Poland. [Let it be noted that I still refuse to compliment his breakfast selections, navigational skills, or amber shopping timing.]
I wanted to believe my comment but at that point I honestly wasn’t sure. But as it turned out my “premonition” was correct and 11 days later there were tearful goodbyes (there are since multiple group reunion trips in the hopper).
Our guide’s name is Ae, which is pronounced like the letter ‘A’ but she said her friends call her Amy. A few days later she was only going by Amy with us and she has announced she’s on-board for any and all group reunion trips. I’m used to having great guides on Flash Pack trips, but Amy is really something special and someone I suspect I will see again at some point. I can only imagine that the first time running a trip is pretty stressful for guides but Amy was calm, cool, and collected (and absolutely hilarious) throughout.
It was also a nearly flawlessly executed trip, as if she’d been doing Flash Pack trips for years (Flash Pack makes it a point to differentiate their trips from the rest of the tour companies- their trips are focused on local experiences and adventure activities, as opposed to just checking the site-seeing boxes). Amy also exudes positive energy that is contagious and it was kind of amazing that out of a group of 15 strangers there was not one personality difference or even hint of a conflict at any point. In fact it seemed our personalities were actually quite similar….
We kicked things off with a day in Bangkok where Amy took us on a tour of the local markets and we sampled various local Thai delights. This was very cool as the markets were really local-yocal and places I would have been nervous to (and maybe incapable of) navigating solo.
It was clear immediately that the Thai food I’d had in the past (even on my previous trips to Thailand) was not the real deal…and we also quickly learned that “medium-spicy” is equivalent to “mouth-about-to-burn-up-I-need-milk-now-spicy.” Even our resident Hawaiian, Corey, was impressed with the spice levels (and also loved his first pineapple curry ever, experienced at a local village). Our Bangkok experience was punctuated with a $10 Thai massage (the massages alone are reason enough to visit Thailand), some templing and few Chang beers (the Thailand go-to beer) before embarking on a 12-hour night train journey, headed north to Chang Mai.
I think night trains in southeast Asia get a bad rap as my experience was extremely comfortable and I slept soundly, lulled by the cadence of the locomotion. 
Upon arrival we scampered off the train and dove into the local scene straight away, starting with breakfast at an outdoor market where Amy introduced us to more delicacies (that I had never heard of but thoroughly enjoyed). We relaxed by the pool that afternoon before heading out to the local night market in Chang Mai, where we enjoyed a traditional and scrumptious dinner (this is actually where Corey was introduced to his new girlfriend, Pineapple Curry).
Then, lucky for us, a few of the guys in the group had heard wind of a Thai boxing event called Muay Thai, and Amy arranged for us to go to that night. I turns out that Muay Thai is the ancient fighting technique that was used by Siamese soldiers after their weapons were lost or destroyed in battle and has been developed over several hundred years to what you see in modern-day Thailand boxing rings. I was dubious about this but it was VERY cool to watch!
I had also enjoyed the Lucha Libre match we saw during 
At this juncture we broke script and decided that swimming in the waterfall was a mandatory activity…so we went in, still wearing our hiking clothes and not having a plan for afterwards. Have I mentioned that these are my people?!? 
Our adrenaline-fueled day continued with whitewater rafting through some Class III rapids, navigated deftly by our guides (Capt Ron was the pilot of my boat, and my fellow sailors were Steve, Kristen, and Charlotte- a crack team- and the laughter seemed endless). 
All in all, it was such…A DAY! A rare, all-caps (but not in the shouting way) DAY. I’m quite sure I wasn’t the only one who caught some shut-eye on our ride back to the hotel, still processing the sensory overload.
And our second stop was the Black temple (also known as Baan Dam and not actually a temple but more of a sprawling, eclectic art museum with a bunch of temple-esque structures and other assorted random things, all created by an artist who lives there). It’s an odd place and a very tranquil space to explore, as you never knew what you’d stumble across next, including phallic symbols everywhere. 
In Chang Rai we embarked on a jungle trek- I loved that there were multiple treks on this trip! Amy had told us that we’d stop and have a picnic lunch during the trek and that it would be “very basic.” Of course that was totally fine and understandable on a trek through the jungle of Thailand. I expected maybe a PB&J sammie and an apple. However, when we arrived at the grassy knoll designated as our lunch spot, it seemed a little early for lunch. Then one of our guides opened a backpack and started pulling out raw food items…not bread and jam type of food items but uncooked rice and raw chicken type of food items. Hmmm….what was the plan here? There was no stove or even a fire pit to be seen. We weren’t too concerned, though, as Amy surely had it under control and didn’t plan to feed us raw chicken to lunch. We than merrily went about our business snapping pics of the beautiful scenery and barely noticing the guides going into the forest and foraging for large pieces of bamboo.
While we didn’t pay too much attention at first but soon we were all captivated watching the three guides prepare the most amazing lunch of all time! Aaron tried to help briefly, but quickly realized he was out of his league with this operation so ended up watching with the rest of us. Really only Amy knew what she was doing enough to be useful. Personally, I was in too much awe watching to think about chipping in! 
In all honestly, it was the coolest lunch experience of my entire life. And this is not my first rodeo with lunch. Our local village guides used slaying knives to cut bamboo from the forest and then deftly chopped it up into various formations. These formations included containers to cook the food in (they even made a rice cooker!), a stove to cook the food on, and even serving dishes, cups and chopsticks.
I swear to you, THIS HAPPENED! I know, I wouldn’t have believed me unless I’d seen it with my own eyes. Also, it was absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked and seasoned food (chicken, pork, rice, veggie salsa, and delicious tea). Somehow they knew exactly how long to keep each dish on the fire for! This was such a fantastic surprise, especially as Amy had totally under-sold it. It turns out she didn’t want to talk a big game, as it was the first time she’d be seeing this lunch experience in execution (minus a trial run she attended a few weeks prior). As Flash Pack insiders we all agreed this should be hyped up for future trips! 
That night was our last in Thailand before we’d crossing the border to Laos and it was spent in the village of Change Khong, in a very special accommodation- 
We all gathered on one of the balconies that evening and enjoyed many Chang beer and many laughs together- the village people really do go above and beyond to take care of their guests. We later learned they had ridden a motorbike to the nearest store (which could not have been that close) two times to get more Chang for us! In fact, between the 15 of us, we managed to consume 86 Chang that night! Even Amy seemed impressed (if that’s the right word?) and she phoned the boat we were would be boarding the next day to make sure they had enough beer on board. Told you she was an awesome guide! The Night of 86 Chang encapsulated:
The next day it was good-bye to Thailand and I left feeling like I had so much of a better sense of the heart and soul of the country than from my few times visiting the beaches in the southern part of the country. The beaches are of course spectacular but there is so much more natural beauty I had never seen and the local village people we met were all incredibly kind and welcoming. 
Thailand definitely has their act together with tourism and it’s very easy to travel around, or at least it seemed that way having Amy figuring everything out for us. Steve even gave Amy complete control to order for him, at every single meal. I don’t think he looked at a menu the whole time but loved every meal, even the “medium-spicy” ones. He followed up after the trip saying it was a rude awakening being back to real-life and especially having to decide what to eat again.
We stopped for the night in the riverbank village of Pakbeng, which seemed to be a popular spot (maybe the only spot?) for boats doing this journey to stay for the evening. 
Our accommodation was adjacent to the local establishment, the Happy Bar, where we enjoyed Lao Beer (Chang Beer was so yesterday) and pool with some locals while Bob Marley tunes played in the background. Amy’s favorite is Buffalo Soldier and it seemed particularly appropriate as the animal is a popular cuisine in Laos. Buffalo blood is even a delicacy here! Very few parts of animals are wasted in Laos, where the average annual salary is less than $1,000.
Tim Tang is a representation of the natural character and ancient spiritualism of Laos, a world that exists with peace and not conflict and where spiritualism exists in nature not just humans, including the water spirit of the Mekong. After two days on the river we all agreed that it’s an incredibly special and spiritual place and we felt lucky to share the experience with each other.
We arrived in Luang Prabang, where we would be spending our final three nights of the trip. How was the trip winding down already?? This one really flew by. But there was still much fun to be had! Luang Prabang is a town in northern Laos built on a peninsula between the Mekong and the smaller Nam Khan River. Our accommodations, 
We dove right into the local Lao culture by playing a game of “pentaque” that night, which is a game similar to bocce or boules. The French had brought the game to Laos and it has remained popular, one of the many European colonial influences that is still reflected in the Lao culture today. We got some lessons and split into teams for a tourney, which was a lot of fun (and just a smidge competitive).
Dinner that night was a traditional Lao BBQ, which was so much fun! You pick out your ingredients amongst a bountiful selection of vegetables, meat, fish and spices and cook them in a BBQ kept hot by embers. Corey was familiar with this cooking technique from Hawaii and helped us to get passed our initial “how does this work?” hesitation by tossing everything on and watching it cook away (he also helped us figure out when it was done). It was such a fun and delicious meal and was punctuated by non-stop laughter among the group. 
That night I recall looking around the table at my new friends and feeling incredibly lucky. There was nobody else I would have wanted to be sharing the experience with than the people around me, even though I hadn’t known any of them just a week prior. 
Our last two days of the trip flew by and we explored Lao Prebang, including Mount Phousi which takes about 350 steps to summit with the reward of panoramic views and a golden stupa and temple. 
There were also markets to explore and cheap massages to be had in Luang Prebang and the night market was particularly bustling. Our last full day was an early one when we participated in the traditional giving of alms to local monks, which takes place at sunrise when about 200 monks process down the main street of town, collecting their food for their one meal the day. Our offering was sticky rice and as the monks silently processed by we sat on small stools (you can also kneel) and gave each monk a small portion. The monks ranged in age from the very old senior monks to sleepy looking children and it was an incredibly spiritual experience.
After our own breakfast (that consisted of much more than sticky rice) we were off for our final trek, this one to another a waterfall. We met our local guide in the village, as it is a tradition to use a local guide as a way to support the village who maintains the trail. Our guide was 75 years old and we had a hard time keeping up with him at times! 
The hike wound us through the Lao jungle, through some villages and the occasional buddhist shrine. At one point we came across a little family run cafe that boasted a log crossing challenge. Yes, please! Five of us gave the challenge a whirl (if you can make it across the log without falling in you are rewarded with a Beer Lao, if you fall off you must buy a Beer Lao). We had a demo where the proprietor made it there and back with no problem and even while balancing a beer on his head. How hard could this be?
Let’s just say the five of us all ended up with a Beer Lao…and we all had to pay for them.
The water was extremely refreshing,though, and it was well worth cooling off and for the laughs (my attempt was absolutely horrible, embarrassingly so!). Afterwards, the young daughter of the owner showed us how it’s done, and scampered across and back with no problem at all. Appropriately humbled and giddy from the beer, we finished our trek to be rewarded by the incredible Kuang Si waterfall. Laos and Thailand are not fooling around in the waterfall department! We swam in the waterfall pools enjoying the cascading water and even figuring out how to get between the rocks and the waterfall to view the falls from behind. And, if you stood under the water the right way, it was also an excellent shoulder massage!
Our final dinner was at a lovely restaurant overlooking the Nam Khan river and we savored our last bites of our favorite Lao delicacies, including sticky rice, papaya salad (medium-spicy, Amy warned), fresh fish, and of course buffalo (I didn’t try the buffalo but others loved it). Nobody wanted to go to bed that night as it felt like an admission that the trip was ending…so we stayed up talking and laughing until our stomachs hurt (so much laughing on this trip!), and until there was no more Beer Lao to be had. 
After the trip, Kristen posted one of my favorite quotes on Facebook, “I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” That quote was on the front of my travel journal when I studied abroad in Perth, Australia in college…my first time going to the other side of the world. It rung true then but also seems particularly appropriate for this trip, 20 years later, seeing the moon in Thailand and Laos with this group of people. 
As I reflected on what made this group so special, it occurred to me that despite all being adventure travelers in our 30s and 40s, there were other commonalities that transcended the obvious ones. First of all, every single person in the group is hilarious. Just really, really funny people. So much laughing! I can’t highlight the laughter on this trip enough. Also, every person was genuine, kind, and open-minded (only a few of us had been to southeast Asia before) and they wanted more than to check the travel box and have some good Instagram posts (good Insta posts wouldn’t hurt though!). Really, though, the group wanted to know the local people, embrace the local experiences, and absorb the local culture. And together, with the help of Amy and Tui, that is exactly what we did.
