Catching a Ride

The guide books give really detailed instructions on how to get to the various points of interest but invariably they end with "just catch a ride with anyone going that way." You can see a tourist hanging on to the back of the tuk tuk, but I just didn't have the courage. I usually opted for a driver. Especially in Laos, everything is very cheap. I'm a millionaire here. After exchanging money at the airport I received 1,600,000 Kip (about $200). A tip of $1 is seen here as extravagant and creates a lot of goodwill with the recipient. Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world.