Re: books (yet another big cheesy grin!). I've managed to accidentally read novels infused with two regionally appropriate religions: Buddhism (because I bought Siddhartha during my last vacation but didn't read it and it was small enough to go in the backpack) and Hinduism (Life of Pi because it was the only book I recognized on the English language shelf at the only bookshop in Vang Vieng). Cool, huh? Also, go to www.mulberries.org if you want to see a nice cooperative-type company that sells Lao products. You can also see the mulberry-dyed scarf I bought, and all the things I would have bought YOU if I had a bigger backpack. Tomorrow, I fly to Hanoi, Vietnam.