going where the chilly winds don't blow

     Why Lao? Good question. Part of my reason is to live in a warmer climate, I am tired of having cold feet all year long. Part of my reason is to live a slower-paced lifestyle, where people have time to stop and talk. Part of my reason is to live a more basic life with a lower cost of living, America is too expensive for me. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful to be an American, with all its opportunities, and I have nothing against America or the people living there. It is just time for a change, and I choose to live in Lao, where the chilly winds don't blow.
     I am comfortable in Southeast Asia, but I choose Lao for many reasons. The following views are mine, and only mine, gained from the ten months over the years, I have spent in Southeast Asia. Thailand is too westernized with its mcdonalds, starbucks, and 7-elevens. Vietnam is too money oriented, a bit too greedy. Cambodia has a large population struggling to live with a corrupt government, and Myanmar is too oppressed. Yet, in all these countries, I have met kind, generous, and loving people. Lao is still a quiet place, with its people getting up with the sun and going down with the sun. I know things are changing rapidly in Lao. I have seen huge changes in the seven years I have been visiting, but, I choose to live in Lao.

     Lao is landlocked, with China and Myanmar to the north, and Cambodia to the south. Thailand is Lao's western neighbor and Vietnam is to the east. Lao is about the size of Washington state, in America, and has a similar size population, around 6.5 million people. I choose to live in southern Lao, near the city of Pakse, in the small riverside town of Champasak.

     Lao people live a river-based life, with the Mekong River flowing north to south thru the entire country. There are countless rivers and streams flowing into the mighty Mekong, and the river life prevails. There are mountains in the north and flat, rice-growing areas in the south. The food is excellent, lots of sticky rice and fresh produce. The Bolaven Plateau in the south is where we can find superb coffee and tea in shade-grown plantations. And then there is Beer Lao, the best lager in Southeast Asia. Lao has everything I am looking for, and I am getting ready for an early February 2013 arrival.

sometimes we visit your country and live in your home

LOADING OF THE RICE BOAT ON THE MEKONG RIVER, LUANG PRABANG, LAO

     Greetings, this blog is a way to keep my family and friends informed of my adventures abroad, and also a way to welcome others to the life of an American expat. Let's start with a few definitions. An expat (expatriate) is someone who lives in another country other than their original homeland, while retaining their original countries citizenship. I am an American expat and have met Canadian expats, Italian expats, and British expats. I am moving to Lao PDR (Lao Peoples Democratic Republic), a small country in Southeast Asia. In the future I will call this country Lao. I use the name America instead of the United States of America, because everwhere I travel, it is called America not USA. This is similar to using the name Mexico which is officially called the United States of Mexico.

     While planning my move abroad, I found very little information about what is involved in this process, and why people relocate to another country. Unless you are a wealthy American retiring to live the American life in another country, little information exists. Part of this blog is for those who dream of something different. I am not a tourist, I am a traveler. I do not take tours because I want to interact with the local people. I use local transportation as the locals do, and eat from the street vendors as the locals do. I stay in basic rooms, usually guesthouses attached to a families home, and I travel with a small backpack. I enjoy traveling with a minimal plan, staying in places longer when I feel comfortable, and moving on from places that do not. I enjoy getting out of my comfort zone.

     I have spent nearly fifty years living in the American northwest, and have done some traveling abroad. I am a westerner going to live in an eastern culture. I know I can live in another culture, but my background will always slant the way I see things. Yet, I have learned that deep down, people are the same everywhere. We all love the same way and we all feel pain the same way. I am going to live in Lao as the Lao people do and leave behind the American extravagance. This blog is my story.