This photo was recently taken when I went backpacking in Laos. I took the overnight bus to save time (so I can spend the whole day exploring my destination) and cut down on hotel expenses. I followed the advise of the tour agency to book the sleeping train instead of the VIP bus because it was more ‘comfortable.’ But boy he was sooooo wrong. I had the worst time riding the bus that I wished I took the ordinary bus (at least I could open the windows!). The A/C stopped working and I asked the driver’s assistant to switch it on and she said ‘No’ and with no explanation why. To top it off, my seat mate (a super old guy) keeps on talking and talking and talking nonstop (even if nobody is listening) and I have to control myself not to yell at him to shut up. You ask, why I didn’t ask him to stop? It’s because of communication gap. I don’t speak the local language and he doesn’t speak English. Plus, I am traveling alone so I don’t want to offend any locals since I am on their turf. Foreign to me means Lost in Translation.