vietnamese public buses operate on a variable pricing scheme based on your nationality. they charge anywhere from the correct price to triple the price that locals pay. naturally, i didn't have enough vietnamese dong to get me to the border so i, yet again, starved for a full day and improvised my way with a mix of hitchhiking, public bus and private motorcycle transport. at one stage, i exchanged a ride for service, unloading pigs shipped to various towns in rural highland areas. as a result, my jeans were caked with excrement (the pig's) and urine (my own) which i had to endure for the remainder of my journey (i still haven't washed them because of the lack of washing machines in laos).

i overpaid most of my trip and nearly lost my cool at a town where the local motocycle drivers collude to extort triple the normal price of transportation for the final leg of my journey. after flexing a bit of my muscle (gluteus muscle), i managed to arrive at the border with a splitting headache, empty stomach and a few choice words about vietnamese public transportation. if you're ever planning a trip to vietnam, i have one bit of advice: go to tijuana instead and relax with a dos equis at one of the many fine donkey shows in the downtown area.