“Laos rose out of the mountains--and the fog--to reveal a modern-day Eden. Even 12 hours into an uncomfortable, 20-hour bus ride, it was so hard to be annoyed when I was confronted with such a sight. Waterfalls cascaded around us, coalescing to water the lush valleys below, while green mountains towered above, undisturbed but for the sliver of a road winding along them...”