On the 23rd of June, we got a taxi to the base of Nam Xay, a beautiful limestone mountain. Only when we arrived did I realise that I had forgotten my walking shoes—and had brought only flip-flops. Although I was annoyed at myself, I decided to go ahead with the hike anyway.

Unfortunately, not very far into the trail, it turned from a simple walk into a steep, muddy climb. My flip-flops were partly broken and offered no grip, making things even harder. We continued up the slippery rocks and through the mud but after pushing through the tough climb, we finally made it to the top. At the summit we were rewarded with a stunning 360-degree view of the Lao landscape and surrounding villages. I could hear birds calling in the distance and see jagged limestone cliffs stretching across each mountain. Most of all, I was just relieved I could take a break without worrying about falling for a bit.

After the climb, we went to a place called the Blue Lagoon which, despite its name, wasn’t really blue that day—it was more of a muddy brown. But we didn’t mind since we just needed to cool off. We enjoyed jumping in and had lots of fun swimming against the current. Because the water level had risen too high to use the swing, we climbed up the swing’s rope and dropped into the cold, refreshing water. After a long swim, we dried off, and heard back, tired and happy.