Location: Mr. Bourdain kicked off a new round of episodes last night with Laos. As one of the last "untouched" destinations of Southeast Asia, Laos sits nestled along the Mekong River, a mountainous country filled with mist-shrouded hilltops, orange-robed monks and a fascinating history both recent and ancient.

Episode Rating: Four bloody meat cleavers (out of five) in honor of Chef Bourdain.

Summary: Laos is one of those mysterious destinations romanticized by 21st century travelers. Still scarred by violent memories of the Vietnam War, it is a country largely untouched by the typical tourist trail of Southeast Asia but ripe with beautiful places to visit and delicious new foods to taste. In other words, it's one of those places that Anthony Bourdain just knows how to do best - seeking out the remote, the fascinating and the cringe-inducing for our viewing pleasure.

Tony kicks off the episode by briefly stopping in the capital city of Vientiane before heading out for his "obligatory Asian noodle breakfast" in the small city of Phong Savan. Much like its Vietnamese cousin Pho, the spicy Lao soup he tastes is filled with a combination of noodles and meat, typically either chicken, duck or pork. Give Bourdain his bowl of noodles and he's generally a pretty happy customer.

Kashmir probably does not evoke emotions of vacationing and relaxation in most people. After 18 years of militant violence, Kashmir wants to rebrand themselves from a heavily militarized Himalayan region to a global golfing destination.

According to this article in the NY Times, Kashmir's government believes that golf will attract tourists who spend more than the penny-pinching backpackers who still come to trek in the mountains and stay on Srinagar's latticed wooden houseboats. The state is spending $6.2 million to build a golf course in the winter capital, Jammu, to be completed later in the year, the fifth course in the region, and an international airport is scheduled to open in the summer.

My question is, Is there a country out there, which is supposedly not a golf destination nowadays?

I know I'm supposed to be happy that the jungle-clad, muddy trail that serves as a major road through Laos is being paved. It's good for Laos citizens, and it will cut driving time between northern Thailand and southern China to less than a day. Plus, I totally condemned writer Denis D. Gray for lamenting the changes that mass tourism has brought to SE Asia.

But I'm not as excited as perhaps I should be. My experience riding along that windy, dirty orange road is one I recount often when I'm talking about my travels. Standing around pathetic green-twig fires and sleeping overnight in the jungle because the bus was stuck in the mud is the type of traveling authenticity you can't cultivate or buy on a tour.

Is it selfish of me to wish that some roads could remain unpaved, and that some travel remains slow? Probably. But I guess I have to suck it up and be happy for people whose ways of living will arguable improve.

Bumpy bus rides are never fun. But bumpy, winding, crowded, cross-country bus rides with a driver who might need Ritalin can rattle even the most sedated nerves. And what do you do when the bus breaks down?

One such ride across Laos was scheduled to take my husband and me 8-10 hours. After about 11 hours of braking across muddy turns tighter than my great aunt's hatpin on Easter, the driver stopped and motioned for us to get off. We filed off into the night and stood around in the muck while the driver put chains on the tires in an attempt to get us through some seriously muddy patches. The jungle hovered over us and it was unusually cold; a few women built sad little fires out of green twigs that did little more than smoke. After about an hour and a half of shivering around on the road, we all filed back on the bus. We traveled about 100 feet before getting stuck again, so we all filed back off the bus. Again came the smoky fires, which we pathetically huddled around. After a good hour we obediently got back on the bus and took our seats. This time we didn't go far at all, and from what I could understand there was now a mechanical problem. Off the bus. Huddle around fire.

This location didn't seem to be too difficult for readers to figure out -- three out of four commenters guessed correctly, while one answer was close -- this person guessed the "Banana Pancake" trail of Chiang Mai (sounds delish).

So, Vang Vieng it is -- truly a budget backpacker's prime destination. During the day, travelers can inter-tube down the river, which is surrounded by lush green mountains. Riverside bars try to lure travelers in by providing zip lines and rope swings, and there's always an eager Lao man with a curved stick ready to sweep you in and serve you deliciously refreshing Beer Lao. After a mellow day on the river, head to the tiny town area to dazedly watch "Friends" reruns with other backpackers.

This photo was taken from my guesthouse after such a day.

One reason I like this photo is because of the boy wearing the red sweater. He brings the photographer into the shot with his glance. The second reason I like this shot is the mix of clothes the kids are wearing. It reminds me of any village where I've traveled where kids have access to western style clothes but mix it up with traditional items.

The book, a Lao alphabet book, is from a project called Big Brother Mouse that fosters literacy in Laos. The book was left with two older kids in the village. According to the description by uncorneredmarket who posted the shot, it seemed the kids hadn't seen a book before and were delighted--a fine interaction indeed.

If you've had a fine interaction, share it with us with your photos by posting them at Gadling's Flickr photo pool.

Uncornered Market snapped this shot on a boat ride from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw, Laos. I took this same boat ride in reverse, in 2005. It was peaceful and beautiful, with green hills and lapping water. It was also freezing (it was an unnaturally cold week and I hadn't brought any warm clothes) -- another traveler offered me their sleeping bag in sympathy, and I took it.

Got travel photos to share? Upload them to Gadling's Flickr pool and we'll consider them for our Photo of the Day feature.

The wooden bench, the folding table, the saffron colored robe, the slats on the open shutters--so much of this photo captures the look of parts of Southeast Asia where I have wandered. The composition of the rectangular shapes of the doorways and windows is visually interesting, as are the bits of green from the foliage. Un rosarino en Vietnam has quite the knack for being able to capture people in a moment. This monk, according to the description, is "resting" in the backyard of a temple in Luang Prabang, Laos - 2007.

What moments have you captured in your travels. For photo of the day, upload them at Gadling's photo pool on Flickr.

I already mentioned Detroit as being number 40 on the list of the New York Times places to go in 2008. Sad to say, I have only been to the airport in Detroit. After posting about this city, I agree that the capital of the automobile and Motown is indeed a place to see this year.

Places to go lists such as the New York Times version can either make a person feel as depressed as hell that one can't possibly see all of the places mentioned in one year, or fairly smug that one seen as much as one has. As for me, I'm happy I've been to some places, but still tipping towards the so many places, so little time and not enough money to even make a dent reality check.

1. I've been to Oslo, although I was young, broke and can't remember much about it except for this Canadian guy I met who I was enamored by to the point that meeting him was far more important than any glacier I may have seen. I still have the sweater I bought.

I've also been to San Francisco, New York, Prague, London, San Diego, Tuscany, Vietnam, London and Munich--all on the list at various points. That's it. I have so much more to see this year and the two places on my itinerary so far, Mexico and Williamsburg, Virginia aren't even mentioned.

Thanks to those who posted on the most recent Name That Hat. It's shared honours this time round between Tyler and Oddsocks. The country was Laos - I bought the hat at the Vientiane market - and it's headgear normally worn by the people of the Hmong hilltribe.

The Hmong are a sub-group of the Miao people and live across South East Asia in Laos, Vietam, Myanmar and Thailand. In the early stages of the Vietnam war, the CIA recruited Hmong tribesmen to join the Secret War fighting the North Vietnamese army along the Ho Chi Minh trail.