India, March 18 -- Glittering like a thousand diamonds scattered from a broken necklace, the ripples on the Mekong dance as the morning sun hits the river. As our boat picks up pace, we jet down the length of this gargantuan waterway that feeds six countries of the Indo-China plain. The river meanders gracefully as we leave the bonhomie of Luang Prabang behind and sail deeper into its embrace. Together with our little crew, we pierce deeper into the heart of Laos where many new lessons await the old time traveller that is me.

Until I landed in the capital Vientiane on Christmas Eve earlier, I never thought that being by myself on a festive eve would bother a largely solo traveller such as me; it wouldn't have, under ordinary circumstance...