Thoughts on safety in Asia..

The people I have learned to most be concerned about and feel nervous when they are near me are the police, soldiers and
consulate officials. Here a only a few examples (There are more):
1. Laotian Embassy - The website for Laotian Embassy states that I only have to pay $42 for a visa. The consulate official told me I had to pay $47.
2. Laotian border - The website for the Laotian Embassy expressed no border fees. But, the Cambodian border patrol charged $1 to pass.
The Laotian border patrol charged me $2 to pass.
3. Cambodian soldier in broad daylight- touched me in a sexual manner and asked if I had any drugs. There were 2 police there.
4. Police in Xaysomboune, Laos - Took me to the police station for questioning. They said foreigners were not allowed there. They
had poor English. So, I only understood a few things they said and they understood only a few things I said. Of note: there are
multiple guesthouses there. I passed by the 2 police buildings more than once and even talked to one of them the day before. I bought
food and medicine at the village market. I passed multiple checkpoints from Vientiane to Xaysomboune (checkpoints are a common occurence
in Asia). Every patrolman let me pass. NO ONE told me foreigners were not allowed there. At the police station, there were three police officers.
One of them flipped through my passport for 10 minutes. Then, the second one wrote information from my passport in a ledger. The third police
officer just stood there. The other thing about this experience that worried me is that I was told that foreigners were not allowed there
because the roads are not so good. Of course, locals were on the roads walking and riding in vehicles. And all the roads that I have
come across in Laos are not good. So, why did the police officer lie to me? What are they hiding?

These are only a FEW of my experiences with government workers. They are the ones I worry about..not the civilians. There is one law in
southeast Asia when you meet a soldier, police officer, consulate official - their law. Not the government's law. It is wiser to do as they
say than to argue with them. And you say..well, it's safer to travel with other people. When I was taken to the police station for questioning,
3 other people who were travelling together, were brought to the station as well.