The Long Awaited Arrival

After planning, syncing up itineraries and waiting to see if Tom could actually get some time off work, finally the day of his arrival was upon us! For the first time in 6 months we were going to have some physical contact with home and we were both pretty excited (a bit of an understatement). We’d been talking to Tom about our plans from the very beginning and were always keen for him to come out and join us if he could so when he planned some travels in South East Asia and Canada we were beyond excited. Laos was decided as the best place to meet up and our ten days together started in the capital, Vientiane. We managed to surprise Tom at the airport with a little home made name sign after his epic three stop plane journey (London – Copenhagen – Bangkok – Vientiane!) and took a bus back to the hotel for him to have a well earned rest. After a little acclimatisation and some jet lag recovery, we were able to spend some time exploring the streets of a city that is pretty unusual in Asia. With a population of only around a quarter of a million people, Vientiane is a far cry from the traffic choked mega cities that seem so ubiquitous in the region. Additionally the weather seemed to have cooled just in time for Tom’s arrival so he wasn’t overwhelmed by the heat and humidity.

In the city itself we visited Pha That Luang, a stupa covered in gold leaf which stands at 45 metres tall. It is believed to contain a relic of the Buddha and is more generally regarded as the most important national monument of Laos, acting as a national symbol. The accompanying ‘museum’ left a little to be desired but it was an enjoyable afternoon activity to wander round the complex before heading back for an iced coffee and a slice of cake. Most of the top things to see and do in the country are spread around the northern region, and so Tom was inducted into his first crazy mega mini bus journey. Five hours being thrown around in the back of a mini van, hurtling around corners and blind bends, ending up in the cloud layer with terrible visibility and passing two overturned trucks on an unfinished section of mountain road later, we finally made it to our next destination, Vang Vieng.