On the road again...

Now look at what a good girl I am. I'm travelling Laos and of all the exciting things I could be doing right now, I have chosen to spend a bit of time in a dodgy internet cafe to type a quick blog update so all you lovely people out there don't need to fret and worry and all that sort of stuff. It's all good- I'm here, and I'm well.

The farewell from Australia was heartbreaking. I bawled my eyes out for hours on the last day. Which some people might think is a strange thing to do, considering it was my very own decision to leave the place. But oh well, considering life is not all black and white, I think we've got some serious shades of gray going on here, and a serious storm of emotions, I might add. In any case, I got over the first heartache, and as much as I miss the people and the place, I'm now trying not to think about it too much and settle into the travel spirit instead. Which is just what the doctor ordered for me.

After two days in Laos, I'm already seriously in love with the place- and I haven't even left Vientiane yet. There is something peaceful, relaxed, beautifully spiritual about the place, which touches my soul in all the right places. The people walk slowly, even here in the capital, smile a lot, and never seem to be in a hurry. When this wonderful slowness is being combined with the usual colourful, happy Asian chaos, you end up with a very loveable place. I love watching how the monks quietly walk the street, sharing it peacefully with a few heavily decorated tuk tuks, some old vans and lots of bicycles and motorbikes. And somewhere in between there am I, soaking it all up as if it was some kind of a meditation.

I remember now how the people you meet along the way are truly one of the things that makes travelling so amazing. I met this very inspiring, interesting and warm Dutch woman yesterday after dinner, and we ended up sharing a few bottles of the devine Beerlao until we were the last guests left in the restaurant, talking about travelling, and life. Today, I met a young monk who spoke excellent English and showed me around this fascinating Buddha park somewhere out of town for a couple of hours. God, I love travelling.