Todays show was brought to you with the letter 'V'

Hey folks,


We've left Vang Vieng, and are in Vientiane getting a visa for Vietnam, where we're headed as soon as we can, to a town called Vinh.

Ok, so we're actually headed for a place called Hoi An, on the coast, but Vinh is where you head after you cross the border, cos it's on the train line.


Quite glad to be shot of Vang Vieng (again). I bumped into two people there that had been there the last time I passed through. They'd already been there for 3 weeks back then, and swore to me they planned to leave the same day I was leaving. I got back this time, and they hadn't left yet. Which is a month after I left. They both swore blind to me that they were leaving today, but I get a definite sense of deja vu...

Anyhow, we've decided to forgo the very south of Laos, because we want to push on through to Vietnam and then Cambodia, which will give us an extra week or so in Malaysia in a month or two, once we get down there. Anyhow, Hoi An is supposed to be an ace place, so looking forward to that. Vientiane itself (where I am now - the capital of Laos) is nothing special to be honest, but we can get a Vietnamese visa here then move on as soon as possible.

Spent most of today on the most crowded local bus you've ever seen. The conductor wasn't able to shut the doors at one point cos there were too many people on the stairwell, and the roof was jam-packed. Genius!


All for now,

Will.
Vientiane, Laos

I'm alive - honest!

Howdy all,

I've tried a bunch of times to write about the meditation retreat, but the world (well, computers) seem to be conspiring against me, and I keep losing my post then not being bothered to do it again, so I think I might give up.

Here were the headlines:
- up at 4am. Every day.
- concrete beds with wooden pillows
- complete silence for 10 & a half days
- knees destroyed from trying to sit cross-legged for 7 or 8 hours a day
- crazy wildlife - poisonous centipedes and scorpions, snakes, frogs, huuuuge geckos (which rock, btw), never-ending mozzies (which suck. In all senses), ant motorways across the path, dragonflies, huuuuge great spiders (which *Aren't* poisonous, luckly), plus endlessly noisy roosters and crickets
- Doing tai chi as the sun rises from behind the lake and the coconut groves
- Finding out a whole load about buddhism in general, and how meditation fits in with it, which was ace
- Having an awesome experience during a meditation session on the 2nd day, that got well deep and felt ace, and then totally failing to recreate it for the rest of the retreat!
- Having your internal monologue go a bit loopy after 10 days of not saying anything


Anyhow, sorry for not writing it up properly, but I realised it's almost a month since I last posted, so should probably write something :)

Meanwhile, I've been back to bangkok for a few days to meet Diane. We then looked around bangkok for a bit, then went to see the bridge over the river kwai and have a history lesson (google it - it's pretty serious stuff).

After that we came back to bangkok to meet diane's mate christi, gone to an *uber* posh bar on the roof of a posh hotel on the 61st floor, with an *awesome* view over bangkok. Waaay over our usual budget, but good fun every now and again.

After that, there was some more sight-seeing, then we got the night train back to the laos border, and got a bus from there back to Vang Vieng. We're gonna kick around here for a few days then I'm not sure were we're planning - either southern laos or vietnam.


To make up for my lack of posting, I've put a couple of photos up on flickr! Check out www.flickr.com/photos/willlovett/

Anyhow, I felt a bit deprived of gossip from the outside world during the retreat, so let me know how you're all getting on.



Laters,

Will.
Vang Vieng, Laos.