If I had a house on the Mekong River
….. It would be this one. An archaeologist and a mathematician, about three years ago, put down their luggage in just this beautiful house straight on the Mekong.
The town is Vientiane, the capital of Laos. A small town in a small country, but rich in extraordinary nature, cultural heritage and craftsmanship. It might be a hidden gem, one hour-flight from my bustling Bangkok.
Silence overwhelms you
when you come here, (well if you don’t count the neighbour’s annoying dog or the communist party’s “El Jefe” of the community, waking you up at 7.00 am). Pure silence, peace and mindfulness on the Mekong is bliss, absolute bliss. I could have stayed so much longer than my 4 days, 2 weeks minimum to visit Vientiane.
To have time to see all the small temples and back streets, find the craftsmen, see the beautiful arts of weaving and just sit by the Mekong and read and listen to the sound of silence. You might occasionally watch a long-tail going up or down the river.
The air is lovely, the smell of rain on the leaves is heaven and to hear the soft wind whisper is like a caress.
My days were filled with coffees and lunches at cute small places, visiting temples, window shopping at designers shops like Birds Follow Spring, the very famous American Carol Cassidy and her textile house Lao textiles Carol Cassidy, visiting friends of friends, seeing more beautiful houses along the Mekong, drinking tea on the verandah and just being in the moment.
Now my friends have moved to a new house and a new country, I will miss this pearl and I know my friends will too.
