Going to Laos... For Dummies (Like Me)

[LonelyHmgGuy]

All good things must come to an end...

For the first time in my life, I was hoping the sun would not rise and I truly wished for morning not to come. When I first got to Laos, I knew this day would eventually come, but I did not realized it would be here so soon. How quickly the time has passed, like a thief in the night, minutes quickly turned to hours and hours disappeared into days. Please let this be a gentle reminder for us all and a model for what our lives will be. Just as my days in Laos are numbered, our own time on Earth is also brief, a passing moment is all we get. Whether you want to believe it or not but it is curtain that you will someday have to leave this earth too.

I am packed... All my stuff throw into my suitcases, the dirty clothes are mixed with the clean and some still damp. Shirts, shorts, socks, all are pushed, shoved, and crammed inside... gone is the care and attention I have given it before. Gone is the order and attention to detail, I just do not have it in me anymore.

In a few hours I will have to leave for the airport. In a few hours I will be leaving Laos again and in a few hours I will have to say good bye to May. For now I  am sitting here in my hotel room starring at May and she at me. There is so much I want to say to May, and yet there is a strange silence between us. Words escape me, everything that needed to be said already has yet I feel an empty need to speak... How does one expressed into words what normally takes a life time to prove. How do you show someone love when there only hours and seconds left to be together?

I can already feel the heat again, it's going to be a rough day.

I will not speak to you all again, not until I am back to the states. I really don't know how my good bye with May will go... But right now I am just too mentally tired to think. Talk to you all soon.


LHG

 

[boO]

LHG

 

safe travels back to the states.

[LonelyHmgGuy]

LHG

 

safe travels back to the states.

Thank you boo... I am back.

LHG

[NceegVaj]

All good things must come to an end...

For the first time in my life, I was hoping the sun would not rise and I truly wished for morning not to come. When I first got to Laos, I knew this day would eventually come, but I did not realized it would be here so soon. How quickly the time has passed, like a thief in the night, minutes quickly turned to hours and hours disappeared into days. Please let this be a gentle reminder for us all and a model for what our lives will be. Just as my days in Laos are numbered, our own time on Earth is also brief, a passing moment is all we get. Whether you want to believe it or not but it is curtain that you will someday have to leave this earth too.

I am packed... All my stuff throw into my suitcases, the dirty clothes are mixed with the clean and some still damp. Shirts, shorts, socks, all are pushed, shoved, and crammed inside... gone is the care and attention I have given it before. Gone is the order and attention to detail, I just do not have it in me anymore.

In a few hours I will have to leave for the airport. In a few hours I will be leaving Laos again and in a few hours I will have to say good bye to May. For now I  am sitting here in my hotel room starring at May and she at me. There is so much I want to say to May, and yet there is a strange silence between us. Words escape me, everything that needed to be said already has yet I feel an empty need to speak... How does one expressed into words what normally takes a life time to prove. How do you show someone love when there only hours and seconds left to be together?

I can already feel the heat again, it's going to be a rough day.

I will not speak to you all again, not until I am back to the states. I really don't know how my good bye with May will go... But right now I am just too mentally tired to think. Talk to you all soon.


LHG

 

LHG,  my lonely Hmong man...

Get back to the states and let's go party!!! yaha...we'll show you the good time!

I miss and love you !!   

If May misses you don't you forget us!!

[LonelyHmgGuy]

Home, part 1

Well, I am back. For better or for worst, I am home again. My plane touched down at SF International Airport yesterday evening.

We left my hotel room in Vientiane for Wattay Airport a little before 4:00 PM Saturday afternoon on what seemed like the hottest day of my stay in Laos. My departure time was 6:00 PM. The night before, May had accompanied me to Vientiane from None Hai and we settled into a hotel near the Mekong River, the same hotel I had stayed in for two days when I first arrived in Laos.

May and I ate dinner near Talad Sao and  decided to walked down to the Mekong River to take in the sunset and browse the Night Market. A strong breeze had blown in from the East, making for an almost perfect evening. We stroll along the river, occasionally stopping to sit and catch a glimpse of the sun setting over the Mekong. The smog from the burning rice fields nearby that was hanging over the city made for a spectacular sunset. The sun was bright red with brilliant shades of orange and yellow.

For those that have never been to Vientiane, there is a 2 mile section of the Mekong River, directly down from Talad Sao that has been nicely developed. This section of the riverbank has been strengthened with concrete blocks; there is a guard rail and a paved walking path over the levee. The grass is nicely manicured; there is a playground for the kids to play on, and there are flowers and young trees planted everywhere. Large trash cans and park benches have been placed every few meters, the benches were a welcome relief to rest my tired feet. All of this, was a gift from the Japanese people, I am told.

May and I spoke very little as I am sure we both were preoccupied with thoughts of my trip home the next morning. As we walked along the riverbank, I could only think of what laid ahead of me, primarily, my trip home.  I could only think about what was waiting for me at home. I could only think of the bills that must be pilling up and all the chores around my house that needed my attention. My mind was already set on my empty home and the loneliness that must be waiting there for me... tried as I might, I could not enjoy the moment nor could I see the beauty in front of me, a decision that I am regretting today.

We left the riverbank and the Night Market around 10 PM, just as some of the vendors were getting ready to pack up and call it a night. Considering how late it was and for being in a city of this size, I never felt we were in any danger. Laos has a very low crime rate, aside from the occasion pick pocket. We did not meet anyone strange or encounter any unsafe situations. During my entire trip in Laos and in all the cities that I stayed in, I did not hear a single ambulance or see any police cars rushing to a crime scene.

We walked back to our hotel rooms and talked for sometime before going to bed. May jokingly asked if I would extend my stay, but we both knew it was not possible… I am sorry I told her. It’s was the first time I saw sadness in her face.

More tomorrow…

[yoursunrise4ever]

LHG,
 
Glad that you made it safely back to the USA. What an experience you've had huh? A lifetime of experience and it only comes once. I'm glad that you were able to taste a moment of happiness. However long or short it may be, it will remain with you forever. I hope that you and May will reunite again.
 
Take care!

[LonelyHmgGuy]

LHG,  my lonely Hmong man...

Get back to the states and let's go party!!! yaha...we'll show you the good time!

I miss and love you !!   

If May misses you don't you forget us!!

My beautiful Hmong Woman!!! I would love to party with you. LOL.

On a more seriously note, I feel a deep depression setting in... and I am not quite sure how to get rid of it. Every part of me, every inch of my body and soul wishes I was still there.

LHG

[LonelyHmgGuy]

LHG,
 
Glad that you made it safely back to the USA. What an experience you've had huh? A lifetime of experience and it only comes once. I'm glad that you were able to taste a moment of happiness. However long or short it may be, it will remain with you forever. I hope that you and May will reunite again.
 
Take care!

Thank you.

LHG

[boO]

My beautiful Hmong Woman!!! I would love to party with you. LOL.

On a more seriously note, I feel a deep depression setting in... and I am not quite sure how to get rid of it. Every part of me, every inch of my body and soul wishes I was still there.

LHG

Because you left your heart over there...

[MenyuamHmoob]

Glad you made it back safe to the US bro! I've been following your blog since your trip and thanks for sharing.  Might I also say that you are quite the writer! It seems you developed a great relationship with May during your stay in Laos.  Why not just purpose and bring her over?  Life is short, and we're not getting any younger right? 

[LonelyHmgGuy]

Because you left your heart over there...

Boo... I hope you're right and that's all that is is. I am back at work today and let me tell you... I don't want to be here! All my thoughts are on None Hai, those dusty dirty roads and the bamboo houses. I even miss the heat and humidity. I hope I can sanp out of this, my work is starting to pill up again.

LHG

[LonelyHmgGuy]

Glad you made it back safe to the US bro! I've been following your blog since your trip and thanks for sharing.  Might I also say that you are quite the writer! It seems you developed a great relationship with May during your stay in Laos.  Why not just purpose and bring her over?  Life is short, and we're not getting any younger right? 

Hey MenyuamHmoob.. . Thanks for reading and the positive vibes. I purchased 40 dollars worth of phone cards and burned thru them during the last 48 hours talking to May... LOL. I need to pick up some more today. Definitely going to keep in touch with her.

Will keep you posted.

LHG

[LonelyHmgGuy]

Home, Part 2   

From a distance, May looks pale but if you hold her closely; her soft skin is creaming white and her lips and cheeks are a beautiful shade of pink. She has a round face, her big bright eyes are charcoal black, her long straight hair is dark brown and her nose is short and round. Her lips are full and when she smiles, there is a small dimple on her right cheek.  May rarely wears any makeup, because of her sensitive skin, she tells me.

As our last night together dragged on, we were running out of words to say to each other. Having shared our pasts, we both knew quit well the hardships and pain that we are currently in. We’re no longer teenagers and we can’t afford any of the mistakes of our youth. For the moment, our jokes and laughter were only masking the real issue we were both too afraid to discuss. In truth, neither of us could bring ourselves to talk about the real issue at hand, mainly, what will become of us after tonight?  Do we really have a future together? And more importantly, what we must do and what must we have to overcome to have a future together?

Honestly, the purpose of my trip to Laos was not to find a wife, let alone, to meet anyone like May. I told May I had no immediate plans to return to Laos when she asked me. I truly did not know. I guess May would have more to lose in all of this because all her trust would be on me; all her hopes would be pinned on my promise to return to her. When I told her I did not know, tears filled her eyes and her smile faded.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul and I truly believe this is true. Seeing anyone cry, especially May, someone who I care so much about, is just heartbreaking. I guess I could have lied and told her that I would be back soon; I guess I could have taken the easy way out. But how could I, how could I lie to May after all that we have shared and after all that we have been through… I just held her as her silent tears soaked my shoulder.

The tuk tuk ride to Wattay Airport from my hotel was 50,000 kips for the 4 of us, my cousin, his wife, May and myself. The airport was nearly empty, unlike the scene of my arrival a few weeks earlier. There was not anyone in line and nearly all the seats in the waiting area were vacant. I handed my passport to a Laotian lady at the ticketing counter at exactly 4:45 PM. After a few strokes on her keyboard, she handed me back my passport and a boarding pass. I placed both of my checked luggages on the scale, it read 32 kg, and a porter placed them on a running conveyer belt behind the counter.

More tomorrow…

LHG

[NceegVaj]

Hey MenyuamHmoob.. . Thanks for reading and the positive vibes. I purchased 40 dollars worth of phone cards and burned thru them during the last 48 hours talking to May... LOL. I need to pick up some more today. Definitely going to keep in touch with her.

Will keep you posted.

LHG

Home, Part 2   

From a distance, May looks pale but if you hold her closely; her soft skin is creaming white and her lips and cheeks are a beautiful shade of pink. She has a round face, her big bright eyes are charcoal black, her long straight hair is dark brown and her nose is short and round. Her lips are full and when she smiles, there is a small dimple on her right cheek.  May rarely wears any makeup, because of her sensitive skin, she tells me.

As our last night together dragged on, we were running out of words to say to each other. Having shared our pasts, we both knew quit well the hardships and pain that we are currently in. We’re no longer teenagers and we can’t afford any of the mistakes of our youth. For the moment, our jokes and laughter were only masking the real issue we were both too afraid to discuss. In truth, neither of us could bring ourselves to talk about the real issue at hand, mainly, what will become of us after tonight?  Do we really have a future together? And more importantly, what we must do and what must we have to overcome to have a future together?

Honestly, the purpose of my trip to Laos was not to find a wife, let alone, to meet anyone like May. I told May I had no immediate plans to return to Laos when she asked me. I truly did not know. I guess May would have more to lose in all of this because all her trust would be on me; all her hopes would be pinned on my promise to return to her. When I told her I did not know, tears filled her eyes and her smile faded.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul and I truly believe this is true. Seeing anyone cry, especially May, someone who I care so much about, is just heartbreaking. I guess I could have lied and told her that I would be back soon; I guess I could have taken the easy way out. But how could I, how could I lie to May after all that we have shared and after all that we have been through… I just held her as her silent tears soaked my shoulder.

The tuk tuk ride to Wattay Airport from my hotel was 50,000 kips for the 4 of us, my cousin, his wife, May and myself. The airport was nearly empty, unlike the scene of my arrival a few weeks earlier. There was not anyone in line and nearly all the seats in the waiting area were vacant. I handed my passport to a Laotian lady at the ticketing counter at exactly 4:45 PM. After a few strokes on her keyboard, she handed me back my passport and a boarding pass. I placed both of my checked luggages on the scale, it read 32 kg, and a porter placed them on a running conveyer belt behind the counter.

More tomorrow…

LHG

Lonely Hmong Man,

Such a good expression writing .  Write a book make a fortunate to go back. LOL.

One blast with Hmong USA and you never go back.   As long as you two didn't stretch legs together I think you both are fine.  Even so, it is better to love lost then never loved at all, right?

Hey, I could use that $40.  What about that loving kids of yours?  Aren't they longing for your warmth chest?  BTW, seriously, I can sell you a better way to call LAOS.

-n

[AOZ]

awe.  welcome back to reality... and all those stacks of bills.   

yeah... what an ending to your laos journey round 2.. and with a twist...  i was hoping you'd say you'd go  back for her asap.  hehehe.  it's never too late to start the paperwork ya know!  good luck to you and may.