Three visits to Vientiane

My grandma’s brother-in-law, who lives in Vientiane, is over 80 this year. While he has lived there, I have visited him only three times. Moreover, I stayed for less than one week during the first two visits.

 

??My first visit to Vientiane was in the mid-1970s, the year when I was about to start school. I can still remember that it was raining heavily when my family arrived in Vientiane after many transfers on a long journey. If my mom hadn’t fallen badly on the muddy country road because of the fatigue from the long trip, I would have soundly slept in her arms. My parents thought I would cry and make noises. But when I saw the embarrassing situation my mom was in when my dad helped her up, I laughed. My mom got somewhat angry and protested by not carrying me anymore. So my dad had to carry the luggage on his back and hold mom and me with each hand. Just like this, we stumbled into the house of my grandma’s brother-in-law.

 

??My second visit to Vientiane was during the summer 15 years ago. With all exit formalities ready, I set out from Yunnan. It was burning hot. After travelling for a few hours, I arrived at the final stop. I rushed into the chartered car with my grandma’s brother-in-law. What was more painful than the humid hot weather were the narrow roads crowded with cars and people. It was just over ten kilometers from the station to my grandma’s brother-in-law’s house. However, the car moved even slower than walking. Several times, I tried to get out of the car and walk. But the luggage was too heavy, and I had to give up and suffered for three hours.

That afternoon, I left the house to visit a friend. Considering of the low speed of cars, I took a motorcycle. But the motorcycle bumped up and down like a trampoline. I suffered and almost vomited. After some time and some torture, I finally arrived, depressed and frustrated.

 

??In the evening, I didn’t want to eat and I even didn't have the mood to appreciate the night view of Vientiane. After supper, I simply told my grandma’s brother-in-law, “I’m going back to China now!” Thus, my plan of staying in Vientiane for one month shrank into less than one day. By then, I finally understood why my parents were hardly passionate about visiting Vientiane.

 

??However, things change as time goes by. Last year when I was in Kunming on a business trip, I borrowed a car to travel around. It was fast to drive on the wide flat Kunming-Bangkok Expressway. Some kind of feeling came to me and I made a random decision to visit Vientiane.

 

??For a traveler like me, the picturesque scenery on both sides of the Kunming-Bangkok Expressway activated a sense of being enlightened. A vast stretch of exotic landscapes jumped into my sight in such an easy manner. Particularly, with the Kunming-Bangkok Expressway passing my grandma’s brother-in-law’s house, I forgot completely the terrible driving conditions over 15 years ago. The country road I remembered had also vanished without a trace. I called my grandma’s brother-in-law, saying, “I’m visiting you in Vientiane!” He asked, “Are we having a fairy from the heaven? You should have let me know in advance that you were coming…”

My grandma’s brother-in-law also said, “This time, are you going to stay for more than a few days?”

“Sure,” I answered affirmatively. Then, full of delight, I added, “I promise to visit you every year in the future. I want to experience the new scenery and new changes along the highway from Kunming to Vientiane!”

 

Three visits to Vientiane

My grandmas brother-in-law, who lives in Vientiane, is over 80 this year. While he has lived there, I have visited him only three times. Moreover, I stayed for less than one week during the first two visits. ??My first visit to Vientiane was in the mid-1970s, the year when I was about to start school. I can still remember that it was raining heavily when my family arrived in Vientiane after many transfers on a long journey. If my mom hadnt fallen badly on the muddy country road because of the fatigue from the long trip, I would have soundly slept in her arms. My parents thought I would cry and make noises. But when I saw the embarrassing situation my mom was in when my dad helped her up, I laughed. My mom got somewhat angry and protested by not carrying me anymore. So my dad had to carry the luggage on his back and hold mom and me with each hand. Just like this, we stumbled into the house of my grandmas brother-in-law. ??My second visit to Vientiane was during the summer 15 years ago. With all exit formalities ready, I set out from Yunnan. It was burning hot. After travelling for a few hours, I arrived at the final stop. I rushed into the chartered car with my grandmas brother-in-law. What was more painful than the humid hot weather were the narrow roads crowded with cars and people. It was just over ten kilometers from the station to my grandmas brother-in-laws house. However, the car moved even slower than walking. Several times, I tried to get out of the car and walk. But the luggage was too heavy, and I had to give up and suffered for three hours. That afternoon, I left the house to visit a friend. Considering of the low speed of cars, I took a motorcycle. But the motorcycle bumped up and down like a trampoline. I suffered and almost vomited. After some time and some torture, I finally arrived, depressed and frustrated. ??In the evening, I didnt want to eat and I even didnt have the mood to appreciate the night view of Vientiane. After supper, I simply told my grandmas brother-in-law, Im going back to China now! Thus, my plan of staying in Vientiane for one month shrank into less than one day. By then, I finally understood why my parents were hardly passionate about visiting Vientiane. ??However, things change as time goes by. Last year when I was in Kunming on a business trip, I borrowed a car to travel around. It was fast to drive on the wide flat Kunming-Bangkok Expressway. Some kind of feeling came to me and I made a random decision to visit Vientiane. ??For a traveler like me, the picturesque scenery on both sides of the Kunming-Bangkok Expressway activated a sense of being enlightened. A vast stretch of exotic landscapes jumped into my sight in such an easy manner. Particularly, with the Kunming-Bangkok Expressway passing my grandmas brother-in-laws house, I forgot completely the terrible driving conditions over 15 years ago. The country road I remembered had also vanished without a trace. I called my grandmas brother-in-law, saying, Im visiting you in Vientiane! He asked, Are we having a fairy from the heaven? You should have let me know in advance that you were coming My grandmas brother-in-law also said, This time, are you going to stay for more than a few days? Sure, I answered affirmatively. Then, full of delight, I added, I promise to visit you every year in the future. I want to experience the new scenery and new changes along the highway from Kunming to Vientiane!