On to Laos

Sarah-Jane and I added Laos into our trip when we heard amazing stories of how great the tubing adventures were supposed to be in Vientiane. Suffering from lack of sleep due to the previous nights charade out with our new friends and stressing over the 24 hours of bus ride from Chiang Mai, we settled comfortably into the seats that would become our bed for the next few hours. Although we were nowhere near a body of water, the mountain ranges glowed with green and I couldn’t help but sense a tropically Mediterranean feeling of the area. Palm trees towered, bright red flowers gave accent to every shade of green you could imagine, and the skies were covered in blue with white clouds. Yellow and pink occasionally dashed by the moving bus and beautiful homes lined the road. I sat trying to find imagines in the clouds that lingered around, not a care in the world. Life was good.
On our way to the border, we stopped at the White Temple. Words cannot begin to describe what this temple entailed. It's outside beauty displayed the traditional Thai Temple theme with its detail and design, but the inside was nothing I imagined a traditional Buddhist temple would resemble. Other than the grand painting of a Buddha on the far wall as I walked in, a smaller Buddha statue placed in front and a monk sitting peacefully, dressed in his orange robe, in the same stance and just as motionless as the statue he mocked (I didn't even notice he was there until I had already been there for 5 minutes)- the artwork on the opposing wall was intricately abstract with everything from a snake-like dragon that burned through the Twin Towers, to a fetus inside a womb- attached to a scorpion-like Transformer. The world revolved inside the mouth of an evil Zeus-like creature and blood dripped from an unknown object. The colors were exquisite. The peachy colored background of the walls flourished as it made way for the vibrant lavender and violate swirls that could take anyone’s mind on a whirl-wind. Monks were placed in a large hand following the beautiful twirling clouds of purple and fish swam at the bottom, chasing each other with razor sharp teeth.
I watched as the painters continued their artwork around the room. A little Thai boy was sitting by, what I would assume his mentor, sketching detailed work in his book. I could have stayed there for days, observing. I thought of what it would be like to be that monk sitting legs and arms crossed, trying to distract all things from his mind. I believed only the most profound of them all could be in a Temple as this and not have their mind wander through the abstract dancing around him.
Maybe I'll try meditation one day.
Laos has to be one of the most beautiful places I've seen on earth. The breath-taking beauty of the mountains, the relaxing air, and the casual atmosphere are just a few things to point out. The clouds rolled over the mountains, leaving scattered shaded areas that accented every color of green, the sun burned my skin through the window as we twisted around the curves at a speed that made me need to hold on so I didn't end up on Sera's lap, and I couldn't help getting over how extraordinary this place really is. It's nothing like I've ever seen before, and living in the Alps with the snow-topped mountains just couldn't compare to the everlasting greenery that overtook every piece of soil. I thought about what it would be like to snowboard through the palm trees down a steep run, jumping creeks as they approached, maybe even trying to swing on a low branch or vine while I was at it. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t snow here though... so I lost all hope.

We’ll see how tubing through this beautiful scene turns out!