Soooo...my purse was stolen from my bungalow/chalet in Vang Vieng, Laos in the middle of the night when I hopped out for 5 minutes to use the bathroom. Passport, credit cards, money, camera, memory sticks, and notebook have vanished! But everything is OK and as always, I'm OK. :)
As with any situation, it's always the people around you that make or break you. I was completely blessed by meeting three amazing Australian guys from Melbourne (I loved Melbourne already, but even more more so now...) on the bus ride down from Luang Prabang, Laos. We were initially on the same minivan that took us to the local bus station, but ended up on separate buses for the 6 hour journey through beautiful, windy mountain roads of which I have no pictures to show for. I chatted them up at one of the longer rest stops and ran into them later that night in a bar and drank with them all night. After climbing the second day, I met up with them for drinks again and it was later that night which my purse was stolen. Although I had only known them for about 2 days, when I told them about the situation the next morning, without any hesitation, they helped me with passport research, telephone calls, and paid for my meals, drinks and guesthouses for the next 2 days until we got to Vientiane, Laos. Goran, Dave, and Adrian are my saviors in so many ways and words could not express how grateful I am to have met them. Despite being identityless and slightly loss, I felt that everything really was going to be OK. It doesn't hurt that they are absolutely hilarious, have Australian accents, and aren't too bad on the eyes (ha!). Since I couldn't do anything until I got to the US Embassy in Vientiane, we even went tubing later that afternoon and had an awesome time. They had to leave yesterday morning, but Dave left me a generous amount of cash which I'll be meeting him in Phuket to return. I'm really looking forward to sitting on a beach and doing absolutely nothing, but need to venture through Siem Reap first.
Regarding Laos police...they are not open on weekends! Thus, my incident happened on Saturday and I could not report it because there was a handwritten sign on the door that said "Today Closed". Since I didn't want to stay in Vang Vieng on my own, I went to Vientiane with the guys on Sunday. I spent all yesterday walking miles around Vientiane (because I'm stubborn and refuse to pay for a tuk-tuk).
Some stats from yesterday and today:
Weather: 90 F and humid as hell
Miles walked: 5
Statements written: 3
Tourist police visits: 2
US Embassy visits: 2
Immigration police visits: 2
Laos Ministry of Foreign Affairs visits: 2
(None of them are in the same building or even on the same block...)
Number of times berated by officials about being careful: countless
Feeling inside after having my new passport in hand: F***ing PRICELESS!
I wanted to hug and kiss the US Consular office associate when he handed me the passport, but instead I asked him for his name and said, "Thank you so much Pavong! It feels so good to have an identity again, and as much as I like you right now, I hope I NEVER have to see you again." A massive, ridiculous smile was also included.
Mosquitoes: 37 Nancy: 5
(Got eaten alive in Vang Vieng, and despite all of this, it's still an absolutely gorgeous place)
Hugs,
N
