So… leaving Cambodia was very sad because of all the amazing places and experiences we had with the beautiful Khmer people. The two days coming up to the flight to Laos were very chilled back, with lots of swimming in Kep and exploring the French ruins in Bokor National Park, but even then we were given free time to roam around the casino ruins and really reflect on the killing fields. Then on the day we were due to leave Cambodia, we needed to take a three and a half hour bus ride back to Phnom Penh. When we got to the airport we had to wait an hour and twenty minutes to check in our baggage, before leaving later on the our flight.
Landing in Laos was quiet exciting considering the fact that everyone has been so focused on Cambodia. But when we all walked out of the baggage claim in Vientiane and seeing the big banner that said “group St Leonard’s” with our new tour guide, Mr Joy standing in front of it with the biggest smile on his face. When we got on the bus and headed towards the hotel, it was very dark and we couldn’t see a lot of the beautiful country that is Laos. Waking up in the hotel and opening up our curtains we got our first glimpse of Laos. We then hopped back on the magnificent bus to take a short site seeing trip around the city. We saw the 18th century temple of Wat Si Saket, where the group took part in a ritual, which involved walking around the temple 3 times while holding an orange flower and incense. It was a great experience to take part in the ritual. We then all continued onto the Independence Victory gate, which we climbed with great determination to the top and had a 360 birds eye view of Vientiane, the capital city. Then it was back on the fabulous bus for a 4 hour trip to Vangvieng, a small town that is very popular with tourist.
Looking at the two counties in comparison to each other, Laos seems like a more stable and cleaner country. It seems like this not only because the people are more organised in their way of doing things, but more care is taken of the environment and how the land is used. In contrast, Cambodia is a country that has suffered multiple wars and this has impacted on the country more strongly. We are all doing well and really looking forward to what tomorrow holds for us.
Holly Huljak and Felix Drescher