DAY: 35
LOCATION: Vientiane

The de-infestation failed. I lost round two of the mosquito battle, waking up with a swollen eye. At first I thought I was having an allergic reaction, but lo and behold it was a bite on my eyelid. The puffy sack itched like crazy, but touching it hurt. Wahhh. At least I wasn’t going to set, or waking up next to Levi.

Google informed me that ice might help, so I went up to breakfast and asked for some ice cubes. While I nursed my broken eye, the two guido guys from the pool sat down at the table across from me.

“Are you okay?” One of them asked me.

“Oh yeah, I just got bit by a mosquito on the eyelid,” I replied. “Those little bastards. Is your room full of them too?”

Theirs wasn’t, but they commiserated in my pain with their bad hangovers. They were on vacation from Italy, which for them meant ten days straight of partying.

“Not much to do here. We...

DAY: 34
LOCATION: Vientiane

Much to my chagrin, a battle raged during the wee hours of the morning – Amy vs. the Mosquitos. The count? Me: 5 awful welts, them: 4 soldiers down. In other words, nobody was winning.

I got to breakfast right as it opened at 6am, in time to watch the sunrise with my mini bananas, papaya, and dragon fruit. The coffee was instant with no alternative milks offered (surprise!), so I passed. Anyway, there were a few cafes that looked worth checking out in town.

After being assured by the front desk that they would take care of the infestation in my room, I went sightseeing. The best thing about going early AF on a weekend is no crowds. Like, not a single person admiring the Patuxai war monument, with its exquisite ceiling and world peace gong, or That Luang Tai Temple, with its famous golden stupa. The tourists were still asleep and the locals were all at...

DAY: 33
LOCATION: Luang Prabang to Vientiane

My journey to Vientiane started off bumpy. First, the tuk tuk driver showed up 15 minutes late, which had me checking my phone the whole three miles to the bus depot. Next, he tried to double charge me. Grrr. Finally, the VIP bus I’d bought the ticket for was overbooked, so they refunded me a few bucks and put me on the regular sleeper. Needless to say, I was a grumpy camper.

Thankfully, I managed to get a window seat near the front, which brightened my spirits. One of the main reasons I’d opted for the bus instead of flying was to see the stunning countryside (“do not miss this!!!” –random Yelper). I settled into the sardine-like compartment, playing peak-a-boo with the adorable Laotian baby across from me.

It took 30 minutes to get on the road, but once we did I knew what the Yelper was talking about. The landscape morphed from plush...

DAY: 31
LOCATION: Luang Prabang

I got to Utopia Yoga Round Two right when it started at 6:30am. There were more yogis than before, so I had to place my mat off of the main deck space. The practice was just as fulfilling and the ambience still mystical, but the separation in space set the tone for the day.

After a breakfast of coconut pancakes and jackfruit, I sorted out my bus ticket to Vientiane the next day. I opted for the VIP Sleeper bus, a few dollars more for a reclined seat and included lunch. Seemed worth it, especially since it would be a ten hour trip.

While I figured the boys would be in bad shape, I waited until I heard from them to venture out for the day. Part of me really wanted to hear their hang over stories. Austin messaged me around 9. Sure enough, they were “hurting bad.” He was barely conscious and Jordan was going back to sleep. We agreed to touch base later.

...

DAY:30
LOCATION: Luang Prabang

When I was only a year old, my family moved to Bangkok. My parents were doing humanitarian work while I was gnawing on chair legs and making best friends with Cabbage Patch dolls. While I don’t remember any of the time we lived there, I do remember visiting Thailand several times throughout my youth, tagging along on business trips for the import company my parents started. And I especially remember the smells and tastes, some wonderful, some awful, but all exotic and distinct.

Like coconut pancakes. These creamy, silver-dollar sized pillows of goodness were a street food favorite, and, happily, vegan. They also happened to be sizzling in a special cast iron pan at the morning market right outside my hotel. Oh decadent day! I bought two banana leaves worth (10 pancakes total) and indulged with a cup of coffee on the patio. I felt like a kid again...

DAY: 29
LOCATION: Luang Prabang

With seven billion humans on this planet all at wildly different stages of development, a global utopia indeed feels like a far off dream. But a miniature one – say, 20 yogis practicing in the morning mist over the Nam Khan River- is well within reach.

While my yoga experiences in Australia had been wonderful, they couldn’t quite compete with the atmosphere at Utopia. Taking place on an open air patio at 6:30am, the chill foggy air played with one’s consciousness. Am I awake? Am I dreaming? Is this nirvana? Each sun salutation felt exalted, each bird of paradise a lift-off into the next realm.

I floated back the long way to my hotel, my heart chakra full to bursting. How was it possible to feel so filled with love and appreciation? Not that Luang Prabang was all that hard to love, with its hidden away temples, lush hillsides, and charming...

DAY: 28
LOCATION: Hanoi, Luang Prabang

I spent my last morning in Vietnam taking care of business. And by business, I mean getting a refund for the return ticket on China Airlines I would no longer be using. This process was not as easy as it seems. I needed to be there in person to present my passport, and the office had been closed until today for the holiday. But even then, the matter wasn’t fully resolved, and I was told I’d be receiving an email once it had been looked over. Always a pleasure dealing with bureaucracy.

At the airport Levi sent me a photo – an Amazon package containing my book. My stomach flipped inside out. What was I afraid of? Him seeing how easily I fell in love with guys? Him not liking my writing or finding me silly? Or maybe it was something even deeper, something I couldn’t quite access yet, something I needed to meditate on in the plane…

Nope. The...

DAY: 27
LOCATION: Hanoi, Ha Long Bay

The passenger van picked me up at 8am from the same street corner the Uber had dropped me off. Hang walked me there to make sure I found it, insisting on buying me a half dozen oranges from a street vendor. She was so adorable and sweet – I wanted to pack her in my suitcase and take her with me.

The guide had us do introductions, stating our names and countries. There were about ten of us total, hailing from Thailand, Portugal, China, Finland, Vietnam. He gave us a brief rundown on our day and some history on Vietnam, and then left us in silence to observe the countryside rushing past.

The scenery alternated between rice fields and villages, but not the kind of quaint, traditional ones you see on postcards. These were the ones built up around highways, with dirty cement buildings and clothing and tire stores sporting Coca-Cola banners. The...

DAY: 26
LOCATION: Hanoi

My early morning routine meant that I was up in time to meet Jo, an Australian ex-pat, teacher, and Hang’s business partner. She’d been in the city for seven years, and while there were things that frustrated her, particularly the traffic and noise, she loved living in Vietnam. She gave me a rundown on Hanoi’s museums, neighborhoods to explore, restaurants, and coffee shops before leaving for school.

Her first suggestion was a morning stroll through Thong Nhat Park. None of the cafes she mentioned were open yet, so I hit a nearby Starbucks before my walk. I felt guilty patronizing the corporate mermaid, but I was kinda sorta really craving a soy latte, and believe it or not very few places in Vietnam had alternative milks.

Big mistake. It was hands down the worst latte I’d ever had - worse even than those cappuccino machines in car dealerships. The myth that...

DAY: 25
LOCATION: Phu Quoc, Hanoi

My flight wasn’t until 1:50pm, so I had plenty of time to enjoy the morning. I took my cup of coffee down to the beach, ate a hearty breakfast, and got packed before heading out for one more massage.

I wanted to visit the women at the end of the beach again, the ones I’d told I’d come back, but unfortunately I didn’t have that much time. I opted for a masseuse nearer to my hotel, who was just finishing setting up her table. If I ever get another car accident settlement, maybe I’ll invest it in a lifetime of massages next time instead of travel, I thought as she worked on my back.*

Relaxed and happy, I got to the airport at noon. This was about an hour early for such a small and efficient airport, but I was taking no chances after HCMC. Anyway, I’d rather be reading Propaganda by Jacques Ellul and munching on dried mango then tearing my hair out in...