Being in Laos and losing my grandfather left me in an interesting place in terms of the grieving process. This was the first time that I’ve lost someone and not been surrounded by family and friends who know me well. But I was incredibly lucky, in that the ‘Travel Family’ I referred to earlier, they were the best thing I could have asked for. From when I found out until I saw the one of them on my last day in Asia, this group of people replaced my family in my time of need.
In Vang Vieng, this group of people did the following: one comforted me while I lay on my bed and sobbed as I haven’t since childhood., the others offered to bring me food and drink, they all kept me company, and they also kept me traveling. When I say that they kept me traveling, I mean that I wasn’t left to mourn alone in my room, not in that they convinced me to stay in Laos. We biked to the Blue Lagoon outside Vang Vieng, then we wandered the night markets and restaurants of Luang Prabang. If left to my own devices, I honestly might have packed up and gone home, or else holed up in a room somewhere, not seeing the things I traveled halfway around the world to see. So in that capacity I owe them my trip. I owe them that I made it through the rest of South East Asia and currently Australia. So, to these people, you know who you are, and thank you.
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