Vientiane

The Laotian capital, Vientiane was the first place we had seen in Laos which resembled a Western city (ignoring the tuk tuks and mopeds that made every traffic light look like a Moto GP starting grid). We planned only a short stay to see the highlights before travelling onwards to Vietnam, but unfortunately for the first time on our trip, things didn’t quite go according to plan, as we faced Coronavirus challenges on our way out.

Everything started out well and at a relaxed pace. Near to our hotel on the first night we found a local dinner spot without issue, before a short walk to see That Dam Stupa (yes, the name is the primary reason we wanted to see it).

There were two main sights on the agenda for our only full day in the city: Buddha Park (a little out of town) and Patuxai Monument. With temperatures nearing 40 degrees, Vientiane was seriously warm. We were grateful to be able to travel around the city on comfortable air conditioned buses that were on par with Western public transport.

Buddha Park

There were of course numerous temples around the city as well. However, we were becoming a little templed out so we opted to stick to our relaxed pace sightseeing and only visit temples if on our route. Buddha park is home to hundreds of religious statues, scattered by the Mekong River. Among the statues is a reclining Buddha, something resembling a Mayan ruin and a giant pumpkin-esque structure which you can enter via the mouth of a demon.

There are three levels inside representing Heaven, Hell and Earth, along with a viewpoint on top for those nimble enough to squeeze up the narrow stairways.

Night Market

Back in the city, the night market was setting up. Though we had seen numerous markets in South East Asia already, the atmosphere of the night markets is always enjoyable, so we decided to stick around.

We purchased two of the most enormous frozen fruit drinks we had seen and found entertainment watching an aerobics class take place in the park!

We opted to try the famous Lao sandwich (Khao jji paa-te) with some local sugar cane juice for dinner. The sandwich wasn’t too bad, but it was far more spicy than the rave reviews made it out to be. And the drink… Well, not sure what we expected there to be honest. It was a bit like how we imagine sugar would taste if mixed with some grass trimmings. Interesting, but not a patch on our fruit frappes from earlier.

Patuxai Monument

We opted to see Patuxai Monument early the next morning before our flight. Patuxai is a memorial to those who fought for independence from France. We found this ironic considering how similar it looks to the Arc de Triomphe from a distance. Though up close, the decorations are very much Lao in style.

Satisfied with what we had seen on our short itinerary in Vientiane, we headed to the airport. By this point, the coronavirus had been declared a pandemic. Though we had heard rumblings of countries becoming more vigilant, nothing had affected our travels so far beyond the odd health questionnaire and body temperature screening. But that was all about to change.

Coronavirus Challenges

Thankfully the two of us remain in good health, but as went to the airport counter to check in for our flight, we were told we would not be allowed to board. When we asked why, we were informed that the Vietnam visa waiver program was being suspended for citizens of 8 European countries, including the UK, beginning the 12th of March. Guess which date we were scheduled to fly…

Mariya already had an approved visa and the desk staff informed us that James could still apply for one, but we knew we wouldn’t make the flight that day. On the plus side, the airport staff were understanding and gave us the option of changing our departure date for a small fee. So we remained hopeful that a visit to the Vietnamese Embassy would resolve the issue.

Alas, it was not meant to be. Neither the embassy, nor the eVisa department were willing to issue visas to UK citizens for the foreseeable future. We tried to explain that we had been in South East Asia since January, before the virus even came to the UK, but we were met with the same response. What was most frustrating was the fact that we had both been to the exact same countries over the two months prior, yet due to the country on the front of our passports, Mariya would be allowed to cross the border and James would not. Even more ridiculous was the guy in line before us. With his UK passport he was denied the visa. But when he pulled out his Australian passport he was approved right away. Nothing changed, just the country named on that wee booklet we all have to carry.

Well, bollocks.

This had us questioning a lot of things. Where would we go instead? What would happen to all of our flight and hotel bookings? Would other countries impose further entry restrictions? And perhaps most importantly, were we being irresponsible by travelling during this time at all?

We spent another night in Vientiane to mull things over and decide what our next steps should be. And eat some comfort food as well, of course…

Our previous 10 days had been spent in Laos, a country with no reported cases of coronavirus whatsoever. Apart from a bunch of empty hotels and a quiet tourism industry, it was business as usual. We had plenty of time left on our Lao visa, but we felt a bit of a cloud hanging over us as we had completed our planned itinerary and were meant to be somewhere new. This was all psychological of course, but we felt it was time to move on.

After much discussion and debate, we decided on Cambodia. Cambodia was always on our itinerary, but we chose to visit early rather than picking somewhere completely new for a few reasons. Primarily, there were limited places we could fly to from Vientiane. We were also worried we might not get into Cambodia if we left it too late. Plus, we hadn’t spent enough time researching alternative destinations. So it seemed only logical; we would just need to reschedule our hotel and transport bookings there (but those were fairly inexpensive).

We’ve been asking ourselves if it’s irresponsible to travel at a time like this. Usually the discussion concludes that wherever we go, UK or abroad, it’s risky. We’ve heard that Europe has become the epicentre of the virus, so for the time being it actually sounds like we’re safer here in South East Asia, where until recently there have been very few cases. But with no sure fire way to know you’ve got the virus until you show symptoms, the only way to truly prevent the spread would be to isolate everyone on earth for a few weeks. Which sounds like an impossible situation…

At this point, the only thing that’s taking a hit personally are our finances. Our insurance sadly won’t cover coronavirus related claims on new bookings so we aren’t planning too far ahead, but for the time being we will continue with our trip. We’re aware the situation can change overnight though, so we’re keeping a close eye on the news. Of course we’re also aware that there are a lot of people more vulnerable than us, so we are mentally prepared to self isolate should we become unfortunate enough to catch coronavirus. But with more deaths from flu, malaria and a whole host of other diseases each day, we aren’t too concerned about the virus itself; more so the reaction of the media. So let’s wash our hands and see what happens next…