Vientiane, Laos

VIENTIANE
There were two things I wanted to see in Vientiane - the Patuxai and the Great Sacred Stupa. From a distance the Patuxai looks like the Arc de Triomphe but up-close the temple-like ornamentation gives it a distinctly Lao flavour. Unlike the Parisian arch the Patuxai has four, rather than two, archways. It was built in the 1960s with US-purchased cement intended for the construction of a new airport - which has led some people to call it the 'vertical runway'. The fee for climbing to the top of the structure is only 1000 Kip (around 9c) and the views are well worth it. Most of the interior is barren except for the gift shop on the top two floors selling Beer Lao t-shirts and key chains. On the very top I found an old man selling old notes and coins so I stopped and completed my collection of Lao money.

The Patuxai, Vientiane

The view from the top of the Patuxai

Sadly, on the Thanon leading to the arch I watched as a motorbike turned in front of an approaching truck and was dragged under the front tyres for 50 meters. I kept my distance for a little while but as I slowly approached the wreckage the motorcycle driver and her female passenger were quickly taken away in the back of a rickshaw. Two unmatched sandals remained wedged under the motorbike but surprisingly there was little blood.

About 2km further north-east is the Great Sacred Stupa, a symbol of the Buddhist religion and Lao sovereignty, and the most important national monument. The current stupa was constructed in the 16th century on the site of a former Khymer monastery dating from the 11th century. It looks a little like a missile cluster from a distance but even under grey skies the golden spire shone brightly. The stupa is designed to be mounted by visitors who can walk around each level and up to the next. Each level contains Buddhist inscriptions which are to be contemplated as one takes the journey around and up the monument. The skies above me turned progressively darker so after half an hour I turned my back on the Great Sacred Stupa and began walking back across the courtyard to the main street.

The Great Sacred Stupa

TURNING AND WALKING AWAY
Slowly, images of the last 14 months flashed in my head. From Russia to China to Guatemala, Nepal and Sri Lanka I began reflecting on just where I had been and what I had achieved. After all this time, the Great Sacred Stupa in Laos would be the last thing I would see on this trip. My eyes welled up as I walked away, partly because I was saddened that the trip was coming to an end and partly because I had seen some of the most amazing sights that this planet has to offer - and it moved me. The world truly is an amazing place and it will never cease to amaze me.

HOMEWARD BOUND
My last night in Asia was a restless one. I was up late packing and by the time I lay down to sleep it was after midnight. I was up at 4am to shower before catching the 5am shuttle to the airport with a couple of other bleary eyed travellers. My first flight to Doha, Qatar was virtually empty. Most of us stretched out in the middle seats and slept but for most of the time I was tracking our progress over the Bay of Bengal, across India to the peninsular of Qatar. Landing in the brown dusty expanse of the desert kingdom could not have been more different from the lush green of monsoon Asia I had just left. I was barely at the airport an hour before boarding my next flight to Heathrow. The flight was much fuller but somehow I managed to secure a window and an aisle seat to myself.

My good friends Scooter (Scott) and his wife Jennifer had promised to collect me from Heathrow's Terminal 3 so I was particularly anxious to get off the plane. By the time I walked through the arrivals door I had been on the go for about 17 hours but I felt fresh and excited. I spotted Scooter and Jen and collapsed into their arms - relieved that I had done it. Around the world in 14 months without being robbed, mugged or losing anything that I couldn't replace. This was the end, but there was one more surprise.

On the walk to the car I saw a girl who at first I thought I met in Thailand a few weeks ago, but when I asked her she said that she had been teaching English in Sri Lanka for the past few months. As it turned out she was at the cricket test match in Kandy when I was there with Phil at the start of May. One last case of 'small world syndrome'.