I am an introvert in the way that I find my energy back when I am alone. So I felt that I needed to be alone in a peaceful place. I needed to connect to myself, get as much sleep as I wanted and needed, and fill myself with a renewed energy.

I had booked a room at the Hotel Khamvongsa. And it was perfect. The room was so big and peaceful and fresh – it was like a small apartment – I had the feeling to settle in a palace !

Well. Peaceful – not all the time, I must say. There was a karaoke just in front of the hotel, and sometimes it was a bit noisy… I took it as a touch of local colour… ! And actually I thought people were singing quite well – it could have been much worse haha ! It was my lullaby. I was so tired anyway at night that I would fall asleep right away.

Ok. So this would be « home » for 3 days…

Lao people are really kind, and being alone in my hotel, the staff was really nice with me – booking hotels for me, letting me call the hospital, taking care of me for breakfast, smiling and laughing with me… they are quite playful and very joyous.

In the end they even asked me where I was going and what I was up to when I would leave the hotel !

 ……..

When I was in Paris preparing my project – I had no idea about what I would precisely do – I met many people to share with them about my project, get inspiration and wise advice.

One wonderful lady I met, who is a Happiness specialist, suggested me to reflect on a question that I thought was very relevant :

«  What part of yourself do you want to feel alive during this year ? »

Since then, I frequently ask myself this question.

On my first (strange) evening in Vientiane, I took time to think about that. And I thought that during my journey in Lao I wished to connect to my body and myself, and to live fully this friendship time.

No objectives. No Facebook. No skype meetings (only with my parents !).

Yoga, meditation, contemplation, reading, travelling with the girls. Living totally here and now. Being mindful in whatever I would do.

So that first night, I checked if there were yoga classes here in Vientiane.

And on my first morning, I went to a yoga class.

Bliss !

 ……..

Later that same day I realized that my eyelid (paupière) had been hurting for a few days and was now red and swollen (enflé). Something was wrong, really…

It became my priority !

So I went to the French Medical Center where the doctor told me that I had eyelid inflammation. He gave me drops.

My eye is OK now but I have decided that I would let my skin breathe freely !

Just as I realized at Plum Village that it was so hard not to eat sugar, I learnt how hard it was not to wear make-up.

It is hard for me to feel as good and as confident with no make-up at all. In my normal life I wear make-up every day – it is a ritual and a way to feel protected and confident.

Reflecting upon that, I see it as a form of social mask that we wear, related to the image we – consciously or not – want to have. Just as the way we dress, the way we do our hair, wear jewels…

This make-up story might seem superficial and mundane… I am sharing this because I feel that it is an important step in my path.

I value a lot authenticity and in a way, showing my skin and face with no make-up at all is a way to accept a form of vulnerability and be even more authentic.

Now it’s been many days and I am really getting used to it ! And it is so much quicker to get ready in the morning haha ! 😉

There is a temple in Vientiane where every Sunday afternoon the novice monks organize an open sharing and meditation time.

A French friend I met there brought me there – he goes there every week.

At first, we spoke with the novice monks in small groups.

The objective is to help them become better at English so that they are able to communicate more easily with foreigners.

We ask each other questions : I asked them questions about their daily life as novice monks, about Buddhist principles, about the difference between being a monk and a novice monk…

On their side they were curious to know what I was doing in France, where I had travelled…

After one hour, it was time for the meditation. 20 minutes of sitting meditation, 20 minutes of walking meditation (like in Plum Village !), and again 20 minutes of sitting meditation.

I must say I did not feel very mindful and concentrated that day… But meditation is about accepting one’s state of mind just the way it is, not judging oneself.

So my mind was wandering everywhere. And during the walking meditation I realized I was walking towards a big fire ! The smoke was stinging my eyes and it was not so good to breathe this air… ! It was time to turn around !

That same day in the evening I went to a barbecue where I met expatriates living in Vientiane. As the country is not economically very developed, expatriates mainly work in NGOs or international institutions (such as the UN).

When I travelled over the last years, I had been used to meeting expatriates working in business or finance, so this was a new universe for me ! Different backgrounds, different mindset, different stakes… Very different and very interesting.

I took a tuktuk to go to Moonlight Champa Hotel where I would meet Laurie and Marion !

Hotel Moonlight champa

Café Common grounded (great food and wifi to work)

JoMa Café (delicious veggie wraps and wifi)