An unexpected Christmas in Laos

Thai Visas is the reason we were in Laos. My work permit finished on December 21st and Sean's tourist visa expired on the 23rd so we had to go to Laos. We thought we would make a vacation out of it. So after the Christmas celebration at Tai Church Bangkok, Sean and I hopped on a train and headed to Nong Kai (in the NE of Thailand). The train broke down and we had to wait about 2 hours. At this point we knew that we would not get to the Thai Embassy in time because they close at noon. We were upset but we thought we would just make the most of it. So we find a hotel and then go out for Indian food! Oh man it was so good!

This is the pic of the line that we had to wait in 2 times in the morning to give our passports and 2 times to pick up our passports! I will not tell you all the details of this process, just know that it was a very stressful experience and we did the best we could with the situations we were put in!

This is the Arc d'Triomphe in Laos. It is in the center of town and we passed it each time we went to the Thai Embassy! We walked up inside of it and took in the view! It was a great time! It is a beautiful part of the city!

So, Sean was in charge of this week. He was to research restaurants and hotels and all that stuff! He spent the past 2 years in Sweden and so when he was searching for places to eat he found a Scandinavian Bakery! We ate there 2 times and had great sandwiches and bagels and coffee! It was a great place for us to "Fika", as they say in Sweden! (It is their word for coffee break)

Another thing that Sean found as he was researching was a great salon that did hair and nails! So for Christmas, Sean gave me a pedicure! Which is one of my favorite things! Pedicures and Starbucks and I am a happy girl! It was a great way to relax as we were having a crazy time with the Embassy! There were lots of moments of love in the midst of such chaos! This was one of those moments! Sean also got a pedicure! Check out the pics to the right!

Because of some MAJOR visa problems, Sean and I got stuck in Laos for an extra day and that meant spending Christmas in Laos. We thought that we would be in Bangkok celebrating but we didn't get to do that. So on Christmas Eve, Sean took me to an amazing Italian food restaurant! We got dressed up and we ate for 2 or 3 hours! It was great, just like I like it! Appetizers, the main meal, and dessert! It was great! And the owner of the restaurant was awesome! We got to talk with him and hear his amazing story of how he got to Laos! He has been there for 16 years working this Italian restaurant! People have pretty amazing stories when we take time to listen!

On Christmas morning we had breakfast in my room and watched White Christmas! Then we went to the internet cafe to call Sean's family on Christmas Eve in CA, and then we went to the Thai Embassy to get his passport and then to the bus to the train and onto Bangkok! It was a bit crazy but even now I can look back and smile and say it was a good time!