Six days and counting

6 days and counting! Back to Southeast Asia on January 21, 2010. RDU – LAX – PNH – VTE on January 21, 2010.

Why is this a big deal? Because in May of 1975, I left Vientiane in the last days of the conflict in Southeast Asia, without having the chance to say goodbye. The ghosts lingered for years. I was fortunate to have attended the ASV reunion in Phoenix in 1995 and the reunion in Washington DC in 1998. I backed out of the October 2000 reunion back in Laos due to the political issues but had dinner in Bangkok with those travelling to Laos. In 2006, I had a brief, but private, opportunity to return. Travelling with two wonderful friends, I found Vientiane much the same as when we left. The people were as friendly as ever and remarkably the city felt much the same despite the 31 years, 1 month, 19 days, and about 11 hrs that passed since I left Wattay airport on May 23, 1975.

In just a few days, some of us lucky enough to have lived in Laos, will gather in Vientiane, due to the incredible efforts of Lloyd Coleman, to relive and remember the sights, sounds, smells and memories of our days in the “Kingdom of a Million Elephants.” Stayed tuned!!!