As the end of February approached I had been in Thailand for nearly three months. It was strange feeling like I had already done so much in three months and yet the time had flown by. It also meant that my 90 day visa was about to expire and I had to delve into the complicated and confusing process of going on a visa run. 

When your current visa expires you have to leave the country and then apply for a new visa at the consulate outside of the country you need a visa for. It can be quite stressful but it’s also an exciting opportunity to travel more! I got a couple excused absences from school and headed for Vientiane, Laos. I got all my paperwork in order and thanks to information and advice from my coworkers I handed in my visa application at the consulate without a hitch. My new visa wouldn’t be ready until the afternoon on the following day so that meant it was time to explore! 

Vientiane is located right on the Mekong River, which forms the border between Thailand and Laos, so I started by walking down to gaze across the water at the country I currently call home. The water was nice but it was a hot day so I moved on and wandered the streets(strategically walking wherever there was shade). Vientiane is a fairly small city but with immense beauty. There were temples and statues in the historic district and the architecture revealed the influence of the French colonization(not to mention the street carts that sold baguettes! Yes, bread!). Later that afternoon I went to a sculpture park with a couple people I had met at the hostel pool. It was wonderful to meet fellow travelers and hear about some of the places they’ve been, adding to my mental list of future destinations. A group of us headed to the market, ate some dinner and spent the night hanging at bars then joining some Laos people for drinks. 

The next day I picked up my visa and then rather than stay in Laos for the weekend I made my way to Udon Thani in Thailand to see the famed Red Lotus Lake. My friend accompanied me and after we arrived we went to a festival that the hostel owner had recommended. There we wandered, ate, did a bit of shopping, took a spin on a carnival ride and then headed back because we had to get up early for the journey to the lake. It is best to go to the lake in the early morning because that is when the lotus flowers bloom and it was well worth the lost sleep. We arrived and hired a boat to take us out onto the lake and we were quickly surrounded by the bright pink flowers and floating pads. Once again the natural world left me speechless. Photos could not justly show the beauty and serenity of this place(but I took them anyway). My friend left after we returned from the lake and I spent the rest of the day exploring a park, getting a massage, eating dinner at a night market and then I headed home the next morning. 

Going to get a new visa seemed like it would be a business trip but I was able to turn it into a nice mini vacation. I felt invigorated after exploring a couple new cities and doing some solo traveling, without the purpose of meeting up with friends but for the sake of experiencing a wonder of the world. I will definitely be making the most of my next visa vacation.