An Asian Trails’ Day in the Life of …
An Asian Trails’ Day in the Life of …
Laetitia Law-Lai – General Manager, Asian Trails Laos
I have always considered myself lucky to live in Laos, in a country where we know how to “take the time”, the time to marvel at the bright colours of a sunset over the Mekong, to breathe in the fragrant scent of frangipani in the streets or to exchange a frank smile with my vegetable seller. But, never before have I understood so well all the reasons why I feel lucky and grateful living here.
Laos has been under lockdown for close to a month now. Knowing that such a measure was necessary (and expected) to limit the spread of the virus, I have to admit I dreaded somewhat its implementation: How long will it last? Does everyone will respect the measures? What about the food supply? Will we be able to keep our team involved and lines of communication open?
Contrary to my fears, it didn’t take long to all of us to get used to this “new life”. Why? Because resilience and serenity are engraved in the DNA of Laos and its inhabitants. The streets are empty, the shops, restaurants and cafés are closed, and even if a mask covers her face, I can still see the eyes of my vegetables’ seller smiling.
Teleworking was a new experience for many, but it has quickly shown much more benefits than inconvenient. We communicate more and more, about work, food, movies, cats; we organize e-team activities, e-training, e-learning, and… we allow ourselves time away from the screen for cooking, drawing, gardening, reading, and cooking again!
The fear of the virus is still on my mind, but I am going through this period with a certain serenity and patience now, with “a Laotian serenity and patience”. Tomorrow, our world will not be different – it’s a pandemic, not a miracle – but we will: our priorities, our lifestyle and our way of traveling will have changed. And I trust we will make our own contribution to make this world the place we would like to live in and to take the time to marvel at its beauty.
#StayHomeToday #TravelTomorrow
