Same Same but Different II

In the last two month I have spent more time outside Thailand than I have in the country...my travels have been wonderful but are bittersweet as I realize I have less than two weeks!
I spent 17 days traveling in Laos and Vietnam in early April. Followed by a wonderful visit from Kelly and Brian and the celebration of Songkran (Thai new year).
Laos was a beautiful country but reminded me a lot of my travels in Northern Thailand. We were on the go the entire 6 days in the country...biking around the capital, Vientiane, exploring the mysterious Plain of Jars on foot in Phonsovan and riding elephants along Nam Khan river in Luang Prabang.
The Plain of Jars are large stone jars, some the size of me, that are found in clusters on the hillsides near Phonsovan (kinda like Stonehenge). Their age and purpose are unknown, and their mysterious and somewhat errie nature matched that of the town. The three sights that are open to the public are really fascinating and offer spectacular views. The sixteen hour trip was well worth it as the sights are scattered among small villages...the ride out to the Jars was an awesome way to see the way traditional Lao people live.
Thirty-six hours on buses later we arrived in central Vietnam in a quaint-beach town called Hoi An. After our unexpectedly long journey it was wonderful to relax on the beach and take advantage of one tailor shop after another. Almost needed to buy another bag to leave the town.
Heading south, I crawled through the Vietcong tunnels outside of Ho Chi Mihn City and took a boat tour of the Mekong Delta.
Ho Chi Mihn City was such a lively and vibrant city! There are parks throughout the city that are occupied by locals at all hours of the day...women doing aerobics at the crack of dawn, men drinking ice coffees (the best I have ever had!) during lunch and young couples sitting on their motorbikes and hanging out at night.
I attended Easter Vigil Mass at the cathedral...the place was packed! We all held candles...which was beautiful...except for the fact that they would then turn off ALL the fans when the candles were lite and there is no AC! 500 people + no AC + 85 degree weather = my Easter sacrifice.
Definitely a really cool experience but I prefer the traditional McKellogg/Miller family Easter egg hunt and arriving at Easter Sunday church a hour and a half early to claim our seats in the air-conditioned splendor that we call St. Leos.
Kelly and Brian arrived the Easter Sunday...the same day I returned...and with them came the Thai New Year! Celebrated for three days straight, Thai people of all ages throw water on each all day everyday. We all had lots of fun celebrating considering everywhere you went you had to be prepared to get water poured on you! Kelly found it less than amusing by day 3! I had a fabulous time showing them around Bangkok and surrounding areas and was sad to see them go after 4 short days...they headed to the Phuket and I back to school!