A driver took us to our new home straight from the Vientiane airport on Aug. 1. When Mr. Lamon pulled open the huge metal gate, the wildly overgrown yard distracted us momentarily from the two-storey French Colonial home. He unlocked the side door and beckoned us inside, where we found a layer of dust blanketing the vinyl furniture and hardwood floors. Gecko poo dotted the white walls, and the kitchen counters and cabinets showed signs of rodent infestation. Ant trails criss-crossed nearly every surface. Upstairs, dirt filled all the nooks and crannies of the rattan beds and night stands. The built-in closets and drawers of the four bedrooms were desperately in need of a good scrubbing.
As our spirits sank, our new superintendent Steve Alexander popped in and cursed a bit. The landlady had promised to clean up the house and yard, he said. He placed a few calls, and before long a cleaning crew showed up. Their efforts made the house habitable in the short run, but we knew a lot more elbow grease was needed before our shipment arrived. Luckily for me, Tony suffered terrible insomnia for the first week, so he whiled away the hours mop in hand while I enjoyed Ambien-induced slumber.
After just three days, the movers delivered our shipment – 124 boxes! We happily replaced the landlady’s furniture and began setting up our home. Slowly, it’s coming together. Tony fixed a stopped up shower drain, assembled several shelves and took down two hideous light fixtures. The permanent shower rod was installed too high, so water splashed under the shower curtain and all over the bathroom, but I solved that problem by purchasing a spring rod and installing it a bit lower. I also came up with the brilliant plan of covering the front door with a Turkish kilim (and using the kitchen door exclusively) to open up the living room space. Every day, we get the house a little more organized, a little more decorated. Today, I woke up and went downstairs for breakfast without having to move anything out of my path. Progress!
Any idea how to make the captions show up? If you’re interested, click on the photos to go to flickr.com.
Yay! Glad to see you’re settling in so quickly and relatively easily. Must bookmark this blog.
Wow, it really looks astonishing outside. And after some Sharon / Tony magic I am sure also the insides will be stunning. It really reminds me of Brazil (your neighborhood) those muddy streets are exactly like the ones on the coast.
ok, LOVING the big house, all non-cleaning issues at the start aside. looks like it will be grand once it’s all set. 🙂
I have enjoyed keeping up with your news Sharon. I can’t see your photos but that’s not unusual for China at the moment. We have no Facebook, no twitter, no blogspot…the list goes on. Keep on posting. We MISS you. It’s not the same with out you just down the hall 🙁
Nice house, Shaz! You guys will have it in ship-shape in no time. It looks like Tony lost more weight. Looking good, Tonay!
Woohoo
I so love Vientiane, looks a lot like I remember it still.
So excited to finally make contact with you, miss you and Coll ( and the boys) a lot at school…see a Tony-look-alike constantly.
Can’t wait to visit…
Love the Power People