Vietiane

Morning in Pull Mind Cafe

We pack up early and head to Pull Mind Cafe, our favourite hang out in Vang Vieng.

As usual, there are a bunch of tourists posing at the edge of the terrace. This time it is a group of middle aged Thai girlfriends. They are giggling a lot and hamming it up for the photos, at one point grabbing two single European gentlemen from a table for some togetherness shots. The whole time they are laughing and the guys are really good sports. Reminds me of my girlfriends.

Train to Vietiane

Too soon we head out to the railway station to catch the train to the capital, Vientiane. All luggage must be exrayed as you enter the station. They confiscate three aerosol containers we have packed: my dry shampoo, John’s deodorant and our bug spray. Apparently aerosols are prohibited on the train. Not sure why it got confiscated this time because there was no problem bringing it on the train getting here.

The bathrooms at the station are clean but like all public bathrooms that I’ve frequented in Laos, you need to bring your own toilet paper.

For some reason, we have been bumped up to first class. The seats are wider but not much else is different. It is an one hour trip to Vientiane.

Arriving at the station, we ask the taxi stand how much to our hotel which is in the city centre. It costs the equivalent of $2 CAD per person on the Tuk tuk truck. The taxi drivers want $15 each. I bargain and the price gradually drops to $7 CAD. Taxi drivers are the same all over…except maybe in Japan.

Day in Vietiane

There is not a lot to do or see in the capital, that is why we are only staying one night.

Vientiane is a big, busy, capital city. We pass the Patuxay Victory Monument. It is quite lovely; a mix of Laotian and French colonial architecture.

We check into our hotel and head out to explore the city. Things are a lot more expensive in the big city… and much busier.

We head to a restaurant for lunch before exploring the riverwalk. We check out the King Anouvong Statue.

Walking the streets we notice that there is a mishmash way of organizing power lines into huge clumps above the road.

Streets are a bit challenging to manage. Often cars are parked on the sidewalks or there are holes to circumnavigate, not to mention the odd pile of dog poop thrown in for good measure.

Wat Si Muang

We head Wat Si Muang which is believed to be the home of Vietiane’s guardian spirit. The temple area is filled with locals, monks and tourists. Young monks walk past mystical beasts glowing golden in the late afternoon sun.

Worshippers in the temple go through rituals with monks. There are offerings given to many of the figures. One Buddha has a whole collection of lit cigarettes at his feet. I can only guess at the meaning.

What That Khao

Wat That Khao, only a seven minute walk away, is a total contrast to the liveliness of Wat Si Muang. We are the only beings around except for numerous dogs and chickens. There is an air of disrepair, almost abandon, which lends its own type of beauty.

Evening in Vietiane

We take a break at the hotel before heading out to a nearby restaurant called Khop Chai Deu. It looks inviting and we strike up a conversation with another couple (Americans living in France) checking out the menu.

We sit together with Olivia (a romance writer) and her charming husband, Richard. Richard and I both order the crickets fried in camphor lime leaves as appetizers: crispy like potato chips. Only issue is the cricket legs get caught in your teeth. We order more “normal” main courses. Lovely atmosphere, good music and good food. I highly recommend this restaurant.

The four of us continue the evening by checking out the Nan Phu Fountain before heading to the night market. After experiencing the night market in Luang Prabang, this one was a disappointment. The merchandise stalls were more like a flea market and there were only a few food vendors.

We walk through streets filled with restaurants lit up for the evening.
We say goodnight to our new friends and head back to the hotel. I had to do a lot of flossing to get all the cricket legs out of my teeth.