Vientiane, Last Stop in Laos

March 21, 2008

My last stop in Laos was Vientiane, the capital city. It’s fairly small as capital cities go, just over 200,000 people. It really shows the French influence as well, from when Laos was a French protectorate. Much of the architecture looks French, and there are a lot of French restaurants around.

I hadn’t made an advance reservation, but I’d looked up a few places, and asked a tuk-tuk driver to take me to my first choice. He asked if I had a booking, and when I said no, he said they would be full. I had him take me there anyhow, and of course he was right and they were full. The drivers in Laos are much more likely to be honest than in other areas where I’ve been traveling. The place next door was full too, so I asked him if he knew a good place nearby. He took off, and we went around several corners and down a few blocks, then up an alley. I was wondering what kind of joint I was going to end up at, but the guesthouse was quite nice, so I took it for one night, figuring I’d find a place a bit closer the next day. Then I went out to look around, and after the manager showed me the pedestrian walkway next to the guesthouse, I discovered that I was only a block and half from my original choice. It was the one way streets that made the trip by tuk-tuk so long. They actually had a comfortable bed (hard beds appear to be the norm in Asia), so I stayed there for the three days I was in Vientiane.

I ran into a couple of people I’d met on the boat from Thailand to Luang Prabang, and one of the women from the cooking class. It’s funny how you meet people in different places, but the tourist areas can actually be relatively small. I joined up with Sally for a trip out to the Wat Pha That Luang, which is on the Lao currency.

The place to be in Vientiane is along the Mekong River for sunset. There’s quite a collection of bars and restaurants there, as well as hot air balloon rides, and a lot of locals riding up on their scooters.

There’s a tradition of removing your shoes before entering temples or people’s homes in much of Asia, but in Laos you must also remove your shoes before entering guesthouses and many places of business. Many shops have a shoe rack in front of them. Internet cafes usually have a heap of sandals piled up out front. Most local people wear flip-flops that are easy to kick off as they come to the door. I have a pair, but my feet would be in agony if I walked more than a few blocks in them, so I’m wearing sturdy Chaco sandals. They’re great, but they strap on firmly, and it gets annoying taking them off so frequently.

Posted in Laos