Laos 1

Has it really been five days since I've blogged? This speaks measures about the wonderous country of Laos I have been mesmerized with for five days. I spent my last evening in Hanoi indulging in another fine Indian meal at a locals Indian restaurant up the street from my Hotel; the Hanoi Sheraton. Clearly the closer one gets to India the better the Indian food is. The further one gets from the US, the cheaper it is. I paid 8 dollars for a 3 course meal.

Transiting from Vietnam to Vientiane, the sleepy capital of Laos, was painless. No prior Visa was necessary and was able to purchase on arrival in Laos for $35.00 U.S. Vietnam, by contrast, requires you arrange your Visa prior to arrival.

I changed my original plan which was to see Vientiane in a day and then spend 4 leisurely days in Luang Prabang. This changed when I met another traveler, an older Irish guy hanging out in a backpacker's pub in Hanoi, who raved about Vientiane. I booked two nights in Vientiane with the remaining 3 nights in LP.

Hotels proved easy to find at the last minute as I had made no reservation in Vientiane. $70.00 US got me the "4 star" Lao Plaza Hotel, the only true business traveler's hotel in the City. For the shoestring traveler $70.00 a night was expensive for Vientiane. If you don't require the trappings of a business hotel, there are all sorts of options. I recommend highly, Agoda, an Asian based internet booking service, which had far and away the most competitive rates. Cheaper, even, than the hotel's websites, which is a rarity.

Vientiane, can hardly be called a city, let alone a capital city. This had to be the sleepiest capital in the world. It's more of large village with some of the trappings of a city. All of the action converges in one very small quarter of the City where most of the sites and all of the traveler's resources lay. Everything is easily walked.

The City lies on the Mekong River, which winds down from China, through Laos and ends in Vietnam. The river is the lifeblood of the city. Most of the cities sites and resources are blocks from the river, though the largest site, the majestic That Luang is a bit of a hike, but well worth it.

Surprisingly the tourist quarter had excellent resources. Cozy restaurants and cafes and very modern markets all within a few square blocks provide all you need in Vientiane. If you can't walk it there are dozens of very eager Tuk Tuk drivers everywhere willing to take you for a ride for a couple of bucks. When I say a couple of bucks I do mean a couple.

My hotel was adequate. It had everything I needed. A semi Western King Size bed, blasting air conditioning which is very important in steamy Vientiane. First, it gets quite sticky here during the day. The midday sun can be quite brutal. The A/C is soothing to come back to cool off in. It also helps fend off.....mosquitoes. This is a good thing since Laos is indicated for Malaria and you do require Malaria precautions here.

Wireless internet in the room was a bonus and cost little extra. It allowed me to upload my images at night and stay connected at home. Unfortunately this is not the case here in LP where I am blogging in an internet cafe.

The cities sites consist of the monastic buddhist Wat's which are spread out throughout the tourist quarter. These awe inspiring monuments are both religious shrines and home to many young buddhist monks who you will find all over Laos. Laos is a deeply buddhist country and takes it's buddhism seriously. This is reflected in the splendor and glory of the well maintained yet very ancient Wat's.

Laos's largest Wat is the monsterous That Luang. This super sized golden Wat is on the opposite side of the City from the river. I made the mistake of making the trip by foot. The distance was substantially further than the rudimentary map provided by the hotel. While the distance wasn't so bad, the heat was. The city is cool and cloudy in the moring. Jackets are fine. Yet by midday all the clouds burn off and the city cooks a bit. You cant get enough shade and water. I made the trek around 11am when the weather was cool. By 12 the sun was killing me. I made it nonethless and it was well worth it. It's a beauty.

There are a few museums to see but nothing really remarkable. Laos is a very poor country and its resources are very limited. One thing I found particularly interesting was I have yet to see a policeman in this country. Nor a gun. I saw one guard in the aiport with a Kalishnikov, but that has been it. I think this is a reflection of a few factors, one being lack of governmental resource, and the other being that the people here are just so damn peaceful.

You really can't find a nicer, sweeter people on Earth. If you can, I haven't found them yet. One never feels unease at any time or really in any place here. I wandered through plenty of local neighborhood's and markets and I received nothing but smiles and warm "saibadee"'s, or hello in Lao. No overly zealous hawkers or beggers. Even the tuk tuk drivers, who abound, are polite and smile even when you turn down their services, which one must do often.

Days end in Vientiane at the river for the most remarkable red and orange sunsets. Everyone converges there and ends their respective day watching the sun set behind the river. Then its off to unwind for a meal or a cocktail at some lazy joint along the river or in the quarter. The town is a quiet one, so all real activity in the city is done by 11 pm.

After two enjoyable days in Vientiane it was off on the very spotty Lao Airline for the jewel of all Southeast Asia; Luang Prabang.

Of to pack for Cambodia. Hope to be able to update photos from there. Can't do it here. : (