Chris' Travels

Day 47 - WOW, I'm in Laos! (Vientiane)

Well this post has taken some getting round to! I've been in Laos since Wednesday (that's the day after boxing day for anyone that's been celebrating Christmas) and it's a great great Place. Vientiane where I am is the capital city. It's got 200,000 people in and is so chilled out it's brilliant. I didn't like it on the first day because it seemed a bit slow, but I've grown to love the place.

Day 43. Firstly before I start I've got a confession. I'm pretty sure this wasn't day 43. BUT it appears I've counted wrong somewhere, and I don't as I don't thing anyone really cares I'm just going to continue from here. It makes more sense.
So with that off my chest: I'd spent Christmas day relaxing in Nong Khai. What I hadn't realized when I wrote the last post I'd booked myself into Hippy central. I'm glad I had. It was a great place to chill, but almost everyone there was on a yoga course, or meditation course, and was on the general course of expanding their mind with whatever they could. I didn't really mind. It was good to laugh at their beards (men and women) over dinner. It also allowed me some "me" time as I wasn't particularly interested in discussing how I should learn to bend both my leg over my head.
It also gave me time to.....go shopping. Not to a local market this time......BUT....TO TESCO!!!! I'd not been in a supermarket since I left the UK. Only small spar type shops and cool Thai/Malay Markets. I didn't realize the tesco trip would be as joyful as it was. I only really needed some super glue to fix my shoe. I ended up spending an hour wandering around the shop. I loved it. I came out with lots of stupid things. Not because I needed them in anyway, just the whole supermarket thing got a little too exciting. Never has anyone enjoyed tesco's quite like I did I doubt.
Then I headed off to a sculpture park. Without all the history, Some guy from Laos moved here and started making sculptures of Buddhist and Hindu God's and things and the (hippy) guy at the guest house told me "not to miss it (man)" so I didn't. Its was weird.

This guy has made HUGE concrete scluptures. I didn't understand what any of it meant, or who the figures were, but it was a sight. You can't really see from the photos but the big sculptures here are 8 stories high, no jokes. This guy took his concrete seriously. I did learn two important things.

Tennis is a Buddhist activity.



Banana boats were popular way before they appeared on the Costa Del blah.


The below is the famous religious scene where a concrete Dog, in a pack of dogs rides a Moped Chasing after a large concrete elephant.



Then it was off to book shop to stock up. I'd finished my last book a few days ago and felt a little empty, So I got some grown up books, had amazing Thai food for dinner and listened to the enlightened ones chatting. So that was Basically Nong Khai finished. In the morning I was off to country number three. I'd heard good and bad reports about Laos. I was going to find out for myself.

Day 44.
Fired up on banana pancakes and rocket fuel coffee, I made a dash for the border. It didn't take long to get there considering I'd been looking over the Mekong at Laos from the guest house for the last two days. It took 2 hours to clear Thai and Laos borders. 2 Minutes at the Thai, 1 hour and 58 At Laos, the other side of the "friendship bridge". No probs, hoped in a taxi, and got straight to downtown Vientiane. Got a guest house (2 pounds a night and its good!) and went for a wander. At first it seemed just too slow. By the river there's a collection of open air restaurants cafes, etc, and people sitting there drinking coffee, or the legendary Beer Lao (the best in S. E. Asia some say) and generally engaging in cafe culture. I wasn't convinced. I got some food, sat by the river as the sun set and dug into my new book papillon.


I had a beer Lao and can officially report it tastes like, well, most other beers I guess. Back at the Guest house I got involved in a fierce game of chess with an Aussie, that went on until late, and, of course I won. It was cool. I was having thoughts I may move on the next day but:


Day 46 - I didn't.

I headed off to the "revolutionary museum" To try and understand a little of Laos History, I didn't quite expect the lesson I got. As ever the tuk-tuk driver took me to the wrong museum first (because it was closer and he assumed I wouldn't know), I did and made him take me to the right one. God bless Tuk-Tuk's.


I had a wander round, I got a basic grasp of what happened even though most of the signs were in Lao. Then One of the workers came over to me and got chatting. He wanted me to have a look over some stuff he'd written in English to be used as he showed people round the museum. So I went to the back office of this museum sat down for a bit re-writing some English. The museum shut So went and finished it at his house, pretty cool. So, I've now almost officially helped the Laos Government in some small way. Around the world: ready to serve. It's my new motto.Day 46 -

So as I said the more time I spend in Vientiane I like it more and more. I Had another relaxing day wandering the city, now I realized it was pretty safe didn't mind having a look. I went to see Laos' main symbol a gold temple. I didn't have a guide but could appriciate the architecture but anything else was a bit beyond me.



Then went to the Laos Arch de triumph. Its Big. It was built using cement the Americans gave to them to build a new airport. (Love it!)



Finally I headed off to a market where the sold everything. from chickens to silk. It was crazy. I HAD to buy a Beer Laos T-shirt (it's what a traveler here has to do) and bought a ticket to leave the next day.

Day 47 -

So that next day is today but I'm still here in Vientiane. I decided this morning I didn't want to leave today so I pushed to ticket onwards for tomorrow, and Slept this morning instead. I've sat at a cafe this afternoon reading my book. Walked by the river, and generally relaxed. I'm not one for the cafe culture normally. If I've drunk my coffee I can't see why I'd sit outside wasting time, but here it just seems right. It's a bit like I'm still trying to go fast, as I would in most of Thailand, but Laos won't allow it. I don't mind that. I'm pretty sure If a carry on spending my days sipping coffee, reading books and wandering around like a lost sheep there is no hope of me even seeing what I want to here, let alone having one last lap of Thailand before Cambodia, but I don't really care anymore. I'm enjoying being slow. It suits me at some deep level. So I'm meant to leave Vientiane tomorrow. We'll see......

posted by Chris @ 8:32 am