We've made our way and moved on from Vientiane, but have found the internet to be very slow everywhere, so our posts are a little behind.
We walked around town and took in the local sights including the Victory Gate, the Royal Palace, the morning and evening markets but our favourite was the promenade during the evening. Foreigners and locals all gather for an evening walk, jog, or aerobic exercise class along the promenade and it's the best place to watch the sunset. The town is a former French colony and there is an abundance of cafe's and boulevards. It's a bit chillier here in the evenings, but we really laughed at all of the dogs in sweaters everywhere. Seriously, I'd say that 95 per cent of the dogs here have t-shirts or sweaters on. Definitely at lot less strays than the past few countries we've been to.
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| Laos people do not like the Victory Gate left by the French and refer to it as plain. |
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| Dry season along the MeKong allows people to walk on the dried up river bed. |
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| Cute puppy with a sweater on visiting with Jamie. |
We stayed in an old French colonial home which was converted into a guest house. It had high ceilings and crickety wood floors with lots of character. It felt a bit neglected, but we're glad we stayed here for a few nights.
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| Gathering area outside our room at French colonial guest house. |
One of the things we've noticed in Laos is how trusting people seem to be. We've noticed this in other South East Asia countries as well, but even more so here. We walked by several vendors closing their shop for the night and they simply throw a sheet over their things and leave. The picture below was taken from a mall near the morning market and these vendors were right on a busy street leading to the bus station.
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| Trusting vendors barely cover their goods. |
One of the things I have been wanting to do is to try some of the local delicacies. At the market we found a section that sold various insects including larvae and grasshoppers, so I figured there's no time better than the present. Ahhhhh, which one should I pick... the larvae or the grasshoppers? I decided to go with the grasshoppers as they looked a tad fresher. ;-p No, they weren't jumping.
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| Picking out the best grasshoppers in the bunch. |
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They taste better than they look. Mind over "matter".
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We hopped on another bus and are now in the beautiful town of Vang Vieng. This bus ride was nothing like any of the buses in Cambodia, but the scenery as we drove by the local homes, rice fields and green hills towards Vang Vieng were amazing. We picked up a few snacks for the ride including french baguette sandwiches, which are very popular in Laos - a French influence, of course. see below
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| Local bus to Vang Vieng |
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| Our sandwiches came wrapped in yesterdays grocery list, it seems |
We're loving Vang Vieng and will try to post something soon. It's an absolutely beautiful place with lots to do and great people. Stay tuned!!
