Laos (Vientiane)

We decided to fly from Phnom Penh to save time and on arrival paid a flat fee of $6 to the taxi to take us to our hotel. We booked only one night and thankfully only one. The room was big, hot water and a fridge but the hotel staff were unhelpful and the WiFi didn't work. I tried to explain the WiFi problem on several occasions but they didn't seem to care. We walked around that evening and scoped out a guesthouse which was in a better location, the staff were friendly, WiFi throughout and breakfast was only an extra 1$ each. We moved hotels and booked another two nights to give us time to explore and see the city and plan the next phase of our trip to Phonsavan. Breakfast was surprisingly good consisting of eggs, bread, tea, coffee and cake even though only an extra $1 each and the laundry we did came back smelling clean which was the first time for a few occasions. The guesthouse was $5 cheaper a night so altogether a good choice to move.

Vientiane had the feel of a small provincial town littered with newly built coffee shops and restaurants. It was more modern than we expected and some of the streets could be at home in any European city. It was however small and reasonably lifeless. The night market wasn't bad, we both got a new vest and a souvenir. Laos seems to have a big BBQ culture with small street stands peppered around selling fish and meat on burning coals, it seems to be a staple for the locals. One of the main attractions is the COPE Centre which details and documents the huge number of UXO (unexploded ordinance) and the thousands of people which have been killed and injured by them. What was new to us was the shear volume of bombs, Laos being the most heavily bombed country in the world. American and the CIA conducted huge covert bombing campaigns and during the Vietnamese war American planes would drop all their unused explosives on Laos before landing for safety. The figures were astonishing - a plane load of bombs dropped every 8 minutes for an entire decade. We read that you shouldn't stray from the well trodden paths due to UXO - the COPE centre really hit home why. There were photos and videos of entire families which had been killed/injured by the explosives - very emotional.

Walking round the city we went to a large temple full of Buddha's which izzi enjoyed and the National Museum. The museum was average at best and felt more like an old school, even the smell and decor felt like an old school building. It did give some insight in to Lao history both modern and historic but poor compared to some of the others we've seen. The Laotian people seem pleasant and friendly, there seems to be a lower level of English spoken than in other countries but smiling and pointing seems to go a long way which is good. Also the tuk tuks are different, more like 3 wheelers with caged benches on the back, not as comfy but the drivers don't pester you as much as in other places (they do still double the fare as your a white man but still that's easy to haggle with). The pace of life seems to exist at an extremely slow speed and the daily siesta could span anywhere from 11-3 which seems extreme. The food was underwhelming and tended to be rice or noodles with meat and veg or as a soup. We did find a great bakery serving tasty sandwiches which was a good find.

Next we go to Phonsavan to see the Plain of Jars, a 30 minute flight or a 10hr bus drive...we chose to fly! We turned up at the domestic airport terminal, consisting of extremely lax security measures and a single waiting room, this is however the biggest airport in Laos. We headed for our small propeller plane which was half empty but pleasant and clean and set off. The ride wasn't the smoothest as with every bit of turbulence the plane was thrown about and we were glad to land after the 30 minutes. Hopefully the jars will be as interesting as we expect.