The drive down to Vientiane was not as bad as expected. I was all medicated and slept through most of the journey. Our mini-van conveniently dropped us off by the river close to where many of the guest houses are located. I realized the further south we went, the warmer it got. Although it didn't take long to find a place to stay, carrying a 17 KG pack in 30 deg heat will wear anyone out.
After checking in, Yu and I did our usual city walk to see the highlights the town had to offer. Unlike the previous towns, Vientiane is a bit larger so it took a bit longer to reach certain places. On top of that, the sun was just scrambling my brains that entire afternoon. I had enough after a few hours and hired a tuk tuk driver to get us back to our air conditioned room (which was ice cold since I cranked the air con before leaving). After a nice nap, we had a relaxing dinner on one of the many restaurants at the edge of the Mekong. There must be a row of at least 10 different restaurants all serving the same menu and all have large decks along the river. Its a crap shoot! Just pick one!
Laos has been a pleasant surprise for me on this trip. Just think that I almost considered skipping it (due to reasons I may rant about later). Even though I went the well travelled route, the trip made me want to come back to see more. I'll be sure to hit the southern part of the country in the future. If one comes to SE Asia, Luang Prabang is a must see. And come quick because by the way it looks, other parts of Laos will be completely changed in a few years.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment