Vientiane

Yesterday passed in a blur; up at dawn for a last breakfast gazing in awe at the limestone cliffs of Vang Vieng from my beloved bamboo river hut before a pick up in a pick up truck for the bus station.

In typical Laos fashion, the bus was an hour late leaving. A posher version that the one down from Luang Prabang, a double decker with curtains and reclaining seats, was probably not the best vehicle for the twisty, windy road up and over the mountain range. Needless to say progress was slow, the engine overheated at one stage so we pulled into a roadside shack to wait it out-the smell of burning tyres from the braking was filling the interior making everyone feel rather queasy, so getting out for a while no bad thing!

The bus chugged into the outer limits of Vientiane two hours late and then dropped us not in the centre, as per the ticket, but at the northern bus station 20 kms away, forcing us into tuk tuks for the transfer to the centre. A revolt by the more experienced passengers meant the transfer price dropped from 50,000 to 10,000 kip for the 30 minute bumpy rattle into the capital city-which at first sight looks like a ghost town about the size of Brighton, the small capitol for a small country.

My guest house is family run and delightfully friendly. Watching the sun set over the Mekong River over Thailand on the opposite bank is fascinating. Everyone gathers for the sunset parade, the aerobics classes take place on the river bank as night falls and the temperature drops and the night market lines the street.

Evening Aerobics

Sunset over Thailand from the Laos side of the Mekong

I did do the ‘wat’ tour today, as you can see from the pics-more details to follow when I can work out which one was what! Supper of Pho noodle soup with vegetables and fresh rice vegetable spring rolls washed down with guava juice has made me sleepy and ready for bed, so more blogging when my eyes will stay open!

The Golden Wat