Vientiane

We were in two minds about whether or not to visit Laos, as we were tight on time and we'd heard that there's really not that much to see or do there. In the end we decided to go, and we're both glad we did.

We flew Laos airlines from Hanoi to Vientiane which made us a bit nervous as our guidebook strongly advises against flying on them due to their poor safety record. As you can see, it all turned out fine. Getting a visa for Laos was the easiest so far, they issue a 15 day visa on arrival at the airport for US$30 which took 5 minutes.

Vientiane is a very small city, much quieter than the bug bustling cities that we had become used to in Asia. We checked into a guesthouse and took a quick look around.
The place is so much more basic than we had become accustomed too, but the best part was that we were no longer constantly hassled to buy things or ride on a moto or tuk-tuk. It was such a relief we instantly took a like to the place.

For dinner that night we sat out at one of the "cafes" overlooking the Mekong and had a beer and a bite to eat. I say "cafe", but it was really just a few plastic chairs and tables on a patch of dirt next to the river. The whole length of the Mekong waterfront is filled with cafes like this and it is a very pleasant and cheap way to spend the evening as the sun goes down.
The next day we hired a couple of bicycles and rode them around town. I think that it is testament to the tranquility of Vientiane that we considered hiring bikes, we wouldn't have contemplated it in Hanoi!

We rode out along Lane Xang Avenue to the Patuxay, which are the Laos equivalents of the Champs-Elysee and Arc de Triomphe respectively.

We cycled on to Pha That Luang which is a beautiful temple and the national symbol of Laos. It is surrounded by a number of other temples and old buildings and the area looks stunning.

We spent the rest of the day on our bikes exploring the other temples and buildings of the city. As I said it is a small place so easily manageable on a bike or even on foot.

One of the other things we liked about this place is that it seems to punch above it's size in terms of the restaurants it has to offer. We had a fantastic curry here and we discovered a great cafe that did awesome bacon and egg bagels and the best cup of tea we'd had since New Zealand!

I think one day was enough to see most of what was on offer in Vientiane but we enjoyed our time here. The next day we were on the bus again, off to Vang Viang.