Laos - Vientiane

Its funny the people you run into in the most random of places.....

Just after I checked in for my flight to Vientiane, and was waiting to move through customs, I ran into Ville. Ville I met for all of 20 minutes about 2 weeks earlier in Nha Trang, over a beer at our hotel, and there he was, waiting for the same flight as me! Crazy...! We decided once we were on the flight that we would head towards the same guesthouse, and it turned out we both had roughly the same travel plans for Laos aswell. So a new travel buddy friendship was born!

The first thing I noticed when I got off the plane in Vientiane was how small the airport was. For an international airport that has connections to most of south east asia, china, russia etc etc, it was tiny! It was like landing in the middle of a farm if it wasn't for the giant runway in the middle.

The second thing I noticed was how hot it was. It was 10am when we landed, and it would have already been 35 degrees....!

I paid for my visa, and myself and Villa headed out to find a tuk tuk to take us into town. All the guide books said don't get a taxi from the main exit, as it will cost you to much (too much being $5....). So we headed out the main gates of the airport, where we were immediately approached by another taxi driver, who offered to drive us into Vientiane for $1 each...! Once in Vientiane, me and Ville both booked into the same hotel. I got a nicer room than what I have been used to...mainly because after a night bus and two nights in a dorm room and hanoi, I was absolutely exhausted and needed my own space for a bit. I'm so glad I did it....I slept like a baby that night.

The next day me and Ville headed to Vientiane Swimming Pool and spent the morning there, which we ended up doing for the next few days we were in Vientiane. It was so great not to run around trying to check out sights all day. It was great just to chill out...!

On the way back to our hotel for lunch, we met this old guy called Dowel, who would have been about 70, covered in Tattoos and was traveling the world on his own. He was a sweet old guy, but one of those guys you meet and think "wow, I hope I or anyone else I know ever ends up like that". Dowel had had a pretty rough life, with friends dying in the past few years and his wife left him 7 years ago etc etc etc. He just decided to travel to be away from everything at home. He was a great, happy & funny guy with a reasonably positive outlook on life, considering the circumstance he was in. Ville and I had a beer with him most nights, as otherwise he sat out the front of his hotel, on his own, drinking beer after beer after beer after beer.

One thing about Vientiane that stood out from the other places I have been so far is how quiet it is. After travelling through Vietnam where every driver is a horn junky, and everyone is trying to get your attention to buy something, coming to Laos is like a breath of fresh air. People pass you in the street saying "Saybadeey" (which means hello, or good day), with the biggest smile on their face, and thats all they want to do. Say hello. Theres no alterior motive here.

Vientiane easily would have to win the award for the most laid back capital city in the world. Everything in Laos is done on "lao time", meaning you order food in a restaurant...maybe you will get in 15 minutes....or maybe you will get it an an hour. No one rushes, everyone is just so chilled out its amazing.

After a couple of days of chilling out Lao Style (ie: swimming, bowling and drinking beerlao everyday!), we decided to go and see the most famous monument in Laos - Pha That Luang, which is a giant gold temple dedicated to Buddhism. There were at least 150 monks walking around the grounds as well. It was really quite amazing to look at. We walked around the grounds for around an hour, and then headed to the market which is just outside the Temple grounds.

Now, before I tell you the next bit, I must first explain what Lao New Year is.

Lao New Year is a three day (or sometimes 4 or 5 day) festival in which the people of Laos and in some parts of Thailand celebrate the Lunar New Year, with amazing fashion. It is the one holiday of the year that everyone in Laos looks forward to, as for three or 4 days, absolutely everything closes down.

This festival is also known a little more commonly as "The Water Festival".

So, when me and Ville left Pha That Luang, and were walking around the market, a Lao guy came up to me and said "Excuse me miss??", presuming he was trying to sell me something, I began trying to say politely "No Thankyou", when all of the sudden he poured a 1.5ltr of freezing cold water all over my head!! He yelled at the top of his lungs "HAPPY LAO NEW YEAR!!!" and the whole market broke into hysterics! It was absolutely hillarious.....!

I absolutely loved every second I was in Vientiane, and has definitely got my vote for one of the best capital cities in the world!!

The next day we jumped on a bus to head to Vang Vieng, one day before Lao New Year officially began....