Vientiane – First bit
A warm city. Finally. We checked into the Orchid Guesthouse which we’d already booked. It’s down on the water, but it’s dodgy bathroom and lack of blankets made it not nearly good enough for the $15 we were paying.
We spent a chunk of the afternoon looking for somewhere else to stay. Our options were limited when we decided a pool was needed so we ended up spending big on a place called The Royal Dokmaideng Hotel near the markets. Staff clearly outnumbered guests. There was always someone to open the door for us, there were at least five people to supervise the making of our breakfast cup of tea and three girls in the fitness centre and sauna. When near the (freezing cold) pool, I didn’t dare move my towel from the banana chair and into the sun for fear someone would follow me with a banana chair over their head!
The hotel was also just down from the Victory Monument. We realised this when coming out of a side street searching for a hotel: “Oh, that must be that Arc de Triumph-like thing.” It’s quite a beautiful wide street with lamposts either side leading to the monument, but something about the monument makes it look like an Arabic version of the Arc de Triumph. Maybe it was the lights strung onto it.
There’s a lot to like about the capital of Laos. It’s easy enough to walk around, the people are nice and there’s plenty of good food.
We found a great bar that basically only catered to foriegners. KhopChaiDeu wouldn’t have been out of place in Bondi, except that the drinks were only $1. There was a place across the road which also would’ve been right at home in Bondi with its nice beach chairs and good crepes.
Oh and there was also the great French restaurant where we ate steak for $4.
The second bit of our Vientiane visit was even more exciting!