Beetle
Trip Start
Nov 14, 2010
1
43
61
Trip End
Jun 10, 2011
Where I stayed
Syri 2 Guest House
Vientiane, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
During our stopover in Luang Prabang we spent the night at Kinally Guesthouse which was lovely and quiet and clean. And a bit cheaper than other places we had seen. That night we booked a big bus (rather than a mini bus) to Vientiane which would pick us up at 7am. Then we had a bite to eat and went to bed. We got up, had breakfast at the same great place we had before and left again. If I was ever in Laos again, I'd certainly revisit Luang Prabang!!
The bus trip to Vientiane showed promising signs for a pleasant journey. The VIP bus did indeed have a toilet onboard as promised and the seats were the largest and comfiest we'd sat in. However, Laos people, just like the Vietnamese, don't travel well. Three people were sqeezed on the to pair of seats next to us and they vomitted the whole way! Inbetween bouts of sickness, they ate - durrrr!! I loost count of how many plastic sick bags they filled. Clear plastic bags which they suspended on the back of the seat in front. Yuck.
The route to Vientiane took in some amazing scenery, especially the part between Kasi and Vang Vieng. But it was difficult to appreciate with people retching in my ear. I suppose travel sickness can't be helped, but blowing ones nose into ones fingers and then wiping what comes out all over the upholstery of the seats is plain wrong. So, in went the earphones, up went the volume and down came the eyelids. 9.5 hours later we arrive in Vientiane.
As per usual a tuk tuk ride was required to bridge the 10km gap between the bus station and the town. We checked into Syri II guesthouse, skyped my Mum and had nachos for dinner, washed down with a few too many drinks at Sticky Fingers. This place is well worth a visit for their Trouser Tiger cocktail of Laos whiskey, 7up and lemon for about 75p. Speaking to Mum we floated the idea of her coming out to see us again. That was on the 22nd March. By the 27th her flights were booked. She'll meet us in Kuala Lumpur on the 13th May and fly back with us (different flight) on the 9/10th June. This required us to change our flight schedule for the 2nd time. Jet Airways have been very good about this. Our first change was free of charge and this 2nd change will cost £30 each. The only catch is that we have to pay the fee at a Jet Airways office. Luckily there is an office in Bangkok so we'll do that when we go back there on the 3rd April. In the meantime Jet Airways have changed our itinerary on a provisional basis pending payment. Whilst in Vientiane we booked a flight back to Bangkok from Pakse with Laos Airlines for $167 (£110 ish) each. This not only saves us the travel time but gets us an automatic 30day visa for Thailand and relaxation on the beaches. We'd only be granted 14 days if we entered Thailand by land.
For a capital city, Vientiane was pretty quite and we liked it. It's chilled out, has a friendly feel and a fair helping of things to do and places to visit without having to go on organised tours. Just hire a push bike and off you go. Many of the places we have visted have been caught somewhere between old and new, but no where has it been as apparent as Vientiane. We reckon that 5-10 years ago it would have been a fantastic place to be and soak up the Laos "city" life. And we also have a feeling that in 5-10 years from now it'll be a great place to visit, especially along the river front. But right now it's very obviously in transition.
