I wound down my vacation in Vientiane, capital of Laos. Here’s Pha That Luang, the national symbol of the country. It’s a sleepy city by any standard, but especially compared to other Asian capitals. Even rush-hour traffic was on the quiet side:
Vientiane was a nice change of pace from Luang Prabang, but two days was easily enough time to explore the small city. What I did appreciate is that rooms were cheaper here, which was kind of counter-intuitive for me. Then again, Luang Prabang was packed for the Christmas/New Year’s holiday. Above is Patuxay, the Lao version of the Arc de Triomphe. To be honest, it’s pretty bleak as far as national symbols go, although you can go the top for a nice view.
More lively were the grounds of Pha That Luang. All of these sites are within walking distance of one another but I’d imagine a tuk-tuk is a better option during the summer.
Back towards the city center is That Dam, or the Black Stupa. It’s gold was stripped long ago by Siamese invaders giving it a bit of a menacing appearance. It’s supposedly the home of the city’s guardian naga spirits.
Twelve dollars a night bought me a nice room with a view of the Lao Cultural Hall from my balcony. (I didn’t notice all the power lines at the time.) In general Vientiane is a nice place to decompress, and I’m glad I started in Luang Prabang and came south rather than the other way around.
I was near Nam Phu, a fountain and plaza built by the French:
Unsurprisingly, this area had some great French restaurants to choose from.
As the day got late I made my way to the boardwalk along the Mekong River. Unfortunately, Vientiane is undergoing some major improvement projects and instead of the gorgeous views I had of the river in Luang Prabang I ended up seeing various tractors and earth-movers dredging and spewing mud. It was still pleasant enough, with tons of informal restaurants set up for business. (The other side of the river is Thailand.):
I ordered a Lao seafood soup for dinner and was happy to see that I’d get to cook it for myself. You start with a pot, some raw shrimp and squid, fresh noodles, peanut sauce, and heaps of raw cabbage, mushrooms, garlic, chilies, and basil:
You end up with a pretty amazing stew:
This and a BeerLao, and you’re living the dream. The next day I’d see a few more sights in Vientiane, then fly back home to Seoul.
