We headed to Laos with no specific plans- just the gut feeling we wanted to see another country, (and that it was cheaper and more convenient than Vietnam.)
So for 4 days, we relaxed and explored Vientiane. It’s kind of an underdeveloped place, but I appreciate that. Compared to Bangkok, it’s just more relaxing. There’s a lot less to do, but it’s kind of a blessing in disguise. You just take time to do random, unexpected things.
The first night we wandered over to the banks of the Mekong on the Thai border- and stumbled into a mass aerobics session on the plaza overlooking the river. It’s pretty surreal- hundreds of people doing weird calisthenics to terrible EDM being played at 150 bpm through blown-out speakers. It’s also pretty funny to see at 6’5″ white dude in the middle of it- see below.
Dinner was kind of a big deal every night- twice we ate at street grills set up along the Mekong. Fresh fish, meat and produce fried or grilled to order. There’s a stretch of the river about a mile long with these places. I think the best things were the grilled mushrooms and grilled fish stuffed with ginger and lemongrass and covered in salt.
Another night we made a point to go to one of the North Korean government’s restaurants- where they launder foreign currency, etc. From what we read, it was supposed to be a surreal experience, with waitresses dressed up in traditional Korean clothes, doing karaoke etc. The experience was incredibly disappointing. Terrible, Korean food, and no karaoke or dancing. Do not recommend the Pyongyang restaurant.
Another night we went to a new development that advertised itself as being a combination of Paris, NYC, and Hong Kong. Didn’t quite live up to the ads, but- there was a duo playing acoustic covers. The singer blew my mind a little. They started their set with an astounding cover of Adele’s “Hello.” Based on what I heard, I assumed it was a woman- an incredibly talented woman with a phenomenal voice. When I turned around, it was in fact, some skinny Lao dude. (They also did an outstanding cover of Extreme “More than words.”) Oh, and I think “Hello” was the Communist party’s official soundtrack for Laos; it was being played nonstop everywhere. Weird. Now I have an permanent association between Adele and Laos in my brain.
We also visited Pha That Luang, the big golden stupa and temple, and the Laos National Musuem. The featured image is of the ceiling of the entry to the temple at Pha That Luang. The Laos National Museum isn’t as bad as you might expect in a communist state. There’s some pretty interesting history and archaeology there. That being said, they also make it a point to emphasize some of the heinous shit that happened during the wars in that area. America doesn’t come out looking so good at the museum, but they seem to like American’s well enough in person.
We also spent a good chunk of time chilling at coffee shops- there’s actually a pretty decent coffee culture there. There was a pretty cute tribute to MN in a guest book at Comma Coffee in Vientiane- see below.
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