Vientiane (14 - 16 October 2007)
Despite the fact that we heard that Laos Airlines is one of the most dangerous airlines in the world, we caught a flight with them to the capital of Laos, Vientiane, and live to tell the tale.
The city is probably the quietest capital I have ever come across and there is not much to see or do. This was great for me, as my Pharyngitis turned south and I had a bad lung infection. To make a long story short, Eon had to drag me to Vientiane Mahasot International Clinic and, boy-oh-boy, did I want to get out of there as quickly as possible! The emergency room was mosquito infested and there was blood spatter on the walls! The medical waste was just dumped in a big pile in one corner, except for the ‘used’ syringes, they were all in a 2 litre plastic bottle!
We spent only two days in Vientiane: I stayed in bed and Eon went out exploring with Rob and Alan. Eon, over to you:
EON
We visited the Laos National Monument better known as the Pha That Luang. The golden coloured structure looked quite impressive from the tuk-tuk, very much like a golden pyramid. But after walking around it for ten minutes, it was kind of “been there, done that”. I think we are still suffering from the monument fatigue from the overwhelming Angkor temples!
In the evening we tried out the local dish called Laap - a form of minced beef, chicken or fish spices up with fresh chillies, lime and mint. It was very spicy - Nando’s can learn a thing or two from them - but it was not very tasty (maybe I could just not taste anything thing with my mouth being on fire!!). After dinner we went out to a Laos nightclub/karaoke club. This was a very interesting evening; Alan had a great evening and got to “know the local girls a bit better”!
Check out the Vientiane gallery: