Vientiane – Laos

After a day of recovery in Vang Vieng we decided to move onto the Capital of Laos – Vientiane. Some of our fellow travellers opted to do the journey by mini van while Rob, myself, Yehel and Arthur decided to get a sawngthaew. This form of transport is a converted pickup with two wooden benches down either side – not the comfiest form of transport – but very cheap and was a great way to see how the locals got around (only a few public buses to speak of). During our trip we watched many locals being picked up and dropped off and at each stop point we had various different goods pushed and waved at us through the truck frame – the most bizarre had to be a BBQed bat on a stick – wings ‘n’ all!

After a 4hr journey we arrived and were pleased to there! The benches were ok for a 20 minute drive rather than one as long as ours! We were dropped off just outside town and then went through the usual bartering with a few tuk tuk drivers to get us into town.

We were dropped off in town to discover that our first choice of accommodation n longer existed – the lonely planet book of lies strikes again! After walking around the block we finally managed to find some where that was neither mouldy nor full of mosquitoes and holey nets and suited our budget, but to be honest our first impressions of Vientiane weren’t great. The city was quite dirty and very polluted. It was also expensive for the quality of what was on offer. We quickly realised we wouldn’t be here long, that said we had just been completely spoiled with what we had just experienced in the North of the country.

The 2nd and next day turned out to be the best if not the most tiring day of our time in Vientiane. Just outside the city (well 25km outside) was a place called Buddah Park where as the name suggests it is a place full of Buddhist sculptures. I had this bright (?) idea we should cycle there and Rob, Yehel, Arthur and Kat agreed. It was a scorching day (high 30’s) but we hired bikes and set off. The route was pretty much flat which was one saving grace for the whole adventure but the heat made up for that! We cycled for what seemed to all of us like an age and saw a roadside bar/café on the side of the road so decided to stop and cool down at next to one of the fans. We all thought by this stage that we were really close and were all getting excited about our destination. This was shattered by the woman telling us we still had about 11km to go! So we jumped back onto our bikes and after watching many public buses sail by – undoubtedly stopping at Buddah Park – and cycling on a road that resembled Swiss cheese we finally arrived. Thankfully it was worth it! There was a statue of a large face and you could climb inside through the open very toothy mouth. Once inside there was a series of narrow corridors and steep steps which lead you to the top of the structure and outside to look over the whole park.
There was a large variety of different Buddhist statues – everything from snakes and crocodiles to birds and rats. After a well deserved ice-cream (well I thought so!) we headed back home – the journey seemed to take much less time and we arrived back in the city tired but very content, and slightly more sun-kissed than when we left.

Our 3rd Day was spent looking at the main sights of the city. The main one is called Patuxia. This is a replica of the Arc de Triomph; it is quite a bizarre sight. You can climb to the roof to take in the sights, so after several floors of absolute tourist tat inside we got to the roof and enjoyed some nice views of the city. It was a stinking hot day so after some sight seeing in the city we grabbed our swim stuff and went to one of the local hotels and spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool. Lovely. The day ended with a goodbye meal for Arthur who was back to Bangkok for a few nights before flying back to Oz land. It was a lovely evening of beer and pizza and a reunion of all the people we had met and travelled with in Laos.

The last day in Vientiane was spent pampering! After a tough day of cycling a few days previously we were in need of something more sedate so we opted for a traditional sauna and massage in a temple just on the outskirts of the city, which has a great reputation with the locals. We walked through the gates of the temple and then into an area slightly separate from the actual temple. It was an open wooden deck enclosed only by a roof. To one side of the deck there was a wooden shed which we were soon to discover this was our sauna. We were all given sheets of material and told to get undressed and wrap this around us, when we emerged from the changing area we were greeted by a very refreshing fragrant tea. The sauna was then ready, we went in. It was pitch black with a series of benches running the length of the shed. Between the benches there were gaps where a wonderfully aromatic steam was rising. It felt great but within 10 minutes the sheets we were wearing were completely saturated! Yehel, Brian and I dived out after about 15mins but Chris, Roald and Rob stuck it for about 20 mins. We all managed 3 rounds and then we were all ready to stop! Once finished in the sauna we were given a fresh sheet and could go and wash under a tap outside – the cold water was divine!
Next we went onto the deck area where there were 6 massage tables. The main idea behind Laos massage is to work pressure points, which was almost slightly painful – but overall tremendously relaxing. The massage ended with the masseur getting me to sit up – he then placed his knees behind my back and twisted until there was a very satisfying crunch sound. We left feeling very relaxed – it was a great way to finish in Vientiane.