Vientiane, Laos

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4 close friends and I went to Bangkok for Christmas. We stayed at the Ambassador Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi.11 for 2 nights. 5 of us in 1 room..we gotta budget on a teachers salary! We wondered around the town with Christmas hats spreading the Christmas joy to anyone who was listening! After 2 nights in Bangkok, I made a solo journey to Vientiane, Laos to go on a visa run to extend my stay in Thailand. I slept most of the way sprawled out on 2 seats and when I woke up the bus had just stopped at an outdoor restaurant right on the Mekong River to prepare paper work. The Friendship Bridge connecting Thailand and Laos was in the distance with street lights illuminating itself in the foggy air. It was about 6am and the sun was just barely coming up. There was a hazy layer over the water and I was surprised at how cool the air was. This was truely a sight to wake up to. Of my 3 months here so far, I have never seen something so mystical. I pictured where I was on a map and literally felt like I was on the otherside of the world and just stood there and took it all in. (Ok I ran with that for a little bit.. but am I making myself clear =))

When I arrived to the city, Me and this guy, named Guy, took a tuk tuk to the Thai Embassy and got everything squared away for our passports to be picked up the next day. After the Embassy, Guy and I decided to walk back to the center of town (abt 3 km) with heavy backpacks. I thought I had pulled ligaments in my shoulders at one point. We started looking for guesthouses (not a good idea when you havent eaten in 12 hrs). "how about this one".."no..ok yea.. whatever you wanna do".. "I dont care either".. "okay, lets just keep walking". This went on for far too long. After I found a place for the night, I ate lunch, napped, walked around the town (the town had a lot of French influence), then read until I fell asleep. All the hotels lock their front doors at 11:30pm bc they say the streets arent safe at night. With that, I figured Id stick to reading my book, A Thousand Splendid Suns (lended from my friend Cassie).
We exchanged our currencies from Baht to Kip.

I didnt wanna transfer too much bc I knew I was only staying for the night so I challenged myself and only transferred 300 baht and got 76,000 kip ($10 USD). I paid for the hotel (split 2 ways), had 3 meals, and spent my last 1,500 kip on bottled water, which was really 2,000 but he gave it to me probably because I looked so pathetic.."what can I get for 1,500? this is all I have"...he laughed and nodded "hahah ok ok yes yes".


I woke up to Monks outside my window at about 5:30am doing really loud prayers. It was pretty cool bc I havent heard it before and I had no problem falling back asleep. I went to the park in the morning along the river (this is what you do when you have no money.. you go to the park.. I find you get a lot more exploring done when your only options are to do so) . This part of the river was dried out (looked like a desert inside) and the water was mostly on the otherside (thai side). After, I walked back to the Embassy, and jumped on a bus back to Bangkok a few hours later.

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Photos

Christmas Eve
In the hotel feeling festive

The BTS rail
Being "those people"... it was a tight squeeze

The Mekong River
Sun rising on the border of Thailand and Laos

pretty tree
isnt the bus fancy?

Omg crossing over
ohhh the excitement and suspence...

River Dance
Standing in a desert river

Army man
This statue faces the river and Thailand

Ancienttt
This was the center of a roundabout street intersection

Street
walkin to the embassy