Vientiane: No Longer a Dusty Backwater

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Vientiane: No Longer a Dusty Backwater



The heat and humidity hit us like a brick wall when we stepped off the plane at Vientiane. It never went away for our brief stay.



Since I am running way behind in my blog I am going to keep this section brief and suggest you read Debs excellent entry.



Vientiane is no longer a dusty backwater. There is a bit of a boom underway with lots of construction and renovation going on in the center of town. The row of dusty old antique shops have been upgraded to very upscale shops. The contrasts are startling with a falling down building standing in the middle of group of very attractive upscale shops or hotels.



Walking in Vientiane can be a bit of a challenge. The sidewalks appear to function as parking stalls for trucks (construction), cars and motor bikes. we soon got use to walking on the side of the road in the traffic. Streets are crossed as in Vietnam, facing the traffic and moving slowly as you make your way through the steady stream of cars, trucks and motor bikes. The bicycles are gone, replaced by motor bikes. Tuk Tuks are found at every corner and we soon got use to the constant inquires of "Tuk Tuk?".



I could have easily stayed in Vientiane for a couple of more days just because of the food. We had two fabulous meals. One was at a French restaurant, the other at a restaurant specializing in Lao food and it was truly amazing. A must place to dine at for any visitor to Vientiane.



We enjoyed our time wandering in Vientiane, especially along the Mekong. They had keep the riverbank development free with a large park and promenade. (This could be because of the flooding from the monsoons.) It makes for pleasant walking and provides good views.

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