Vientiane

---

the international team unite! more on that story later first lets go to finance

so for 35bucks you get a visa for laos at the airport which was ideal as i hadnt arranged one due to the fact before i left i had never even heard of the place let alone knew where it was and wanted to go there. because of this though i had a great time, the lack of guide book and a clue for that matter i decided just to go up to some random people and see where they were staying and maybe catch a ride into town with them at least. three aussies luke sarah and sharni were those people! i end up spending the majority of my time in this confused country with them and the last remaining member of the international team markus from south africa who had done exactly the same as me so we all got a mini bus into town. the aussies were living it up a bit in a hotel which me and markus couldnt afford so we decided to stop and have a quick drink before we all split up, hours later many beer laos' down and a chilled afternoon we decided me and markus would split a place which was cool not to be in a dorm and wed meet up with the aussies for some food.

the first night out of many, shown by the sheer amount of photos not of the sunset on the mekong which was brilliant the mekng river really is amazing but of us sat round a table drinking beer at any time of the day all over laos. but yeah it was a night that started with the best food iv had so far on the trip excluding beijing dumplings, the grilled fish they do although not scaled or boned is the best especially when sat right by the mekong washed down with yet more beer lao. the best bar for the sunset was the rooftop bar, the only one in town but later found out to be a place where dirty old men go to pick up chicks! then it was back to lukes room to finish of a bottle of duty free jamesons.

the next day started in 'óur cafe' to meet up with luke and sarah and sharn and rent motorbikes which was awesome, after i got used to the throttle i was well away we stoped in a small place outside the city for something to drink before heading back...about 100 yards from where we planned to drop the bikes bam! ashleys off the bike and bloods gushing from a huge gash in his foot! it looked pritty cool and with all the adrenalin from the crash there wasnt any pain i was more concerned about the broken bike! i literally gave it back to the guy and got the hell outta there before he could notice anything wrong.

went to a market the same day which was so crowded with tiny little walkways and a maze layout which was fun until you drip with swet as the humidity grinds you down. the french have a huge influence here which contributes to criossants and especailly great coffee available everywhere. next up was a sauna inside a temple complex, the steam was filled with lemon grass which stung the eyes, it wasnt as hot as the finish sauna but once you leave outside feels nice and cool rather than unbearable heat which was great.

after a quick drink at moon the night bar after an unseccessful attempt to find a place called sunset bar we decided to grab a bite somewhere further up the mekong, bad idea! we hit what looked like a residential area and we could see one dog jst laying in the road. as we approached it sprang up barked and started running towards us in one fluid motion before being joined by a whole bunch of others...needless to say none of us fancied are chances against a bunc h of rabid dogs so we legged it down the road and into the safety of another bar an intresting way to spend our last night in the capitol.

i have a bunch more stories about this place and the others in laos but im attempting to write all the blogs at once with really crappy internet connection i do apologise

much love xxash

---

Photos

first 2 mins in laos
still have the beard in this one, last picture of the legacy.