Vientiane

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Geo: 17.97, 102.61

On arrival I found a bed at a backpackers and dived out to explore, I stumbled on the night market which in comparison to other places I've been was very posh. All the stalls have red canopies overhead and it's set on the waterfront instead of closed off roads, it's very clean, and sells everything from clothes and trinkets to food, plus there's a lot of tourists around.

Vientiane is a pretty city and has a really nice relaxed feel about it, I find it strange however that the other side of the river is Thailand which you can cross into via the nearby Friendship Bridge, this means that the traffic on the river is next to nothing although out of town I did see a few boats. One of my main jobs while here is to organise my Thai visa, so after getting a map from the hostel the next morning I set off passing many temples and huge government buildings, as well as a palace. On the way I pass the Patuxai Gate (or Victory Gate) which looks like 'Le Arc de Triompe' and is set in the middle of a roundabout separating 6 lanes of traffic, for some reason I wasn't expecting this at all but there's massive French influence here in Laos.

Following the directions I was given I found the Thai embassy but this isn't where they deal with visas so instead I'm given another ‘map' and of course I ended up way off the wrong direction and totally lost! I ended up asking one man but he didn't know where I was looking for, then I asked a woman who told me to jump in her car and drove me there… how kind was that? I was way off track so actually it was just as well, so application lodged I was to collect the following day which was great – this time I would find it.

I explored the city further and enjoyed the night market again before returning next day for my passport and with a mission to find Phat That Luang (Golden Temple) for a visit, which is past the embassy. This is a stunning golden temple and has a courtyard inside which you can get a better view of the stupa which is filled with all sorts of carvings and stones. Outside is a massive lying Buddha which I think is the biggest I've seen, a huge temple which has interesting artwork inside, and massive trees with Buddha statues underneath, so after exploring around I walk back to the city in the glorious sunshine.

On my way into Laos cycling I had contacted a few people on a bike touring website similar to couch surfing but for cyclists and I was delighted to be able to stay with Ian and Aine both from Ireland, and working in the city. Ian is a truly inspirational guy who cycled from Alaska to Argentina, and I love hearing his stories, I moved in for a few days and it was just heaven, it really felt like a home away from home, even just using the kitchen to put the kettle on for a cuppa was sheer bliss (oh I'm easily pleased)! As they're working it leaves me to do my own thing during the day so I continue looking around and visit Buddha Park which I absolutely loved (see separate blog), and the COPE Center which explains UXO (unexploded ordnance) in Laos, and after my run in of ‘Danger Mines' signs in Cambodia and visiting Aki Ra's Land Mine Museum in Siem Reap I was interested to find out more. While I'm staying here I have my very first cycle around since my accident and actually it feels really good being back in the saddle although my collar is still sore, I'm hoping to be back cycling in only two weeks time!

The COPE center has lots of examples of mines and bombs as well as exhibitions of prosthetic limbs etc. and an extremely interesting cinema room with many videos available to watch. One of the programmes showed a crowd of young children in a small village finding an unexploded bomb, thankfully the experts were called in and it was made safe, but the kids were disappointed that it had to be removed, they were purely looking at the value of the metal and what it was worth to them, horrendous having to even think that way. Another video showed a ‘rocket' festival and I had to laugh… recently in Van Vieng thought I was seeing things when I spotted a rocket flying through the air, seriously I thought my eyes were deceiving me but then the local guy I was taking to explained it was a nearby rocket festival, in the video these guys are lighting the rockets while they hang on to them… its crazy and frightening stuff and apparently people die at these events which are all over the country every year, did I mention there is NO health and safety here, seriously, none. The center was certainly an eye opener and I didn't realise that Laos was one of the most heavily bombed countries in the world, unbelievable (and thankfully I'm not camping here).

I love the river and walk down to it often but one of the afternoons I could see a storm working its way across Vientiane and heading my way. At one point I about turned to take a picture, but got the fright of my life with the crack of fork lightening right in front of me with the noise of the storm absolutely deafening. I had to run for cover and ended up sitting underneath an articulated lorry with 6 men who were also hiding out, what an experience and funny into the bargain!

I liked Vientiane and the laid back atmosphere with it's mix of locals and tourists alike and the ability to feel like I was home for a few days and just chilling out, thanks Ian and Aine for putting me up 😊

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Photos

Hiding from the storm with the locals
Underneath a lorry of all things!