A Glimpse of Laos - Vientiane

Because I'm not working in Thailand proper, I've had to get new visas to stay here for such a long time. You cannot get a Thai visa inside Thailand itself, so that's forced me to look to the Thai Consulates in neighboring countries. One of the most easily accessible places to get a Thai Visa is Vientiane, Laos. It's for this reason that I've now been to Vientiane twice and have developed a general sense of the city & country.

Sunset Over the Mekong

The Capital of Laos and coincidentally, the country's largest city, feels much more like a small town than a metropolis. This is no Bangkok, Beijing or even Seattle for that matter. I think this is a reflection of the Lao way of life. Known for it's laid back lifestyle, Lao - PDR could hysterically mean "Lao - Please Don't Rush." Despite being the economic center of the country, Vientiane is fairly undeveloped. There are no McDonalds or Starbucks here.

Zumba On the Mekong

The differences between Thailand and Laos are subtle yet noticeable. On arrival from China in May, we greeted the taxi driver with a 'Sawasdee Krap' (hello in Thai) and he laughed. In Lao, hello is 'Sabai Dee' which means 'How are you' in Thai. A completely different language yet very similar. The currency threw us for a loop. One US dollar or 30 baht is equivalent to almost 8,000 Laotian Kip! We were instant millionaires again. The streets are noticeably dirtier and poorly maintained. Trash regularly piles up on the curbs causing a raunchy stench to fill the air. Despite these differences, we felt as if we were returning home to Thailand after our crazy 3 week Chinese Adventure. The landscape, weather and food is remarkably similar to Thailand (probably because Vientiane is a stone's throw away from the Thai border - separated by the great Mekong River) We spent lovely evenings strolling along the long boardwalk, stopping at the evening market and marveling at the beautiful Mekong sunset & hoardes of Zumba dancers.

Evening Market

Great Banh Mi!

French influence is everywhere. France absorbed Lao into French Indochina after occupying Vietnam in the late 1800's and it wasn't until 1953 that Laos gained full independence. Needless to say, we were all about the french inspired Vietnamese food that Vientiane had to offer. Now, while Laos does have some unique delicacies, it isn't particularly known for having renowned, delicious cuisine. So, we didn't feel all that bad for passing on some of the Lao specialties. We found a great local, Vietnamese restaurant called PVO which we went back to again and again. Amazing Banh Mi sandwiches! The baguettes perfectly crusty, the pickled veggies contrasting with the succulent pork & liver pate. All topped off with fresh cilantro, green onion and herbed aoli. So good! We also indulged in other Vietnamese specialties we could not find in Chiang Rai. While traditional Lao cuisine isn't that much to write home about, the beer definitely is. Consistently known as the best beer in Southeast Asia, BeerLao is the brew of choice in the region and we definitely had our fill in Vientiane. You can find this beer in Thailand but at 5 times the price! We really enjoyed sipping on BeerLao Dark (yes Dark Beer!) while lazily gazing at the beautiful sunset over the Mekong - a Vientiane right of passage.

Quality Brew

One day, we checked out the very cool Patuxai Monument. Inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Arch looks eerily similar to it's French counterpart and it has some interesting history. It originally was built to represent Laos's independence from France, but in 1975, the communist Pathet Lao seized control and renamed the monument in honor of their victory. The concrete it's constructed from was donated by the US with the intention of being used in an airport - hence its nickname "Vertical Runway". It isn't fully finished and there are signs of construction even today. I've heard the government is dedicated to completing it. We climbed to the top and were rewarded with an excellent panoramic view of the central Vientiane.

Bomb Casing Art Outside the COPE Center

Selection of Artificial Limbs

Also, another one of our highlights of our time in Vientiane was the COPE Visitor Center. This local non-profit organization provides orthotic, prosthetic & rehab services for survivors of UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) accidents in Laos. During the Vietnam War, over 2 million bombs were dropped from US planes over Laos. At the time, Laos had an emerging communist government that apparently was in our best interest to "eradicate", so thousands of US bombing missions over Vietnam carried on into Laos. This "secret war" is something we was never aware of growing up in the US so it peaked our interest. Coincidentally, Laos is the most heavily bombed country on earth. Not all of the bombs dropped during the 10 year period exploded upon impact. There are still hundreds of malfunctioned US bombs buried beneath the surface, waiting to explode and ruin lives. It's a great tragedy that the people of Lao still have to deal with incidents created by these UXO's. The permanent exhibit at the COPE center is dedicated to explaining the ever-increasing impact of UXO's on the country (and region) today. They've supplied hundreds of prosthetic arms and legs for people who have had limbs lost due to random explosions. We watched a documentary, read about survivor's stories and even interacted with the devices. It's great work being done by this organization to not only help people that have been tragically affected by UXO's but raise awareness on the issue. Again, as an American, we were never taught about this side of our history, yet it directly involves us and the effects are still occurring today! Understanding the problem is crucial so we don't make similar mistakes in the future.

Transport between the 2 countries is an adventure in itself. The border process at the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge is confusing and corrupt. A Lao Visa costs $35 on arrival from Thailand, but they charged me $36 for some reason and refused to accept my $5 bill that had one slight tear in the end. If you pay in Thai Baht, the 30 day visa is 1500 baht or $48, so i saved $12 just by carrying greenbacks. You really have to swallow your pride in these situations and just go with the flow.

In the end, the Visa runs were successful in both instances and it was nice to get a glimpse into Lao culture. Vientiane is the most laid back capitol city I've ever been to and it's definitely an enjoyable place to spend a few days. We'll be heading back to Laos in a few months - this time in the Northern, more rustic (and beautiful?) part of the country.