The flight from Hanoi in Vietnam to Vientiane in Laos, was smoother than David Beckhams face when he’s finished his morning Gillette shave. Compare that to a 30 bus drive, 1 hour on a plane was heaven. In the airport we were peckish and fancied a bite to eat, so we found a kiosk and bought a pot noodle. When I asked for hot water I got another famous “Dime bar look.” Why would she sell pot noodles in an airport with no hot water? Anyway once I told her the pot noodles were no good to us with no water she miraculously found a kettle under the counter. Had we known that we’d be treated to an in-flight meal we wouldn’t have bothered. No sooner had I eaten my little pasty and drank my free cwoffee, the seat belt signs flashed as we were approaching to land. Once in the airport we filled our forms out for a visa forms. At this point I’ll let you know miss Alex was adamant we could pay for by card. I however was not so sure but went along with her because “she’s always right.” As it turns out we could not pay by card and we were escorted through customs to the main door to a cash point, then back to purchase our visa.
At the airport we jumped in a taxi and headed for some guesthouses. We managed to find one after a few rejections, it even offered a free breakfast. The breakfast was scrambled egg or fried egg, with a piece of fruit. Plus all the Nescafe you could drink, and we took full advantage of the free drinks. (OWT FOR NOWT) I over heard an American one morning complaining about the breakfast. He said to the owner “is that it, is this my free breakfast? Scrambled or fried?” I laughed and thought what does he really want for free!!
The first day we ventured out and had a little scout of the nearby streets. Had to admit Vientiane did not feel like a capital city. It was so laid back and relaxed, a million miles away from Ho Chi Minh and the dangers of crossing the roads. Miss Alex had spotted in The Lonely Planet (backpackers bible) a bowling alley nearby and thought it would be fun to have a game. All I will say is I gave her a lesson in bowling!!
Also on our list of things to do was visit a gym, as The Lonely Planet recommended a day here as well. A day pass was about $6 (£4) and we spent a few hours on the machines, ending with a foot massage. Heaven!! Vientiane is not really full of trips and things to do. Because it is very near the Thailand border many people use it for visa runs. So it’s more of a stop gap. Also a lot of people have warned miss Alex and me about the food in laos not being very good. Well I would like to lay that to rest now and say we have had some really good food here. Ok granted its not as good as Thai food but that’s like comparing a pot noodle to my mums roast dinner. (we miss them crispy roast tatties with loads of gravy)
Yesterday we jumped on a bus and headed to Vang Vieng, when sold the ticket we were told it would take 2 hours as opposed to the usual 4 hours. It took us 4 and a half hours but since I’ve came away travelling I’ve learnt to take a very deep breath and say Hooooo saaaaah, HOOOOOOOO SAAAAAAAH. It generally works. Here in Vang Vieng we’ll be tubing, if your not sure what tubing is then you tube it. (after you’ve finished reading this of course, also don’t watch the accident videos)
Miss Alex and I went for a run tonight around Vang Vieng, the highlight for me must be us running through a wedding reception in the middle of the street. Imagine the sight of us 2 running through as the bride and groom take their first dance. Im going to go now because we are getting ready to watch the big match tonight. Liverpool play in the league cup final against Cardiff City at Anfield South. (Wembley) You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Speak soon xxx
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