Vientiane First Impressions
Filed Under: “This place is a shxxhole.” These were Dan’s first words when we arrived in Vientiane. We had just spent several hours on a dustbowl trail, which eventually transformed into Grapes of Wrath meets full blown industrialized pollution. Oh, and the scowling faces. Someone forgot to tell these people that the rest of their countrymen actually smile. Vientiane’s roads seem to cake pained looks onto the faces of its motorbike drivers who struggled to breathe as they drove without face masks.
Our perspective didn’t change for the next hour as every decent guesthouse turned out to be fully booked. We continued down darkening streets and stumbled into a guesthouse with an eclectic group of characters hanging out in the lobby. We weren’t sure if we’d accidentally walked into a brothel or a refugee hotel. We were exhausted, so we ignored the flashing red intuition panel and checked in. The water heater in our bathroom informed us we had to turn it off after 2 minutes or it would explode. Literally.
After nice frosty showers, we walked down to the waterfront and our luck began to change. We were greeted with endless food stands showcasing giant prawns and salt-encrusted, lemongrass stuffed, grilled fish (tilapia). We ate like kings for under $7 together while enjoying an evening along the Mekong River. Vientiane wasn’t looking, or tasting, so bad after all.
The city isn’t overflowing with amazing sites to see. To its credit, though, it’s a place to relax, take in a temple or two and walk around. On the way to the market, Talat Sao, we found blocks of traditional medicine stands on the sidewalk selling bags of tree bark, roots, herbs, amulets and mysterious potions in murky bottles ready to cure what ails. In a city that has a distinct wiff of international aid money (make note of the NGO SUVs), the row of traditional healers offered a small pocket of authenticity squeezed between the shiny buildings housing these foreign organizations and the restaurants catering to their apparently outsized budgets.
Lasting impressions
We left Vientiane a few days later, having made peace with it. It may not be our favorite capital in the region, but it’s not a shxxhole either.
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Practical Details
How to get there: We traveled by kayak from Vang Vieng, with a transfer to songthaew (pick up truck with benches in the back) for the last 100 km. Other options - bus on a windy road from Luang Prabang (take your motion sickness medicine) or plane.
Where to stay: Mali Namphu Guesthouse – an oasis in the middle of Vientiane. Clean, air conditioned rooms for $14-$16/night, including breakfast in a pleasant courtyard. Highly recommended. Address: 114 Pangkham Road
Where to eat: Outdoor restaurants on the banks of the Mekong. Don’t expect anything fancy – plastic tables on dirt – but expect perfectly grilled prawns and fish. Highly recommended.
January 24th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Hi,
Am bored at work and just stumbled across your blog. Very amusing and a fair reflection of South East Asia. I spent 5 months travelling around the region a few years ago and your writing brings back familiar feelings (particualrly the Loas bus rides). Currently living in SIngapore and planning another trip out to Laos with my girlfriend. Trying to rack my brains on how long the bus took from Vientiane to Viang Vieng? I think you mentioned about 3.5 hours, is that right? I like the idea of kayaking (a portion) of the way to Luang Prabang as well. Advised? Unfortunately we will have to fly back from LP to Vientiane due to time constraints…
Keep up the good work and enjoy the rest of your travels.
Cheers,
Tom
January 29th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Hi Tom,
Glad you found our website! We only took the bus from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng, which was 3.5 hours, but felt much longer with all the turns and twists. I imagine Vientiane to Vang Vieng would be around 5 hours. We really enjoyed the kayaking from Vang Vieng to Vientiane.You’ll have to check around with the rafting companies to see which rivers have enough water if you’re going in the dry season. The rafting/kayaking around Luang Prabang also looked like fun.
Thanks for your support and hope you have a good trip to Laos! We love that place.