Flying Solo - Smeagols adventure to Laos begins.
Feb 28th, 2010, 08:38 AM
#46
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Loving this! I feel as though I am there with you, sipping along.
My travel life would improve if I had a job where I could collect FF points. Alas maybe some other points are in store for me in the end.
My travel life would improve if I had a job where I could collect FF points. Alas maybe some other points are in store for me in the end.
Mar 1st, 2010, 06:59 AM
#48
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The insight guide suggested a nice little walk picking up some of the main Wats and sites round town, Why not shrugged K?, Why not I shrugged? I picked the insight guide primarily because it wasn’t a lonely planet guide book (I hate them and their inferred intrepidness) and also there are slim pickings when it comes to books on Laos (I did of course have my Luxe guide to Laos handy) The insight guide was more like a brick and whilst useful I began to hate it’s cumbersome weight. K offered to carry it. (what a pal)
The Wat across from The Lao Orchid was deserted (Wat Chan on Chao Anu road) I got some great pictures and enjoyed the peace and lack of tourists. Here we carried on up Chao Anu stopping off at shops (the ones that were open) just looking a usual “Object D’art” found in many a SE Asian shop but here they left you alone, a simple “Sabadee” and you can look and look… and the many many Wats along the way. (which adds to the charm of the City).
The streets seemed deserted, again not sure why but I liked the laid back pace, after Hanoi and HCMC in November It was a welcome change, I needed a change of pace, K needed a change of pace, we settled into the Laos pace straight away.
For a start, this trip was going to be about mooching around, there was no day trips booked, no must do itinerary’s, we were going to see what Laos decided to show us….
Anyway, we continued just wondering around the very quite streets, going where ever seemed interesting. It's getting late for lunch, so we settle on a place with at least one other person in it, I think it was called Café Indochine (or something like that) and was on Setthathirat road. The food was good but NO Lao Beer, it was continuing to be elusive and as was relatively common in Laos the service was so so, but I found this charming, elsewhere I would have been annoyed but I had left that person behind for this trip.
We continued walking and made our way to the Famous Nam Phu (Fountain) only a fountain don’t look so impressive when there’s no water coming out of it…… we wind up at Samsenthai road directly opposite the new Lao Plaza hotel, I’d considered staying here and I’m sure its nice but it looked very… erm communist built and whilst the location is OK I was still happy with our choice. One block along from Lao Plaza on the left is That Dam (or the black stupa) and has been around since the early 1800’s K and I both liked it, its was just suddenly there, old and with weeds growing out of it, (a bit like Vientiane). It felt honest and not made for tourists…..
The temps are in the mid 90’s and my feet (and head) are frying but our pace is gentle (K has already got about 5 blisters – which is not unusual, her in-appropriate footwear knows no bounds…) we go to walk to the left of the Stupa but that way is a blockade, the American Embassy lies that way. So we make our way north towards the “morning market” on the way we pass some open air “restaurants” with lots of Chinese people celebrating Chinese New Year. I wish some cheeky little boys Happy New Year in Chinese and they laugh and shake our hands.
The morning market is a bit of a misnomer, its open all day. There’s HUGE construction going on where I believe the market will eventually be re-housed. As we didn’t want a washing machine or a large fan, we give most of the market a miss and K is now in search of plasters. One of the stalls sells them in 1s??? here feet are so hot they peel off in about 5 minutes flat, the pace gets even slower, my throat feels like its been cut… “water”
We walk up Lane Xang Avenue to the marvellous Patuxai (Vientiane’s own Arc de Triomphe. This was builts in the late 1960s and is in memory of the Lao people killed in previous wars. There’s some nice garden areas all around (as well as 4 lanes of roads which by Vientiane standards are quite busy) The areas is actually very busy, with I guess, Laotians enjoying CNY or a day off. You can climb the Arc but it’s was too hot and we couldn’t be arsed. I sneak a picture of a monk texting…. Everywhere in Vientiane you see flashes of bright orange robes, they’re all so young.
We decided to head back to the hotel (and try and find an ice cold beer lao on the way) so head back down Lane Xang Avenue. More plasters are bought, and we slowly make our way back towards the Mekong. Quick photo op at the Presidential Palace and we walk along the front (Fa Ngum)
There is a large project going on here, I think they are repairing or strengthening the banks of the Mekong, so it’s actually a pretty ugly site, we can make out Thailand on the far banks….
We stop at Chokdee restaurant (a Belgian bar and restaurant no less), they have beer Lao we order 2 large ones, the steam rises from my throat, DELICIOUS.
The Wat across from The Lao Orchid was deserted (Wat Chan on Chao Anu road) I got some great pictures and enjoyed the peace and lack of tourists. Here we carried on up Chao Anu stopping off at shops (the ones that were open) just looking a usual “Object D’art” found in many a SE Asian shop but here they left you alone, a simple “Sabadee” and you can look and look… and the many many Wats along the way. (which adds to the charm of the City).
The streets seemed deserted, again not sure why but I liked the laid back pace, after Hanoi and HCMC in November It was a welcome change, I needed a change of pace, K needed a change of pace, we settled into the Laos pace straight away.
For a start, this trip was going to be about mooching around, there was no day trips booked, no must do itinerary’s, we were going to see what Laos decided to show us….
Anyway, we continued just wondering around the very quite streets, going where ever seemed interesting. It's getting late for lunch, so we settle on a place with at least one other person in it, I think it was called Café Indochine (or something like that) and was on Setthathirat road. The food was good but NO Lao Beer, it was continuing to be elusive and as was relatively common in Laos the service was so so, but I found this charming, elsewhere I would have been annoyed but I had left that person behind for this trip.
We continued walking and made our way to the Famous Nam Phu (Fountain) only a fountain don’t look so impressive when there’s no water coming out of it…… we wind up at Samsenthai road directly opposite the new Lao Plaza hotel, I’d considered staying here and I’m sure its nice but it looked very… erm communist built and whilst the location is OK I was still happy with our choice. One block along from Lao Plaza on the left is That Dam (or the black stupa) and has been around since the early 1800’s K and I both liked it, its was just suddenly there, old and with weeds growing out of it, (a bit like Vientiane). It felt honest and not made for tourists…..
The temps are in the mid 90’s and my feet (and head) are frying but our pace is gentle (K has already got about 5 blisters – which is not unusual, her in-appropriate footwear knows no bounds…) we go to walk to the left of the Stupa but that way is a blockade, the American Embassy lies that way. So we make our way north towards the “morning market” on the way we pass some open air “restaurants” with lots of Chinese people celebrating Chinese New Year. I wish some cheeky little boys Happy New Year in Chinese and they laugh and shake our hands.
The morning market is a bit of a misnomer, its open all day. There’s HUGE construction going on where I believe the market will eventually be re-housed. As we didn’t want a washing machine or a large fan, we give most of the market a miss and K is now in search of plasters. One of the stalls sells them in 1s??? here feet are so hot they peel off in about 5 minutes flat, the pace gets even slower, my throat feels like its been cut… “water”
We walk up Lane Xang Avenue to the marvellous Patuxai (Vientiane’s own Arc de Triomphe. This was builts in the late 1960s and is in memory of the Lao people killed in previous wars. There’s some nice garden areas all around (as well as 4 lanes of roads which by Vientiane standards are quite busy) The areas is actually very busy, with I guess, Laotians enjoying CNY or a day off. You can climb the Arc but it’s was too hot and we couldn’t be arsed. I sneak a picture of a monk texting…. Everywhere in Vientiane you see flashes of bright orange robes, they’re all so young.
We decided to head back to the hotel (and try and find an ice cold beer lao on the way) so head back down Lane Xang Avenue. More plasters are bought, and we slowly make our way back towards the Mekong. Quick photo op at the Presidential Palace and we walk along the front (Fa Ngum)
There is a large project going on here, I think they are repairing or strengthening the banks of the Mekong, so it’s actually a pretty ugly site, we can make out Thailand on the far banks….
We stop at Chokdee restaurant (a Belgian bar and restaurant no less), they have beer Lao we order 2 large ones, the steam rises from my throat, DELICIOUS.
Mar 1st, 2010, 07:44 AM
#49
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So after a cheeky power nap we go out for dinner, we wonder along the front and K is looking for some restaurant she has seen advertised somewhere, we don’t find it but we spot Sticky Fingers (Francois Nginn Road) which whilst isn’t going to win us any awards for least expat spot of the year, it looks busy and Luxe gives it a thumbs up (I tend to like Luxe guides, their style amuses me and they usually say if something is crap or not)
We elect to sit outside, it’s hot and my hair has doubled in size in just the 10 minutes since I left the hotel. K orders some vegetables and rice and I have a sort of minced chicken in wraps, they are nice and the bean salad is good, I don’t care for the yoghurt type dip, its tastes off ( I don’t think it was) This is clearly aimed at the tourist /expat crowd but the mood is nice and the service ok. This is the first time I see a beggar, a man with no legs drags himself behind me and begs for money, I have my back to him but K can’t stand it and gives him some money.
I can’t remember how much dinner was, but it’s under £10 and was surprisingly sophisticated by my imagined Lao standards. We call it a night early as we are both super tired and decide tomorrow we will go out of town to the Buddha park!
We elect to sit outside, it’s hot and my hair has doubled in size in just the 10 minutes since I left the hotel. K orders some vegetables and rice and I have a sort of minced chicken in wraps, they are nice and the bean salad is good, I don’t care for the yoghurt type dip, its tastes off ( I don’t think it was) This is clearly aimed at the tourist /expat crowd but the mood is nice and the service ok. This is the first time I see a beggar, a man with no legs drags himself behind me and begs for money, I have my back to him but K can’t stand it and gives him some money.
I can’t remember how much dinner was, but it’s under £10 and was surprisingly sophisticated by my imagined Lao standards. We call it a night early as we are both super tired and decide tomorrow we will go out of town to the Buddha park!
Mar 1st, 2010, 08:21 AM
#51
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DAY 3
Another crap nights sleep and I get up early and watch the sun rise over the Wat from our balcony, I see sleepy Vientiane wake up to a Monday morning, which is only a tad busier than a Sunday morning!
K decides she is in need of coffee but not yet ready for breakfast, so being the pal she is, she goes downstairs to check out the breakfast and bring coffee back for both of us (there is no Tea/Coffee making facilities in our room). She returns with Coffee and said there was much discussion about whether she would be allowed to bring the drinks up to the room, they allow her to on the strict understanding we bring the cups back…. She said the breakfast is a good standard and is covered (which she likes this nod to good hygiene)
We laze in bed (its barely 7am).
After getting ready we go down for breakfast and I have to say, whilst its not extensive, there is plenty to keep us going till lunch and for the per night price we are both pleasantly surprised.
We had seen in the guide book about 25kms of Vientiane a place called “Buddha Park” we figured this could be an interesting little side trip and would also let us see some of the surrounding environs. We ask at reception how long it would take and how much they think we should pay, they call us a cab and K negotiates with the driver, we ask him to pick us up in 1/2hour.
He is waiting for us when we walk in reception and has a good quality mini van which is has good a/c. The drive to Buddha park is about 35 minutes (no-one and I mean no-one seems to drive over 40mph in Laos) but again we enjoy the pace and can see the surrounding areas. He points out places he thinks we would be interested in “beer Lao factory” “Thailand” Friendship bridge” and something else I just couldn’t make out without saying pardon for a fourth time.
The Buddha park (Xieng Khun) is a park which features a collection of Buddhist and Hindu statues etc. It’s quirky and a good place for a stroll, there are a handful of tourists there and it’s really hot already. K and I meander taking LOADS of pictures and stop at the café for a drink and watch the activity along the Mekong, the highlight I guess is giant reclining Buddha. I guess we are here just over 1 hour and we head back to Vientiane, the village life we pass is interesting. I am amazed at how clean everything looks and I think this is because the relatively low amount of cars (compared to say Vietnam where everywhere seems fuel choked). We ask the driver to drop us at That Luang which is THE symbol of Laos and we get there around 12.15. It closes at 12.45 for an hour or so. That Luang is a resplendent BRIGHT gold against the perfect periwinkle blue sky, it's also blisteringly hot. We pay the entrance fee (which I think was about 20,000 kip for foreigners) According to legend the breastbone of Lord Buddha was placed on this site in the 4th century. It’s the most sacred site in all of Laos and there are wats all around, as well as merchants selling tourist tat. It’s a must see visit though in Vientiane. Inside there are only us and 2 other tourists, its nice to wonder around and take (many) pictures.
K wants to walk back into town but I would say it’s a good 1.5 miles in about 95f so we get a tuk tuk to drop us off at the arc. We find a little shop/stall about to shut for lunch and order 2 beer Laos and sit in the shade for ½ hour.
Another crap nights sleep and I get up early and watch the sun rise over the Wat from our balcony, I see sleepy Vientiane wake up to a Monday morning, which is only a tad busier than a Sunday morning!
K decides she is in need of coffee but not yet ready for breakfast, so being the pal she is, she goes downstairs to check out the breakfast and bring coffee back for both of us (there is no Tea/Coffee making facilities in our room). She returns with Coffee and said there was much discussion about whether she would be allowed to bring the drinks up to the room, they allow her to on the strict understanding we bring the cups back…. She said the breakfast is a good standard and is covered (which she likes this nod to good hygiene)
We laze in bed (its barely 7am).
After getting ready we go down for breakfast and I have to say, whilst its not extensive, there is plenty to keep us going till lunch and for the per night price we are both pleasantly surprised.
We had seen in the guide book about 25kms of Vientiane a place called “Buddha Park” we figured this could be an interesting little side trip and would also let us see some of the surrounding environs. We ask at reception how long it would take and how much they think we should pay, they call us a cab and K negotiates with the driver, we ask him to pick us up in 1/2hour.
He is waiting for us when we walk in reception and has a good quality mini van which is has good a/c. The drive to Buddha park is about 35 minutes (no-one and I mean no-one seems to drive over 40mph in Laos) but again we enjoy the pace and can see the surrounding areas. He points out places he thinks we would be interested in “beer Lao factory” “Thailand” Friendship bridge” and something else I just couldn’t make out without saying pardon for a fourth time.
The Buddha park (Xieng Khun) is a park which features a collection of Buddhist and Hindu statues etc. It’s quirky and a good place for a stroll, there are a handful of tourists there and it’s really hot already. K and I meander taking LOADS of pictures and stop at the café for a drink and watch the activity along the Mekong, the highlight I guess is giant reclining Buddha. I guess we are here just over 1 hour and we head back to Vientiane, the village life we pass is interesting. I am amazed at how clean everything looks and I think this is because the relatively low amount of cars (compared to say Vietnam where everywhere seems fuel choked). We ask the driver to drop us at That Luang which is THE symbol of Laos and we get there around 12.15. It closes at 12.45 for an hour or so. That Luang is a resplendent BRIGHT gold against the perfect periwinkle blue sky, it's also blisteringly hot. We pay the entrance fee (which I think was about 20,000 kip for foreigners) According to legend the breastbone of Lord Buddha was placed on this site in the 4th century. It’s the most sacred site in all of Laos and there are wats all around, as well as merchants selling tourist tat. It’s a must see visit though in Vientiane. Inside there are only us and 2 other tourists, its nice to wonder around and take (many) pictures.
K wants to walk back into town but I would say it’s a good 1.5 miles in about 95f so we get a tuk tuk to drop us off at the arc. We find a little shop/stall about to shut for lunch and order 2 beer Laos and sit in the shade for ½ hour.
Mar 1st, 2010, 09:41 AM
#52
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We're going to Laos in late July . . . are loving this report. Thanks for the tips about hotel and food . . . will be sitting here awaiting "the rest of the story" (to quote Paul Harvey).
Thanks for posting,
Sandy (in Denton)
Thanks for posting,
Sandy (in Denton)
Mar 1st, 2010, 09:49 AM
#53
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Let's review. The title of this thread includes "begins" and yet it continues way past the beginning. Furthermore, the title includes "solo" and yet the OP is accompanied by her friend. A new type of Solo it seems. I think the Op's friendship with Bob has had negative effects.
Mar 1st, 2010, 11:21 AM
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It must be a slow day at the law firm as his pandaness has time to critise and post midday. Like wise, business in the UK must be slow a her smeagoalness had time to answer. Godd report so far. I can taste that cool beer after 90+ degrees.
Mar 1st, 2010, 11:26 AM
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Yes, the report is timely. Yes the "solo" could have been read to modify only flying. However, no perky response to the first item about how this thread begins with "begins". The back benchers are howling. Sure, it's a good report, but sniping is our perogative. No penalty. That's being saved for the abandoned VN report languishing in Ekscrunchyland.
Mar 1st, 2010, 12:56 PM
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The problem is that you will now leak into Bobland and let the middle and the end be included in a thread that "begins" the adventure. Please note how Craig, the evil Yankee fan, has thoughtfully had one post that began his begins and then a separate trip report. Clarity, clarity, clarity! Remeber the audience for whom you are writing.
Mar 1st, 2010, 03:31 PM
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You were there recently weren't you? It wasn't hot! It started to get hot last Friday. Lucky you aren't there in April.
BTW I don't like Stickys - very ordinary food imo.
Do you know you could have done a tour of the Beer Laos factory and got free beer?
BTW I don't like Stickys - very ordinary food imo.
Do you know you could have done a tour of the Beer Laos factory and got free beer?
