Laos Part 2: Vientiane

Spending about 3 days in Vang Vien only left me one day in Vientiane before my flight to Luang Prabang (northern Laos). Vientiane is the capitol of Laos, but has been described as very sleep and relaxing. There were not a lot of sights to see or things to do. The main sights I visited were Patuxai (the Lao version of Arc de Triomph), Pha That Luang (which I didn't go into since it was late), and a few Wats surrounding Pha That Luang. I got there a day or two before the 450th year celebration. Preparations were set up for the week long event, and I believe there already had been some pre-partying near Pha That Luang (the national symbol).


Pha That Luang





Patuxai

Since I was traveling alone in Vientiane, I messaged a CouchSurfer (CS), Carole, who was also in town, for a drink. I met her at the Spirit House by the riverside. She is French, but living in Ireland, and was in town with her son to visit her brother. She was a super nice lady, who made me feel at home with her and her family. She had traveled before to a lot of places by herself, which I found inspiring. She joined CS recently, so this was her first CS meeting as well. (This was my first coordinated meet up with an individual, not in an organized group function, like in Bangkok.)

Soon, several of her brother's friends joined us and it turned into a nice gathering. Everyone was speaking French most of the time, but it was fun to be in such a foreign environment. (Even though I am in a foreign country, I interact mostly with English speakers (for obvious reasons).) One of the friends, named Na, was Chinese, studied at a university in France, and is currently working in Vientiane. It was fun talking to her about her upbringing and her experiences. And Carole's son was adorable, especially when he was speaking French. It was definitely a pleasure to hang out with them. After a couple of glasses of wine, I called it a night, and headed home.





A very short, but sweet visit in Vientiane. I didn't give it a fair shot with only one day, but I had a good experience.