Its Pronounced "Lao" not "Laos"

To say it was easy to get to Vientiane would be an understatement. It took me an hour to get out of the airport because apparently you need a visa to come into Laos but luckily for me, they allow you to get a visa once you arrive. Its just that everyone else didn't know you needed one as well and so the line was ridiculously long. Anyways, I made it to my hostel around 3:30 pm. I stayed at Dream Home Hostel 1 and I only chose this place because the recommendations on it said it was a fun hostel but what it didn't say is that the hostel is loaded with mosquitoes! So if you plan on staying here, make sure you bring mosquito repellent. I had dinner at this local place called Ray's Grille, which was conveniently located about 300 meters from my hostel. If you're looking for a Philly cheese steak or a burger, then this is place for you. After dinner, I made my way down to the red market to see what all the fuss was about. It's called the "red market" because every awning on every stall is red and it is easily recognizable. Cool place to get cheap clothes, food, or gadgets. I built up quite the thirst while walking through the market and so I set off on my next mission. I wanted to try and find a pub or bar that had live music and a cool atmosphere. Turns out, I was unsuccessful in finding either. The nightlife in Vientiane is not the greatest and I called it a night around 10:30 pm. I guess I figured I should get some sleep on my first night in Vientiane since the next day I planned on doing a ton of sightseeing.

Of course that didn't go as planned either... At about 4:30 am, my "bunk-mate" rolled out of his bed and onto the floor! On his way way down he landed on me and I screamed extremely loud in utter and complete shock! Everyone in the dorm woke up and the guy who fell on me had no idea what happened. He said sorry and just hopped back in his bed and went back to sleep as if nothing happened. So, needless to say, I didn't sleep very well tonight.

Day 2

I didn't get the earliest of starts this morning but I was able to gather my things and make my way to Pha That Luang, the famous golden structure that Laos is known for. I paid the 10,000 kip (not worth it) and took some pictures in and around the building. I was also able to get some cool drone footage as well, which made the trek worth it. Afterwards, I walked about 2 kilometers and found this quaint little Laotian restaurant called Doi Ka No. I ordered the stir-fried chicken with ginger and black pepper and black rice. It was delicious and I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Vientiane. It is on the high end of the price spectrum compared to other places but it was worth the extra kip. I continued my walk back to the hostel but before I made it back, I made another stop at the famous Patuxay aka the little Arc de Triomphe. I paid the small fee to go to the top and it was really cool, definitely worth the price if you get the chance to go to the Patuxay. I finally got back to the hostel and met up with Ed, Andrew, Roberto, Jessica, and a few other newbies who we just met. There were about 12 of us and we all went to Cowboy Village. It is a really cool little place with a bunch of food options, a live band, and of course ice cold beer. It was a fun night with everyone playing games and just enjoying each others company.

Day 3

After a long fun night out with everyone, it was time to get out of Vientiane. I wasn't planning on leaving but to be honest, Vientiane is really boring and there isn't a whole lot to do or see. 2 days in Vientiane is plenty of time to see everything and get the feel of the city. Luckily for me, Roberto, Jessica, and some other English people were also leaving. So all of us hopped on a bus and made our way to Vang Vieng. 4 hours later, we arrived and made our walk to our hostel, The Rock. It was a really cool hostel with its own bar, pool table, and lounge area. I highly recommend this hostel if you go to Vang Vieng, it is a great place to meet people. There are so many things to do in Vang Vieng that you could stay here for 4-6 days. The top attraction is tubing and so all 8 of us decided to go tubing. We floated down the river with our beers in hand and took in the scenery. On the tube trip, you make two pit stops to get out and refill your drinks and swim. It is an all day trip, so be prepared to stay out from 11 am until 6-7 pm. By the time we got back, everyone was exhausted and needed a nap but it turns out that our "nap" actually turned into us just all going to sleep. So we all crashed out at 8 pm and called it a night.

Day 4

The next day, Roberto and I decided to rent some mountain bikes and go see the blue lagoon, hike to the top of a mountain to view the hillside of Laos, and make our way to Pha Pungkham cave. It was a bit of a trek but the workout was much needed. After the blue lagoon we made a stop and had lunch at Sao Lao. A really cool charitable restaurant that donates money to help build schools so that kids can learn English. When we got back into town we stopped and ate dinner at some restaurant that I completely forgot the name of but it was super cheap and our burgers were quite good. Afterwards, it was time for me to say my goodbyes to Roberto because I had a flight to catch back in Vientiane. So I had to book a night bus back to Vientiane so that I could catch my flight to my next stop: Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The quiet and quaint town of Vang Vieng was amazing. I really enjoyed my time here and I'm glad I made an "audible" and came here. It made my time in Laos much more enjoyable and I met some of the coolest people that I get to call my friends. It was a pleasure ya'll. Until next time.

Jess, Andew, Ed, & I enjoying dinner in Vientiane

#travel #Asia #Backpackers #RedMarket #Laos #Vientiane