VENTIANE

The cynic in me would condescendingly state that Vientiane is a great place to recover from a motorcycle accident and spend your time lounging around the hostel with a short walk to meals at nearby restaurants.  However, despite not offering much, I really enjoyed Laos and the kind, sleepy nature of the country may radiate stronger in Vientiane than anywhere else.

I spent three days in Laos and less than three hours seeing the capital’s main sites - there’s a distinct buddhist temple, Wat That Luang, although it’s much smaller than it looks and a war monument and boulevard that unfortunately draw comparisons to their French inspirations - the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees.  It would take an awful lot of cafes, a huge Zara, and a Ferrari Dealership for someone to legitimately compare Patuxai to the Champs Elysees. Ugh…stop being condescending.

Due to the bad leg, I limited my walking to a small touristy area but since Vientiane isn’t overrun with Westerners the cafes still feel as though you’ve stepped back into a French area colonial town.  The Pathet Lao may militarily control the country but along these blocks I could pretend to be a modern day Hemingway working on the next great American novel.

Beyond the tourist zone the city was more spread out than I expected.  There was a new mall under construction but otherwise the city was pleasantly void of the trappings of modernization.  Befitting any capital city, there was a wide range of culinary options ranging from Italian (featuring real Italian chefs!!!) to Japanese.

It’s amazing that a country destroyed by Western powers - it’s the most bombed country on earth - can be so welcoming of tourists - tourists may bring in revenues but it’s difficult to see how these funds directly impact the smiling people you pass on the street.  Even so this was am amazing place to visit.