Asian Pavilion Hotel Vientiane

... We were charged 28,000K (1pound fifty) for this belated surprise. And 28,000K is enough to buy you fish (which is always the most expensive thing on the menu), or to buy you 3 BeerLao in a grocery shop. We had a conversation (us in english, old lady manager in Laos - so not sure how much was understood?!) We insisted that we didn't order this appertiser and tried to get the waiter to admit to the manager that we told him to take it away. The manager had added it to the ...

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E-mail : tatudon@tat.or.th

... river (Yes this river gets everywhere in South East Asia). The roads are a lot wider than Vietnam and there is a lot less bikes than Vietnam.
To be honest there is not a lot to do here - but it is good just to chill out.
Also did the usual round of temples and buildings - these were good - but i have to say i am a little templed out, and nothing is as spectacular as ...

Rough and rugged flight? Not at all – it was actually a very smooth and pleasant flight and I only wished it had been light outside so we could have seen the rain forest and rivers below.
We got an $8 cab to the New Laos Paris Hotel. This was the ‘standard fare’ from the taxi desk although I am always really sceptical about this and it always put me in a bad, defensive mood. I always think they are just ripping me off!! It’s ...

... with a bus because one of its clippers was a bit destroyed, but trust me it wouldve done some serious damage to that bus! Luang Prabang was the definite highlight of the country in general, and the bus ride getting there from Vang Vieng was spectacular. The bus winding in and out of sweeping mountains, being higher up than the cloud and mist, endless valleys and mountains in the distance, tiny towns and villages along the way. My pictures wont do it ...

... millions of unexploded bombs in the rural areas... you read about this stuff, but I hadn't really 'seen it' or 'felt it' anywhere....
So the next morning Matt and I headed to COPE, the national centre that gives people wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs and rehabilitates them.
There is an amazing visitor centre on site... it's only small but we spent hours there, reading the boards and watching documentaries and interviews - learning about everything from the bombings to the ...

... about $5 US) we though it would be ok. We went out for dinner and when we came back i opened the door to about 5 rats jumping out of my bag! It was disgusting, and after they had gone i coud still hear them squeking through the walls. I wasn't happy about staying but they were gone now so maybe it would be ok. I sat on the bed and then Dave came to join me. As soon as he sat down ...

... in Lao and an English translation says that the monument was started in 1950-something but not completed due to the tumultuous history of Vientiane. It then says, "From a closer distance, it appears even less impressive, like a monster block of concrete." I have no words for how much I love this sign. It is really hot here, like Las Vegas summer but without the omnipresent air conditioning that makes Las Vegas summer bearable. My ...

An early 5am start saw us wandering the dark and deserted streets of Hanoi (which was VERY bizarre to see compared to the usual mayhem!) attempting to find one of those 'cheaper than the hotel can provide for sure!' taxi's that we needed, but for some reason none were out! We finally found one 30 mins later and guess what, it ended up being way more expensive than the hotel one so for once we learned our ...