Just What We Needed

Trip Start Aug 15, 2007
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Trip End Aug 31, 2008


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Where I stayed
Chanthasom Guesthouse
(Vientiane hotels)

Flag of Lao Peoples Dem Rep  ,
Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Let's see, 24-hr bus ride from Hanoi to Vientiane or cough up the necessary funds for a 1-hour flight. At this stage of the trip it was a no-brainer. So an early morning to the airport and 1-hour later we find ourselves far from the bustling streets of Hanoi and the always haggling Vietnamese to probably the most laid-back capital we've ever visited, Vientiane. We arrive and the Laotians couldn't be more pleasant. There's no cadging or propositioning, in fact it doesn't appear they even notice us at all...which is a refreshing experience.

We found a quiet guesthouse a bit farther away from the center than we would like, but clean. The most pleasant surprise about Laos is the food and not the native cuisine (yet) but the western delights. Laos is the last country in our SE Asia experience and we're both amazed by the quality of the western cuisine. No where else in SEA (in our experience) could they get it right. Bravo and thanks for the extra pounds...Our stay was brief and besides eating crepes and lasagna we visited the Pha Tat Luang, Laos' most important national monument.

We recommend:
Joma Bakery & Cafe - our favorite place
Scandinavian Bakery
Crepe ... (forgot the name, but is around the corner from Scandinavian Bakery)
Vayakorn Guesthouse (nice place for the flash packers)
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