Vientiane

Vientiane is strung along the Mekong, and it’s probably the most laidback capital city I’ve ever seen.

The French influence is palpable throughout the city, especially in its restaurants, cafes, and streets (the French left in 1953).   Pictured (right) is the Vientiane version of the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs D’Elysees. Frankly, there wasn’t that much to do or see in Vientiane, so we resorted to chasing chickens (below).

Everything in Laos shuts down at-or before-11:30 pm.  But we found one disco that was pretty fun until then.   We were literally the only non-locals there, and it was a surprisingly trendy place for such an underdeveloped country:  $25 bottles of Johnny Walker Red Label to secure a table, a good sound system, well-dressed people, etc.

On our last day, we rode motorbikes 45 minutes outside of Vietianne to visit the Buddha Park.  It was built in the 1950s by a wealthy, Buddha-adoring individual.

Laos’ national beer is the ubiquitous—and unimaginatively named— Beerlao.  It’s actually quite good and cheap.  On the way back from the Buddha Park, we stopped by the Beerlao factory.  Despite our best efforts to charm our tour guide, we received no free beer.