The Tourist

I woke early once again, it was difficult to sleep in a single bed, I can’t remember the last time I did. I caught up on some emails and headed out for breakfast at eight. There is a Jomo café here like in Laung Prabang (sort of a Starbucks franchise) so this morning I had fruit salad with yogurt and GRANOLA! 

That's one heck of a Stupa.

The above damaged Buddha images were excavated after the war.

I went for a walk after eating and wandered to a temple to thank “O beautiful one” and across the road found another temple that was a museum, the tourists had already begun filling it up, then across the road again was another museum. This is the one built in the fifteen hundreds where there was a Buddha image that the Thais stole. 

I then wandered into the park heading towards the waterfront, I chatted to some police for a while at the exercise machines.

When I say the Lao are laid back, the cop took this photo for me, this would never happen in Vietnam.

This is King Sisavang, ruler from 1904 to 1959, his statue looks out over the Mekong towards Thailand.

To me he seems to be saying "Thailand you stay on that side of the river.........................."

After a walk along the waterfront I headed back to my Guest House to get my sunglasses and found out a double room had become available so I took it, yay, a double bed again and my windows look out over the neighbourhood rooves whereas my old room window looked over the stairwell and there’s twenty less stairs, third floor instead of the fourth floor. 

The view from my new room, you can just barely see the river between the house and the tree.

Most people I have spoken to before arriving in Vientiane start their sentence with "it's nice but....." I guess after the mountains, caves and scenery in the north, Vientiane is just the river, a few temples, a couple of museums and entirely flat. so I've covered most of it today in a few hours. Although that may be like saying "I've seen Kings Cross and Darling Harbour so now I've seen Sydney" I'm sure there must be more but that is the main part of the city.

My back is still sore so I went out for a massage then had lunch at a Laos version of KFC, yes more spicy, greasy chicken, then went back to my room to rest. There are clouds rolling in that look like it may rain, I hope so, I forgot how hot it gets further in the south here. 

You don't see many of these here, a beautiful black Mustang.

Again I head out late afternoon and go straight to “Bor Pen Nyang” to get a good seat for the sunset. Donatella turns up again, she’s having a quick drink before she gets on the twenty hour bus ride to the four thousand islands. 

It didn't rain but the clouds add to the brilliance of the sunset, the photos can only truly capture a fraction of the beauty, the colours are astounding and just amazing. 

Donatella left and I ordered lamb chops for dinner and they were good!

I wander through the markets on the way back to my room but the vodkas have made the photos too blurry to use. I can’t help myself and stop at the “tex-mex” place on the corner of my street to sit at the table next to the Hells Angel who speaks loudly about how many people he’s killed, how you should never get on the wrong side of him and how the police have his passport, hilarious! 

I return to my room exhausted and my back still a bit sore but the double bed should help with sleep tonight.