Laos

I had a host in Vientiane, a woman named Soda offered to host me. She offered to pick me up on her motorbike but I couldn’t get a hold of her and the airport wi-fi sucked. I bought a drink to get the wi-fi password and I got directions to her place instead. I was able to find her place, hidden inside one of the alleys. It was a bit of a shabby shack but still homey. I was supposed to sleep on the sofa covered by a mosquito net. We talked for a bit, she likes playing the guitar, identified as a minimalist and she told me about her favorite rock star. I commented how arid Vientiane felt, the sunlight there was very orangey, almost a bit desert like. This made Soda laugh. Our conversations continued on for a while until I excused myself because I wanted to see more of the city and she told me I would find her again later here.

I had assumed Laos and Myanmar would be a bit similar since they were neighboring countries but to my surprise they were quite different. Both were still Buddhist countries, but the temple architecture and statues were nothing alike. I went to Wat Si Saket, Wat meaning temple. A huge roofed temple with pillars supporting it. They were a lot of people praying inside. I also passed by That Dam, a black stupa. I also went to Wat Si Muang, another Lao temple, there was a statue of Buddha being covered by snakes like an umbrella. On my way to Patuxai, I passed by a money exchange hoping to get rid of my Myanmar kyat but turns out I lost my chance.

Patuxai is one of the central monuments in Vientiane, it was smackdab in the middle of the main road, towering over the surrounding park and fountain. I was able to see some more important government buildings along the way. It seems like Vientiane was pretty big on elephants as well, as there were numerous elephant statues all around. I hanged out for a bit as the sun began to set, painting the sky an even more arid color. I started to head back another direction, passing by some more hidden temples. I arrived at Soda’s place and found the place to be locked. I was still feeling quite unwell and had to wait for several hours, I called her and sent messages but she wasn’t answering. There were some very angry dogs as well, which added to my nervousness. After a long time of waiting, I decided it was taking too long and went to look for a new place to stay. I stopped by a café before it closed and ordered some food so I could use the wi-fi and book a place. I booked a pretty good boutique hotel near my place, I hurried off.

Having approached the check-in counter, it seemed like my booking hadn’t fully been processed yet. I decided to have some dinner first in one of their restaurants. I was the only customer, I ordered some bruschetta but when the order came there was a huge bug so the waiter promptly replaced it with a new one. After my meal, I was able to check-in successfully. I was shown to my room, bigger, better, cleaner and not that expensive too. My family got in touch with me, as well as Soda. She apologized, turns out she was jogging along the Mekong river. I told her it was no problem and it was actually better this way for me since I was still sick. I took my shower, my meds and relaxed for a bit before drifting off to sleep.Read more