Vientiane

     

     Having toured the culturally significant Luang Prabang and the natural wonders of Vang Vieng first, we were starting to wonder if we had saved too many days for the reportedly boring Vientiane.  Most travellers just use it for its airport and have implied the Lao Capital doesn't have much to offer.  By the time we got there, it had EXACTLY what we wanted: SUNNY weather and a bit more metropolitan-ity that we surprisingly craved.  

     As our major thought of the day revolves around our next meal, we were relieved to be back in the land of many options!  The night market fired up down our street every night and a variety of street food could be had a reasonable prices.  

     We also indulged in some non-local fare as a refreshing diversion from noodle soup. One night we had Italian pasta and pizza.  Another night we hit up Trip Advisor for Indian and found this highly recommended spot (pictured below).  Our meal at Jamil Zahid was good and so inexpensive! Old Jamil, himself, attentively serves all guests and asked the kids to pick "American" music from his ipod (although we preferred a Punjabi soundtrack rather than subject the entire dining room to more Despacito re-mixes). However, in the end it seems that his attentiveness borders on phishing for reviews and social media participation. Before we were even back to the hotel, he had posted 3 pics and a video of our family on his FB and Youtube. His YT channel is filled with hundreds of awkward clips of guests wondering why he is taking a video of them eating while he says "I love (insert your country name here)." It's a little creepy.

We rented bikes for $1.20 each and toured the major landmarks of the city.  It is actually quite handsome with loads of temples intermixed with colonial architecture.  

Rolling on the River.... Mekong

One top tourist attraction is the "Buddha Park" outside town.  It is filled with religious and fantastical sculptures and appears to be a work in progress.  The photo above shows one of its weird climbable monuments viewed from ground level, entrance, and from the top.

Another sketchy climbable monument at the Buddha Park.  

Little Buddha

The highlight of Vientiane (for the girls) was the public swimming pool.  Maya was so impressed with its size and diving platforms.  It was about $2 each and fairly quiet before 4pm.  In the late afternoon it was filled with locals and swim classes.