Buffalo skin paste

Vientiane is well developed. Its quite clean, organised and there aren't any kids running around the streets like we found in the previous two countries. It isn't filled to the brim with activities and the main area is quite small, this is good news as it's far too hot to do too much (about 35 degrees).

Laos as a country has only been open to tourists again for the last 20 years (civil war prevented travel to the country and the borders were closed). It was a French colony in 1893 for 50 years and again in 1946 before being handed back in 1954.

We took a walk close to our hotel and discovered a statue of a man looking towards the Mekong river. There was no english description but later figured out this was Chao Anouvong. He was the last king of Vientiane (the country used to be divided into states and each had its own monarch) between 1826 - 1829. He also led a rebellion against the Siamese (now Thailand) to reclaim a former kingdom know as Lang Xiang. The statue was built in 2010 to mark the 450th anniversary of Vientiane.

Across the road was the Presidential Palace (the back-end of it at least - later we did see the front that was much more impressive!), which we had to walk around to get to a old temple called Haw Pha Kaew which was exclusively for the King but is now an art museum. It was under renovation though and looked closed.

A few minutes across the road brings to to Wat Sisaket. It was built in 1818, and is the oldest temple still standing in Vientiane. It's built in a Siamese style rather than Lao which is probably why it wasn't destroyed during a Siamese invasion in 1827 and was used as a headquarters instead (google says Siam style is a surrounding terrace and 5 tiered roof). Around the terrace and inside the temple were pairs of small ceramic buddha statues, there are about 2,000 in total. I've seen collections like this before but never in pairs - I don't know why this is.

We read (and have seen programs) that suggests the food market is the way to eat here as most of the restaurants are either Vietnamese or Chinese and set up for tourists as the local people don't really eat out. Couldn't find the location though and a Buddhist teacher we started talking to didn't know about it either (he was dutch born but spends all his time teaching English to monks around Asia, and could have easily passed as a local to me). It was far too hot to carry on wondering around and so we found a coffee place to get some A/C and Ice coffee. Coffee here is mainly grown in the south of the country in the Bolaven Plateau. First taste was a thumbs up from us both!

Lunch was some Vietnamese Pho (beef soup noodles) although I did read that the locals eat the same for breakfast so not sure what the differences are. I've missed these kind of noodles (thick ribbon ones made from rice), its been more of the fried stuff on the trip so far. Both drinks and food seem much cheaper here than in Cambodia.

Dinner was a interesting experience. Our Rough Guide book recommended a restaurant called Lao Kitchen which serves traditional food. The menu explained that food is normally shared, and contains a meat dish, some soup or curry along with sticky rice, a spice paste and some veg. The meat dish was chicken wrapped in pandan leaves (came with a citrus/lemongrass dip). Our soup was called "Khong Island Sour Soup" that had pieces of fish, pineappla, tomato and pickled bamboo in a spicy broth. Veg was morning glory (our Asian fav) and the spice paste "Jeow Bong" was interesting; a mix of chilli, lime and dried buffalo skin. I liked it but as the rest of the food was full of flavour anyhow I wasn't so sure of how you are meant to use it. All in all very good and the chilli heat is a welcome return to my mouth, good to have sticky rice as a variation to all the white stuff over the past month

Lao coffees; 2
Lao temple count; 1
Different beds slept in; 12