The bus transfer to Vientiane, Laos on 14th July was pretty comfortable with very scenic views for most of the journey. In all, we were only (!!) on the road for 3.5 hours. On arrival at Vientiane, we were harassed by tuk tuk drivers - so no change there then - but managed to barter a good price to the Hotel Beau Rivage. The hotel had a boutique feel (unlike the Grace Boutique Guest House we stayed at in Chiang Mai) with great views across the Mekong River. It seemed odd that we could see Thailand just a mile away!

After checking in we decided to have a spot of lunch in The Spirit House which was next door to our hotel and also listed in our guide book.It was a very relaxing chic bar with a rustic atmosphere. The food was amazing. We had a number of tapas dishes followed by beer and Mojitos. With full stomachs, we decided on the walking tour of the city that was also in the guide book. During the tour we saw a number of temples; Haw Pha Kaeo, Wat Si Saket, Presidential Palace and That Dam (the photos are in our photo album on the blog).

Vientiane, being the capital city of Laos, wasn't too bad.It had a reasonable amount to do during the day and an abundance of restaurants and bars to party in of a night. That said, it didn't feel like a capital city.

On our way back from the 2 hour walking tour, we stopped off in a couple of bars one being the Khop Chai Deu restaurant and bar which is a place that we have been told not to miss.According to our guide book, it said the restaurant sells fried insects! After looking at the menu, Mark was disappointed as he couldn't see them listed. He decided that perhaps Cambodia (rather than Laos) would be the place to try fried tarantula spider and some red ants!!Let's see what happens...

The following morning we visited COPE (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise) - www.copelaos.org. This is a hospital for those that had their limbs amputated either in the war, from landmines left after the war or from an accident or illness. The victims have artificial limbs made up in the on-site workshop and undergo physio for some time. This may seem like a strange place to go but it was listed as the number #1 thing to see in Vientiane on tripadvisor.com and it felt like the right thing to do after our tour to a field of bomb craters, in Phonsavan, a few days earlier. We walked into the visitor's centre and watched a 1 hour movie about the war. It was sad to watch the re-enactment of very young children playing with their friends in a field or forest where unexploded bombs lie. Many locals go to these areas to farm, find food or retrieve exploded/ unexploded bombs for their scrap metal value. One bomb can be worth 200,000Kip (about £16), which is enough to feed the poor local families for a few weeks. The risks are great but the need for food distorts the danger. The sad fact is that >300 people die each year because of the unexploded ordinance (UXO). Mark had tears in his eyes when we came out from the video, as it had left such a strong impression and his thoughts went back to the village we had visited a few days earlier with the young children running about.

We continued to walk around the centre, looking at the bombs and artificial limbs. We also saw another real life interview with a family whose son died in their arms as they could not find a hospital with blood for their son who had been hit with debris from a bomb. As we sat watching the film, we saw the three American girls that we had met earlier in our travels. They had heard about the work of COPE too but not from tripadvisor. All five of us agree it was a very worthwhile visit.

After reading that it costs only US$200 to transport the average patient to the centre, provide accommodation and food, and a new limb, it was not at all difficult for us to part with the money knowing that we have helped one person to restart their life. The amount felt small when we thought about the difference it would make to someone; depending on what else we see in Asia, we are thinking about making a regular donation to the centre when we return to the UK. We hope others make donations to this worthwhile cause. No one deserves to suffer because of unexploded bombs dropped on their country over 30 years ago (there are believed to be 80 million left!!!)

After the visit, we ventured to the Patuxai Monument which is an arch modelled on the Parisian L'Arc de Triomphe; the French had governed Laos many years ago and the influence can be seen in many areas. We climbed up this for a good view of the city (the monument is about 45m high). Unfortunately, it was never finished due to the war and isn't a pretty sight when walking up the stairs inside the building. The outside is quite pretty but there are parts that still need to be painted.

The evening was spent sitting in The Spirit Bar with more tapas, beer and Mojitos and using the patchy Wi-Fi. After Mark had muttered a few expletives, having needed to reboot multiple times, he was soon happy again as he jumped behind the bar to make a Mojito with the bartender. The guys were really friendly and we could have stayed for many hours more.......but the bar closed and we had an early start the next day.

We had an early morning call at 3am as we were catching a 6:30am flight to Cambodia.I had packed the night before, unfortunately Mark hadn't packed, which was strange as he did not go to bed (so had plenty of time). Somehow he seems to lose the track of time!! Given the worry about the weight in our rucksacks, each time we fly we wear our heavy walking boots. Unfortunately, five minutes before the taxi arrived, Mark realised that he had not cleaned his boots from an earlier trek (surprise, surprise) and was panicking as he was washing them in the bathroom sink. Perhaps wearing soaking wet boats on the plane will teach him a lesson......somehow I don't think it will.

Anyway, we jumped in a taxi to Vientiane airport which was very small indeed. We were the only ones at the airport, which seemed to be closed when we arrived. This morning there was a lot of mist across the runway and we were concerned about this especially as we were flying with Laos Airlines......not exactly top of the tree when it comes to reliability and quality. Emirates Airways it certainly isn't!!! We wouldn't have been surprised if the airport was closed due to the fog....but it wasn't. It soon sprung into life with all of about 50 people. You certainly wouldn't confuse this with Heathrow.

Anyway we got the flight and left on time.It wasn't too bad until we found out we had to stop off at Pakse airport in Laos before continuing to Cambodia. This was frankly a bit of a joke as the flight consisted of 1) getting on the plane for 2 hours, 2) getting off the plane and going through the small arrivals hall, 3) getting an exit stamp in the passport, 4) walking a few yards to the departure area, and 5) getting on the same plane, in the same seats, with the same passengers for another hour!!!! Why we couldn't get the stamp in Vientiane is beyond us. We have a funny feeling that someone is trying to create a few needless jobs. Nevertheless, we were airborne pretty soon and on our way to Cambodia. Fingers crossed the visa process, which we read can be done when we land at the airport, goes well. Let's see what Cambodia has to bring !!