We were supposed to be picked up outside our hotel in Vang Vieng at 9.30am on Monday morning. However, given how laid back the Laos people seem to be about time keeping, we weren't picked up until 9.55am when our bus was due to leave at 10am. When we got to the bus station, we found about twenty more tourists sat around waiting for the same bus as us. Apparently, they had sold more tickets for the bus than there were seats so they had filled one bus and were waiting for another bus to come so we could get on that. It eventually turned up and we left Vang Vieng at 10.45am.

The journey to Vientiane was pretty easy and we made it to the capital of Laos at about 2.30pm. We had to get into a packed tuk tuk to get into the city from the norther bus station which cost is 10,000 kip each (about 80p). We were dropped off at our hotel and to be honest we aren't too impressed with it. We are staying at the New Laos Paris hotel and its okay but we would expect a bit more in Laos for about £14 a night. We've got 7 nights here in total so we've just got to make the most of it. We went for a quick walk and found a restaurant to grab some food as we hasn't had anything to eat all day.

On Monday night, we walked down to the night market which is held on the banks of the Mekong river. The market is huge and you can literally buy anything you need. I managed to get a case for my phone to protect the smashed back of it after I dropped it on Sunday morning. About 5 minutes walk past the night market, there are several stalls cooking food on the street. We stopped at one of these and Beth had some sweet and sour chicken whilst I had some noodles. They were both really good and cheap.

On Tuesday, we made our way to the Vietnamese embassy to apply for our visas for Vietnam. It was about a 20 minute walk from our hotel and after a little bit of difficulty we managed to find it. We just had to fill in a form and attach a photo and leave our passports there until Friday when we can pick them up. At $65 each the visas are by far the most expensive we have had to pay for so far. After leaving the embassy, we went to Patuxai which is a Arc De Triomphe type structure on one of the main avenues in Vientiane. We paid 3,000 kip each to climb to the top which was okay but nothing special. Apparently, it was made of concrete sent by the US in 1969 to build a runway for the airport. Much better use we say!! We then found a cafe to have some lunch and the food was great. Beth had some Vietnamese style pork which was delicious while I had some cracking fried rice. After digesting our food we then went and sat by the Mekong with the idea of chilling out for a couple of hours. However, it was so hot that after about 15 minutes, we both looked at each other and thought that a cold drink in one of the many bars lining the river would be a much better idea!!

On Tuesday night, we explored a bit further to see if we could find anywhere to eat. On the way, we were walking down the street when I heard Beth shriek and suddenly she was sprawled out on the floor. She had slipped on a kerb and somehow managed to end up on the floor. It's the third such incident in the past week and we aren't sure what's gotten into her!! Anyway, the only thing injured was her pride, especially the street seller opposite who was killing himself laughing!! I had a good chuckle as well. We managed
to find a really good restaurant for tea before heading back to the room for a quiet night as the Vietnam visas have reduced our budget this week.