After spending the last couple days sick in bed thanks to some random street stall food, I decided not to waste any more time and get out and see some of the city. Vientiane as it turns out is a small city especially since it is the capital of Laos but as capitals go it is also an expensive city. After trying 5 guesthouses I got a double room for about 75,000 kip. Which to me wasn't cheap but it was acceptable compared to some of the others I had seen. Originally I followed my guide book and went to find a guest house called Joe's on the riverside, when I got there I couldn't find it because it had been knocked down...thanks guide book! Anyway, back to me touring the city!

This morning saw me hire a bike and go cycling around the city, I have never had so many strange looks...anyone would think I was cycling about with no clothes on or something! I guess in a city where everything is motorised, bicycles are a 'tourist thing'. The roads here are just as confusing as perhaps 'spaghetti junction' would be to someone in the UK, everything is double named and the main part of the city is packed full of one way streets. When something you want to see is 2 roads away it might take you 10 roads to navigate round and get there. I also don't think I have quite grasped the way the traffic lights work here. You can keep going if you're on a bicycle? Now I know I have had to be a bit more ballsey and learn to weave in and out of the traffic on the other side of the road but to the honest I think I would still rather wait for them to turn to green!

I first of all went to the post office to mail some things home and I can say for such a small country they have got it right! Royal Mail pay attention! They pack your parcels for you, guide you through all the forms and even have a smile on their face as they're taking your money! Ok the last bit just sounds wrong but it was meant in a nice way!

Afterwards I headed towards Patouxay Monument which can only be described as Vientiane's version of the Arch De Triomphe but not stranded on a traffic island. My usual random self shone through yet again when I came to unlock my bike and it wouldn't unlock. 5 different guys later and a bent bike key my bike was free to them laughing at me telling me not to lock it again as they aren't following me around all day to offer assistance!

I then went to visit Wat That Luang Tai which is one of the largest in the city, watching me struggle up that hill on a bike with no gears was a sight especially when I got to a junction and I looked round to see a group of young monks looking at me soaking wet with my sunglasses on...they probably thought I was mental, which to be fair is about right!

I managed to see almost everything in the city in one morning cycling around, tomorrow I might take a look at Buddah Park before packing up and leaving for Si Phan Don in the evening. Yet another stupidly long bus ride coming up, the longest one yet at 13 hours but it'll be worth it when I am lying in a hammock by the riverside. I just hope I'm not still sick for the journey...fingers crossed!

Oh and I went into a bar called 'The Drop Zone' and realised it was a Military bar and saw a poster on the wall which reminded me of work. It was a guy smiling with a mug of tea and it said 'now how about a big mug of shut the f*** up'. I laughed because it reminded me of the Maritime Museum visit when I first started. For work people reading this ask Martin!