We left the hotel in time for the 9.00am train to Jakarta. Scenery was the usual lovely greenery of the rice fields and little villages until we hit suburbia and the busy outskirts of Jakarta. The train journey was 8 hours but passed quickly. We queued for a Bluebird taxi and slowly went through the city until getting on the motorway to the airport where we had booked in to the Ibis hotel.

The next day was another early start with our first flight to Bangkok and then a transfer which included a 1km walk in the airport and our 2nd flight to Vientiane in Laos. We were looking forward to exploring landlocked Laos described as laid-back where Buddhism permeates every facet of life, change comes slowly and cities bed down early. A land of mountain, mists and untamed natural beauty tempts with unrivalled peace and serenity.

It was dark when we arrived and we quickly sorted a pre-paid taxi to our hotel. After checking in we were in desperate need of refreshment and the hotel had a bar in the basement with a live band - we stayed in there for a couple of hours enjoying the Laos music and the Laos beer (BeerLao). They serve it out of large bottles and pour the beer in to small glasses with ice and top you up just the same as a bottle of wine - although a lot cheaper.

After breakfast we made a start on our one full day in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos on the banks of the Mekong River with views over to Thailand. We were soon to find out that the city also has a lot of temples and Buddhist monuments. Our first stop was the very impressive Pha That Luang, a gold covered large Buddhist stupa and is the most important national monument in Laos and a national symbol.

We walked down the large grand boulevard to the Laos version of the Arc de Triomphe, Patuxai Victory Monument, dedicated to the Laos who were killed in the fight to gain independence from France. It also had stairs, so of course we had to climb to the top and admire the views across the city.

We continued walking down the boulevard with the residential palace in full view at the bottom until we reached Wat Si Saket. Another beautiful temple with its cloister walls housing more than 5000 Buddha sculptures of varying sizes and styles.

We were starting to flag with all this walking and in the heat, so went for a drink in Tully's Irish Bar where Dan enjoyed a cold pint of Magners. A great bar and looked like it would be good in the evening as they were also set up for live music. Unfortunately, we were slightly out of town and had an early start the next day, so we had to resist the temptation.

We finished the day by walking along the Mekong river out of town and passed all the restaurants and bars until we saw a large pontoon where we headed for a couple of cold beers to watch the sunset.

Finally made it home, had a quick shower and a taxi back in to town for dinner and then walked home. We did 20,000 steps today so sure of a good night's sleep ready for the bus journey tomorrow. We enjoyed Vientiane, even though there are mixed reviews about the city, and we could have happily stayed an extra night.