Vientiane

After Yangon, I wasn't too excited to go to another big city on my last day in the country, but Vientiane wasn't so bad! For one, it's not as hot here - today has a high of 97, but it's only 82 right now. That's cool enough for a walking tour in my book! I started my morning with a pastry from the Scandanavian Bakery around the corner from my hotel, iHouse. I got a late start because I don't need to leave for the airport until 7:15 and needed to fill the hours somehow (so an HBO movie kept me in bed until 9:30). After fueling up at breakfast, I hit the pavement en route the Patuxai Monument, Laos's answer to the Arch de Triomph. The monument was built with cement donated by the U.S. intended for a new runway back in the days of the secret war. Instead, the Lao government directed their efforts towards a giant middle finger (or arch) to the French in celebration of their independence. I didn't climb up to the top because the city doesn't really seem like one worth taking the stairs to the top for the view. Just not that much to see. 

I continued on my stroll to That Dam, an old misplaced stupa in the middle of a traffic circle. The stupas in Bagan eat stupas like this one for breakfast, so being the spoiled little stupa voyeur I am, it didn't really excite me too much. 

Wat Si Saket seemed like a good next stop as it was nearby, so I popped in for my weekly temple visit. It was pretty, but still doesn't hold a torch to anything in Myanmar. Gosh! That beautiful country ruined me for the rest of Buddhism. 

Though I couldn't go in, I tried to pay a visit to the president at his royal palace afterward. Instead, I just took an awkward picture through the gate before I was seen by security. 

Lunch at Sputnik Burger was the answer to my desire to avoid Lao food. Their Beer Lao Tempura Tilapia sandwich was delicious. I didn't really understand the restaurant's communist James Bond space theme, but the food was great! Feeling like my walking tour had pretty much exhausted the sites in Vientiane already, I opted for some shopping. The guidebook had recommended T'Shop Lai Gallery so I headed over to check out the handmade bath products with little intent to purchase. Twenty dollars later...I have a new collection of organic natural bug repellent, butterfly pea and kaffir lime shampoo, coconut oil and lip balm. I'm sure I needed this stuff, right? With five hours to kill, I decided a book shop was a good next stop. Monument Books around the corner was a bit of a disappointment. Usually I walk into a book store and can't leave without at least two or three books. I didn't really want to spend five hours with any of the pickings in the shop, so I went to Joma Cafe to catch up on my blog. Blessing in disguise! Laos has kept me so busy I was three cities behind. I needed a taste of the Parisian influence left behind in this city where the cafe culture has hung on strong. Now I'm all caught up in time for Bali! If only I had a book to read on the beach.