We took an 8 hour vip bus from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. We came here to see the city, get our visas for vietnam from the vietnamese embassy, and use the one international ATM in all of Laos. We spent yesterday bicycling around the city.

It was interesting, with the huge stupas, propagandic one sided museums, and the psuedo Arc de Triumph shown above; but the whole city is a little dusty and faded. I think Meg and I are ready to move on after two days here. Now that we are restocked with cash, have made use of the fast internet connections, we will pick up our visas in about an hour and head to the bus station. From here we go to Vang Vieng, a sleepy little mountain town about three hours North of Vientiane. There we are staying in a nice wood bungalow that overlooks a river and the mountains. Our plan for tomorrow is the popular activity for the Vang Vieng: Renting a giant tractor inner tube and floating down a nearby river for three hours, occasionaly stopping at the make shift beer stands on the side of the river for a cool Beer Lao and a snack. Thanks to everyone who has been checking in on us we really do appreciate it. We should have internet access for atleast the next 3 or 4 days, then we may be disconnected for 3 days as we cross the mountains of Laos on our way into Vietnam. Once we arrive in Hanoi, internet will again be plentiful and fast.

Post a comment