I am in Lao ... yipppeee yahooo jiggy jiggy jump jump yay oh yeh .... I am very happy about this :))
I nearly didn't get here though. I went to check into my flight yesterday and the lady informed me that there was no record of me in their system ... WTF... I said calmly what does that mean ... she kept typing away and didn't answer me .. then she said would you like a window seat or an aisle seat ... I said I really don't care I just want a seat... she said you have to sit in the emergency seat ... I thought this would be the jump seat between the pilots but it was 1A ... I felt very special .... NOT! Geez if I'd had to spend another night in Hanoi I would've thrown a massive tanty and completely embarrassed myself. But I was on the plane PHEW!!
The plane got into Vientiane at 6pm and I met two young blokes from Holland and we agreed to share a ride into town. I couldn't believe it ... outside the airport was so quiet and there was one tuk tuk but then he got chased away by the taxi drivers ... apparently there is a feud between the taxi drivers and tuk tuk drivers and the taxi drivers rule... anyway the tuk tuk driver wanted 80,000 kip and I said no way and then he got chased away so we walked out to the road into the airport and the tuk tuk driver was waiting for us but yelling out hurry hurry as he would get chased away again. We told him 30,000 kip and he said yeh get in quickly. He took us to a hotel ... the blokes checked in and I was just going to wander to find a cheaper hotel but the tuk tuk driver wouldn't leave until he was sure I had found a hotel and I was safe.... amazing! Once he was happy I was all checked in and safe he left. How nice was that?
Last night I found this really nice restaurant, Sabai Eli, with exceptional service and a live band ... was such a relaxing atmosphere and the two singers (girl and boy) had the best voices ... and I had the best vege green curry and the Lao Beer .... mmmmmmmmmmmmm yummo! Could be dangerous cos a big bottle costs only 12,000 kip which is $1.50 ... it's cold and crisp and very very refreshing :)) yum!
Within being in Vientiane for only 2 hours I was smitten ... it is so clean, hardly any traffic, no honking horns, nobody hassling you every second to buy something or go somewhere ... it's so laid back and croooozy and the people are extremely friendly and helpful :) I think I am going to really like ... no ... LOVE this country.
This morning I checked out early from my hotel... the housekeepers started yelling at 7am this morning right outside my door ... so I have found another hotel to stay tonight and it's a bit cheaper and the lady is going to do my laundry for me cos I have NO clean clothes at all .. getting desperate. I heard this young Aussie bloke saying in the bus the other day on the way back from Halong Bay that if you leave your dirty clothes in your back pack for a week and don't wear them then they automatically become clean again .... hmmmmmm !!!! Don't think I will try it.
And I have to make a special mention of the hotel I stayed in my last night in Hanoi .... Hanoi Elite ... I would highly highly recommend it ...and I get an email from the manager today thanking me for staying and wishing me good luck on my travels in Lao. I will be staying there again if ever I go back to Hanoi. I spent 19 hours in my room and only left to have brekky .... just didn't want to leave cos it was just so comfortable.
Well better go and see the sights of Vientiane ... I am going for a big walk today cos I feel like a big fat blob!
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