Day 2 and a restless night
Publicatu: 15.11.2024
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Good Morning Vientiane!
For a capital city with over 600,000 residents in its metropolitan area, you actually don't feel as busy as in other Asian capitals. And I like that! There's a subdued vibe, even though we are already at the end of 'Visit Laos 2024,' the official tourism year for Laos. I had feared that people here might be more 'corrupted' and see tourists only as walking dollar bills. It's very relaxing to walk through the streets; no one honks at you or tries to sell you something or take you somewhere. Well, only a few seem to speak a little English... 🙈 And it feels safe, even though everywhere warns of pickpockets.
First, I headed to Patuxai, the victory arch of Vientiane. Built of cement from the USA, which was originally intended for the expansion of the airport during the Vietnam War, it now stands for the beginning of independence from the former French colonial power. Passing monks, French, Russian, and local tourists, I made my way up the steps. Of course! There's a tower with a view: here I am. 😉
I enjoyed the expression over the city, watched Laotians and monks taking selfies, and then set out to find a taxi heading towards the city's largest temple.
What I didn't know was that the annual That Luang Festival is currently taking place in its vicinity. What is actually a religious and cultural event felt more like a mix of a fair, a fish market, and a carnival to me. 🙈 There was no sense of reverence; the market sellers were competing loudly, and it was ONE big sales battle. Consequently, finding a taxi for the return trip proved difficult, which forced me to walk back. Not unwillingly because of the steps, but because of the extreme heat, the lack of sidewalks, and blisters from not properly breaking in my Birkenstocks. 😩 Only a pedicure with a foot massage helped. 😍
After a short break at my accommodation, I then went to the night market, which was also much sleepier and quieter than I am used to from other Asian cities. The fried noodles were quite good, but the night was unfortunately not. 🤢 Whether it was really the noodles, the culture shock, the intense heat, or something else... whatever, this morning everything is back to normal, and I simply restart my eating adventure from scratch. 😉
Today is a second day of sightseeing, followed by an early evening ride by minivan to Vang Vieng. We'll read again soon!
For a capital city with over 600,000 residents in its metropolitan area, you actually don't feel as busy as in other Asian capitals. And I like that! There's a subdued vibe, even though we are already at the end of 'Visit Laos 2024,' the official tourism year for Laos. I had feared that people here might be more 'corrupted' and see tourists only as walking dollar bills. It's very relaxing to walk through the streets; no one honks at you or tries to sell you something or take you somewhere. Well, only a few seem to speak a little English... 🙈 And it feels safe, even though everywhere warns of pickpockets.
First, I headed to Patuxai, the victory arch of Vientiane. Built of cement from the USA, which was originally intended for the expansion of the airport during the Vietnam War, it now stands for the beginning of independence from the former French colonial power. Passing monks, French, Russian, and local tourists, I made my way up the steps. Of course! There's a tower with a view: here I am. 😉
I enjoyed the expression over the city, watched Laotians and monks taking selfies, and then set out to find a taxi heading towards the city's largest temple.
What I didn't know was that the annual That Luang Festival is currently taking place in its vicinity. What is actually a religious and cultural event felt more like a mix of a fair, a fish market, and a carnival to me. 🙈 There was no sense of reverence; the market sellers were competing loudly, and it was ONE big sales battle. Consequently, finding a taxi for the return trip proved difficult, which forced me to walk back. Not unwillingly because of the steps, but because of the extreme heat, the lack of sidewalks, and blisters from not properly breaking in my Birkenstocks. 😩 Only a pedicure with a foot massage helped. 😍
After a short break at my accommodation, I then went to the night market, which was also much sleepier and quieter than I am used to from other Asian cities. The fried noodles were quite good, but the night was unfortunately not. 🤢 Whether it was really the noodles, the culture shock, the intense heat, or something else... whatever, this morning everything is back to normal, and I simply restart my eating adventure from scratch. 😉
Today is a second day of sightseeing, followed by an early evening ride by minivan to Vang Vieng. We'll read again soon!
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