11th Day From Vientiane to Vang Vieng

The strike of the photographer was serious, because I had forgotten to mention an episode: When we arrived at the Marble Mountain near Hoi An, there was a TV team there, who wanted to interview tourists about their impressions and immediately focused on Sabina; tall women are highly sought after. After a short thought and the promise of a hefty raise, she declined a possible career in Vietnamese television and resumed the photo documentation.

Today in the morning we started: in bright sunshine and quickly over 30 degrees first the sights of Vientiane: temples, pagodas, the Triumphal Arch built by the French, and finally the landmark of Laos, a golden giant stupa.

In Vientiane, everything is labeled in Lao and French, not English. The city has very beautiful buildings; however, many buildings built by the French were demolished by the Pathet Lao after independence in 1975.

Then we set off for Vang Vieng: We drive on a bad road and come to a huge reservoir and then stop at a Laotian soup kitchen where Sabina digs in; I hold back.

Then we start driving through rubber plantations and the road becomes terrible, the asphalt is destroyed on many sections and we hop over gravel and sand. The sand is stirred up and covers everything beside the road, including the freshly washed laundry of the people who have the misfortune of living by the road.

We stop again in a fishing village at the end of the reservoir and are disgusted by the fish specialties displayed along the entire road.

Then back in the car, Sabina's otherwise healthy complexion turned yellowish green and she was not allowed to be addressed anymore.

In the evening we arrive at our hotel, a facility by the river, surrounded by overgrown limestone cliffs.