So it was a long weekend for the Thais and what would have been a better way than to escape the capital for a while? I boarded a 3rd class ticket to Nong Khai, the border town of Laos and hoped the journey would be smooth ( it wasn't ) because of the cramped carriage hosting about 150 Thais all staring at me. But any backpacker will tell you that train travel in Thailand is absolutely great, so well, I did have a great time, minus the sleep for 13 hours.
We rolled into Nong Khai, got stamped out of Thailand and waited for a bus that will bring us to the Lao part of the border via the Thailand-Laos Friendship Bridge.
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The Thailand-Laos Friendship Bridge |
The driver dropped me off at a market, announcing loudly ' This Vientiane..this Vientiane '. I showed him the confirmation from the hostel that had the address on it, but he refused to look at it, gesturing me to pay him instead. This got me slightly annoyed and told him that I won't pay until he sends me to the hostel as agreed. With much consideration he finally agreed, and hiking up the price to 10,000 kips extra while he was at it.
We drove up a couple of streets. I remember the journey well because I remember thinking to myself ' What a brown country!' The dirt road was brown, the sidewalks were brown, the kids were covered in dust and hence they were brown, the Mekong river flowing on the opposite side of the road was brown and the houses on the roadsides were brown. It was so brown that I almost swore the skies were greyish brown (Okay, I exaggerated about the sky).
Anyway, I found my hostel and went to check in. The lounge was so full with backpackers just lazing about. I suppose nobody wanted to go and explore Vientiane in the brown weather. I was given a bed in the dorm room at the 3rd floor where I am supposed to share with another 15 backpackers.
My dorm bed for US$5 a night at the Vientiane Backpackers Hostel
I decided not to go around just yet, because I was still tired from the 13 hours journey in the train. So I ambled along brown country to find for a place where I can eat and which has WiFi so I can post my whereabouts on Facebook. There was only one place open, and it was a hotel of some sort - there were what looked like Korean tourists milling about at the lobby area. I ordered fried rice and the best ever cold orange juice I have tasted in the history of orange juices.
The food was okay and the waiters were all close by, asking questions like where did I come from. I answered them as polite as I could and trying not to gobble my food in one go because I was so hungry. They were just nice boys wanting to see if I would stay long enough to teach them English. I couldn't stay long, so after lunch, I left. Outside the hotel there was a tiny shophouse advertising foot reflexology for approximately US$4. I went in and got myself a good foot massage, and promptly slept halfway.
When I woke up, the massage has ended and the owner was looking at me and smiling. She said that I slept off and I must've been very tired, so she didn't wanna wake me. Aww! That was so nice! I left after giving her a tip.
Back at the hostel, I slept again. When I awoke, the room was full of conversations from every imaginable language, from English to Russian to German to French. I eyed my fellow dorm mates curiously. They all looked like they just came in soaking wet from somewhere. After sometime I realized it was raining heavily outside, and would continue until about 8pm that night.
I chose a small street stall for dinner and ordered noodles and a Beerlao. It was blissful just to sit there and listen to the sounds of the noodles being fried and the smell of hot food on a cold night. I met an interesting character, an old man who has been on the road for over 15 years! We chatted for a while and I went back to my hostel for yet another round of sleep.
Watching the world go by from a street stall in Vientiane, Laos
The next morning, I woke up early when the whole dorm was still sleeping, and went for breakfast. The hostel had free breakfast and you can choose between two Western styled breakfast ( Toasted bread, scrambled eggs or omelet, baked beans and coffee/tea). The difference of the breakfast was if you'd want your eggs scrambled or turned into an omelet. I chose the scrambled version. After breakfast I went exploring.
First, I walked to Wat Si Sa Khet, an old Buddhist temple that was built in 1818, and known to the one of the oldest temple in Laos. The sculptures of the Buddha was amazing and it was built in a Siamese architecture. I spent about 1 hour at the temple before leaving to explore other places.
From far, I saw what appeared to be the Arc De Triomphe in Paris,but in a smaller scale. As I walked closer it was evident that it WAS a monument shaped like Arc De Triomphe! This was the famous landmark of Vientiane, the Patuxai Monument, inspired by the French of course.
Patuxai Monument, Vientiane
I climbed up the monument to the observation deck at the top. You have to climb a set of spiraling staircases that will bring you floor to floor - and where in the traditional South East Asian way, has a whole floor dedicated to crafts and souvenirs to be sold to tourists who brave the staircase for a shot at the top of the Patuxai.
You can say it's not as tall as the Arc De Triomphe in Paris, but it sure has it's own personality :). I walked back to the hostel and took my shower and got ready to leave.
Not having a clue on if I would have anything to eat on the way back , ( I bought a ticket on the train to Bangkok on the sleeper, this time )I went next door of the hostel where they had a lovely bakery selling baguettes, breads and cookies. I bought a tuna and tomato baguette sandwich and some butter cookies for my snacks and dinner later.
And we were whisked away in a small pickup, where I was crammed in with what seemed like another hundred or so backpackers. We arrived at the isolated and dusty Thana Leng station where we got our passports stamped, and took the local train to Nong Khai ( where we got our passports stamped....again ) and on to the train taking us all back to Bangkok.
Vientiane was a good and nice place, and I am a little dissapointed I didn't have much time to visit other places or go around Laos, but I am pretty sure I'll do it and soon. Stay tuned for more posts! Here's an amazing picture of a Laotian sunset in the sleepy town of Nong Khai!
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