Vientiane - capital city of Laos

Thought I'd show you the tree house I stayed in in Luaing Prabang. I spent a while yesterday morning sitting overlooking the river, supping a cold, freshly squeezed banana shake... bliss!
The plane going from Luaing Prabang to Vientiane wasn't too small after all - 54 seats, and we had a smooth flight with the scenery changing from lush forested hillsides to brown and green plains. We are on the border with Thailand again - divided only by the Mekong river. Our hotel is fairly standard for a city - hot and cold water - literally, hot last night, cold this morning! Having settled in, we all set off for a temple visit. However, we had trouble finding a tuc-tuc, and ended up cramming 11 of us into a space designed for 6. Cosy! I ended up on someone's knee at the open back of the bench, hanging on desperately to the roll-bar as we hurtled round corners. Picture shows normal loading of 6.
The temple (pictured) is the most important monument in Laos, so that was interesting, particularly a beautifully decorated room like a ballroom, where the children are educated at times. It reminded me of the dancehall in Luckenback, Texas!! (totally different decoration, of course, but there was something about it...)
We then walked back to the Patuxan - this looks like the Arc de Triomphe; it was half built; they ran out of money. Then the Americans came to build an airfield during the Vietnam conflict, and hey presto, some of the concrete mysteriously disappeared and the Arc was completed. The locals call it the 'vertical runway'! I had to climb the stairs inside to the top, of course, but had been delayed by the essential purchase of an ice-cream - got left behind the others, and ended up descending in darkness as they closed up for the night - close shave! Good view from the top, though!
We decided on a Western meal last night for a change. I ordered steak and mashed potatoes. They brought chips by mistake, and when I pointed this out they took my plate away, returning 20 minutes later having mashed up the chips. Hmmm, tasty enough, - bit like fried potato - but I could have done that myself and more quickly...
Tonight we watch the sun set over the Mekong, and sip a cocktail or two - I had another Singapore Sling last night - not as good as at Raffles. My 'Blue Lagoon' was better... looked like a rather posh WKD Blue; very refreshing.
Tomorrow night is our 'homestay' night - sleeping in a village hut, apparently. Dormitory accommodation, no showers and squat toilets. Bit like a morris weekend really...
Have a good weekend, everyone...

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