Vientiane, Laos
In Vientiane, the capital of Laos, ex-pats and the more wealthy locals duck into French cafes for their morning croissant and cappuccino on their way to work - a massive contrast to the rest of this very poor country, we were later to find out. We arrived in the capital very early so we ate breakfast in the bus station canteen, whose menu offered such delights as "rice with food" and "insipid soup". Once in the city, we ate delicious bread, went ten-pin bowling, ...