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Finally arrived in Laos, after what seemed like forever including memory jumping snoozes on multiple airlines. However, as soon as I stepped off the plane and into the warm, humid, none polluted and PM 2.5 filled air we have in China...I felt more relaxed and excited.
The usual regard of ignoring the taxi drivers at the airport and waiting for my own did not work. I ended up running back over, tail firmly between my legs and asking the slightly Philippino/Chinese looking man in a blue short sleeved shirt and shorts a lift into town. I pre paid the cab fare ($7) got my ticket and headed into town, mouth open and ready to begin my summer.
I was dropped off I don't know where and ended up wandering around the small but busy city centre of Vientiane. Now whether I'm in the wrong place or not, this isn't the architectural French/indochina place I thought it would be. Maybe the colourfully designed and graceful tuk tuks equipped with a hammock in the back, kind of ruin the feel. More like how I would imagine Puerto Rico...again a very Philippine style to it with multi-story colourful buildings, residents and tourists only wearing what the weather will allow them to, advertisements everywhere, beerlao everywhere (not complaining when it's 80p a bottle), 3 wheeled public transportation, wooden bars with palm trees and fruit juices and scantly clad, beautifully tanned waitresses with old British men doing their best to get them into bed. This is how I would describe Vientiane so far.
The hostel does it's best to keep up with this image. Shoes off at the door (but that is regular it seems), murals and phrases scribbled and painted on the walls from travellers past,with fans rather than AC opted for, leaving me to sweat unrelentlessly from the unforgiving humidity.
I decided to go for dinner at a typical Laos local place. I got Lao sausage and fried egg and tomato. If I'm honest, neither are sitting too pretty, but I was glad to same to authentic Laotian grub, and not the Sherpas I'm used to relying on all too much in Shanghai.
Head to Veng Vieng tomorrow...I'm coming for you.
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