We arrived in Vientiane when it was dark after a long trip from Vang Vieng on an expensive bus with a non working toilet. When we finally got dropped off at the bus station a long way out of the city, our only option was another bus which cost another 20,000kip each.

Already feeling ripped off by the buses, we got to the central area of Vienetiane to find that the prices of guuesthoises were considerably higher, but with considerably poorer standards. The nearest thing to a nice place was expensive (130,000kip/night fan room without a window) and clean, apart from the cockroaches in the bed. We eventually found a place that seemed ok, still expensive (80,000 kip fan room shared b/room) but turned adequate but very hot!

We took a walk around the riverfront market and found somewhere for food before dropping into a friendly looking place for a fresh coconut juice 🙂

The next morning after breakfast we went on the the hunt for a better place k stay. In daylight the cut was less imposing as it felt the night before and we soon found a cheaper (70,000), and much better standard guest house. They also agreed to drop us off to he airport at 5am the next morning for the next hop of our trip (for a fee of course!).

We hired bicycles and headed of for a pootle around the place in the general direction of the COPE centre visitor centre. COPE provides orthotic devices and support for victims of unexplored ordinance as well a otherwise disabled Loas people. The visitor centre experience was very well executed and I felt some very strong emotions for the people it portrayed and I felt compelled to make a decent donation and wished I could do more.

We pedalled off to a couple more sites and eventually stopped off and spent the afternoon in a random cafe that we came across. It was another very well thought out place, suitable for westerners with kids and clean!

That evening we have in and had pizza at a nice looking place, and drank tasty Beer Lao before heading off or an early night before outer flight to Siem Reap and Ankor in the morning at 6:30. We around midnight we had to persuade the chap at reception to turn on the AC In our room, it was so hot and there was no breeze whatsoever.

We got to the airport, and after we rallied we were at the wrong terminal we boarded the lovely Lao Airlines plane.