Vientiane

     Although it’s the capital of Laos, there isn’t really too much to do in Vientiane. I was lucky and got to see Hunter for a few hours when I arrived before he left for Vietnam. There are of course plenty of temples that can be visited if you aren’t already “templed out” which I have been for quite some time. There is a massive market by the bus station offering everything from food such as fruits and vegetables(some I’d never seen before) and slabs of meat that I don’t actually want to see, to clothes and just about anything else one could need or want, we saw mostly locals at the market; not many tourists which was nice. In the center there are plenty of cafes and eateries and hostels and guesthouses so there is no problem finding a place to stay and food to eat in any price range. Most things are within walking distance but no tuk tuk driver will tell you that! One day we walked out to Laos' most important National Monument that is a massive golden uhhhh tall thing. No idea! Temple perhaps?

 This is quite a far walk from the main streets of town but on the way you see the Laos version of the Arc di Triomphe and you get a feel for the city as well. After that we went to a temple that does free meditation with monks once a week and we were lucky enough to be in town to go on that day. It was a peaceful hour long meditation consisting of seated and walking meditations.

      The river is quite nice and the sunset from there is incredible as well. Just after the sunset, back up on the sidewalk, we found large groups of Laotian people doing aerobics! Their instructor up on a table with a headset yelling and cheering competing with the upbeat music like Aqua playing loudly from the speakers nearby. We joined in and came back the next day to do it again! It was a blast and actually a good workout. There are bars and and a cool night market just along the river as well. 

    We spent our Valentine's day ( I was with 4 other girls) sipping cocktails, getting pizza, and then going to the store for ice cream and oreos and running back to our hostel so it wasn't all melty and then we ate that ice cream and oreos faster than you can say "we dont need no men!" It was a great night and one of the best Valentine's days I've ever had. 

     You don't need too many days here but a couple is nice just as a stopping point whether you're going further up north or down south.