From Si Phan Don I took a night bus to the nation's capital, Vientiane. I intended on visiting a couple places in between the southern-most part of the country and city more than halfway north but a host of things lead me to do otherwise. This is probably my biggest regret about my travel in Laos, but, all in all, is not such a terrible thing as it gave me more time in the north and gives me an excuse to return to the country.
Vientiane has a less than favorable reputation. The city has little to offer in terms of sights, little atmosphere, and, relative to the country, is expensive. As far as I can tell, just about travler is there for at least one of four reasons:
1. Obtain a visa to another country
2. Extend their Laos visa
3. As a travel hub
4. Enjoy the food
The first three are pretty self-explanatory but the fourth requires some more. Vientiane is probably the best place in the world to get great worldly cuisine on a dollar-for-dollar basis. By this I mean that here you can get authentic food of almost anywhere in the world and pay a fraction of what it would cost Western countries. French, Italain, Asian, Indian, American, Mexican, and others are all available. Vientiane made me wish I appreciated food as something more than I need to survive. If I were seriously into food, I would probably have spent several weeks here.
However, other than the food, it is true that Vientiane is worth skipping if you have a choice. I made an effort to go and see the few sights the city does have and it took a couple hours and I only managed a few photos and often the sight was so uninspiring that I did not know I was there when I was. The city is not as bad as everybody says but it is still nothing to write home about, except in blog form.
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