One thing I hadn’t expected from travelling was just how frequently we would run into the same faces. The slow boat from the border of Laos to Luang Prabang gave us the opportunity to meet and spend two solid days with a lot of people venturing to the same destination. Seeing as we’re all travelling around Laos, the conversation would often turn to travel plans. The destination hit list if you will. Vang Vieng was the most commonly found answer, from there, the majority would venture to Vietnam or further south to The 4000 Islands. Vientiane barely got a mention. The capital of Laos was regarded by most as somewhere that wasn’t worth going to.

“Apparently there’s nothing there so we’re just going to miss it out” was something I heard so many times.

Seeing as we had 30 days on our visa in Laos we thought it was a shame to not at least give it a chance. Worst case scenario it would result in a few days of respite away from the backpacker crowd that so easily lured us into accidental drunkenness.

Food Scene

We arrived in Vientiane and we arrived hungry. Rather than exploring for eateries and wasting valuable time not eating, we got straight onto TripAdvisor for the best places to eat. Namaste Indian restaurant 300ft away. Perfect.

Cowboy Park

After locating the restaurant just through the archways to ‘Cowboy Park’, we ate (FYI the samosas, garlic naan and onion bajhees were banging) and continued to venture further in. We were surprised to find an entire road filled with nothing but eateries, bars and more outdoor seating than you could shake a stick at – though I’m not entirely sure why you would do that. The place was lit with festival style outdoor string bulbs and some evenings there was even live music. Even if the food didn’t tickle your fancy, it was the perfect place to go for a drink (or pitcher) after dinner.

Café’s

In the following days, we walked a bit further afield for breakfast (cowboy park is an evening only thing) and were again surprised to find a number of air-conditioned, modern coffee shops. We visited two – Common Grounds which labels itself ‘a socially conscious café’ and Comma Coffee. Both provided an impressive selection of drinks and some great food options.

Dining

Then there was Ray’s. I’m drooling now just thinking about it. We visited Ray’s Grill for lunch one day. Sceptically, I ordered my first salad of the trip and was blown away by it. Ray was actually there when we were eating and we learned that he has a number of restaurants in Vientiane, one only a little further up the road on the rooftop of the Capital Hotel (Ray’s Capital Grille). The menus are western – but unlike a lot of western food made in Asia, you won’t be disappointed when this is laid down in front of you. Jalapeño poppers (the only place we have seen these on a menu), nachos, proper chicken wings… It was all so good we went back again the next day for breakfast! Again, it did not disappoint.

I realise now that my entire positive outlook on Vientiane appears to be based on all the food I ate… But it was. So. Delicious.

Anyway, enough about food… for now.

Culture

We also paid a visit to the COPE centre. COPE is free to enter but they do accept donations. The visitor centre illustrates the way in which the bombs dropped over Laos have, and still are affecting those who live there. It’s an eye-opening experience but also uplifting to see the work that is taking place by organisations to locate and remove undetonated bombs, as well as providing care and support to families whose lives have sadly been unfairly damaged.

Our friend Zeb had spotted the ‘Buddha Park’ on our journey into Vientiane and after a quick search, we decided it was worth making the trip (it’s quite far out of town). We got the super cheap local (air-conditioned) bus which was definitely not the fastest mode of transport but got us there nonetheless. The Buddha Park was exactly what you would imagine it to be. A large area filled with various statues and sculptures of Buddha’s. It was quite interesting to walk around but for the time it takes to get there and back I would only recommend doing it if you have time to kill.

Once we got back to central Vientiane we paid a visit to the Patuxay monument. Initially, I wasn’t blown away by the structure, but as we moved further away from it to take the whole thing in, it was a beautiful site. You can also pay a small fee to go up inside to the top. It was pretty cool but I won’t kid on like Vientiane has an NYC skyline!

Chilling Out

Vientiane is HOT. We had 4 days in the city and spent one at a hotel pool. There is a number of pools that non-hotel guests can pay to use. We visited The Don Chan Palace Hotel which was swanky A.F. The entrance was 50,000 kip and the pool was not on the ground floor which gave the lounging area a nice breeze. Perfect for a lazy day catching some rays.

Finally, we took advantage of being in a city and visited a cinema. Major Cineplex is located inside quite a small shopping mall – there is a much, much larger construction of another shopping mall immediately next door which when finished looks to be a spectacle! This was our second trip to a cinema in SE Asia (we also visited a Major Cineplex in Chang Mai). They’re comfortable, cool and the tickets are still way cheaper than you would pay in the UK. Plus you can buy a gallon of popcorn so that’s fun. The cinema’s all offer films in English so we sat back and enjoyed Black Panther in all its glory.

So is Vientiane worth visiting?

For us, it definitely was – for the food alone. We enjoyed a few low-key days, indulged in the cinema and enjoyed the culture that Vientiane has to offer. There is a free outdoor gym, and lots of indoor gyms to choose from. It also makes the long journey to The 4000 Islands that little bit shorter.

I can definitely see why people choose to miss it out, the food, although amazing, is that bit more expensive and the backpacker vibe found in Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and The 4000 Islands is not prominent. There are no hammocks, no lazy river bars and I’d be surprised if you managed to locate anywhere with a ‘happy menu’ on offer if you catch my drift.

But if you’re looking for a couple of days away from it all mixed with some home comforts, Vientiane should definitely be on your list.

“You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen”.

– Paulo Coelho

See It With Your Own Eyes [yasr_overall_rating]