Day 47 - Arrival in Vientiene, Laos

I got to sleep in a little in Malaysia since my flight wasn't in the early hours of the day like most of my flights. The hotel included a buffet breakfast, so I was able to try a little more Malaysian food before heading to the airport. I had a Big Mac at the airport...My McDonalds cravings start again. Hopefully I don't choose McDonalds over something more authentic when the choice arises...but this time I had to grab something quick before boarding my flight.

I didn't have a strong intention of visiting Laos because I didn't really know much about the country, but decided to visit because I found a travel buddy, Agoes, who was also heading to Laos for about 10 days. I figured it would be easier to explore this new country with someone, and split the costs of the hotels and guesthouses we would stay at. Plus, through conversations with other people travelling, many recommended visiting this country.

When I arrived, we took a taxi to our guesthouse to settle in, before heading out in search of some authentic Laotian food. It was difficult trying to find it in Vientiene (the capital of Laos) because I think a lot of the restaurants catered to tourists. We saw everything from Korean to Japanese to Chinese food. We settled on a noodle shop, but I think it was more Chinese, than Laotian food.

Afterwards, we walked the night market in search of things to see and buy. We stumbled upon a carnival area that had makeshift bumper cars, some bounce houses, pop-the-balloon booths, and a bingo area. It was more for the locals than tourists, and it was fun to see the kids play around.

We met up with a CS local to grab some beers at the end of the night. Since the city is situated near the Mekong River (which I also visited in Vietnam), many bars and shops and hotels were built along the river. We met with him and his other friends at a bar that catered to locals as well as expats, and drank about 7 Liters of the local beer, Beerlao, which is super cheap here. You can get a 640ml bottle easily for about $1.25 USD. Probably the cheapest manufactured beer so far on my travels! So far so good in Laos...

Malaysian Breakfast - Wrapped in Banana Leaves and filled with Rice, Eggs, Sardines, and some type of spicy sauce.

Red Pork Noodle Soup in Laos

Night Market Food

Carnival

Various Dried Meats at the Night Market