Things to do in Vientiane when you’re…
Monday, March 15th, 2010… Bored.
1. See more wats – some are impressive considering they are reasonably new given Laos turbulent history;
2. Tour the Laos National Museum – I thought I’d seen the end of museums that deny you the chance to go photo-happy;
3. Walk to and climb Patuxai. This is Vientiane’s very own Arc de Triomphé, built using concrete donated by the Americans for a runway. The views from the top are not quite as awe inspiring as those you can see from the French original, however they are still worth the climb;
4. Wander the wonderful prome – no wait, for some reason unknown to me, the Thai and Laos governments have turned one of the best things about Vientiane into a building site and now it looks awful. As Siobhan said its ruined one of the best ways there was to pass time in the city, no more can you chill with good Lao food, beer and a book and watch the world go by.
5. You can also get visa’s here for any number of countries in and around the region. For me this meant a trip to the now moved (thanks for publishing the move very widely…) Thai Embassy/Consulate, although the touts are the same (same as EVERYWHERE it could be argued), offering services that only the stupid would fall for, from copying your passport at inflated prices, to filling in the near child-proof visa form.
After getting past the touts and into the embassy I was allotted number 718 and hours of waiting began, with them closing at around the 300 mark. However this, as a friend pointed out, is Asia they keep offering numbers even though they know they’ll NEVER meet that target. So I went away and came back much earlier the next day – turns out Wednesdays are a quiet day there, and handed my stuff over. Then went away without having to pay a penny. Go Go the last two days of the free 60 day visa!! Collection the following day is so easy as long as you kept your number from the day before.
Apart from meeting Siobhan and passing the time comparing tales of substance abuse over several beers, the rest of my time in Vientiane passed like old people screwing – far too slowly. In the end I got an overnight sleeper bus to Pakse and moved on. The pace of life in Vientiane is just too damn laid back after all.
6. Leave.
