We Love Laos!

We are currently in Vientiane, Laos. Today we are going to take the bus up to Vang Vieng and spend a couple of days and then bus to Luang Prabang. We really enjoyed our stay with our Servas hosts Jodi and Bruce. They showed us a side of Laos that we would not have seen! Vientiane is a very international city. It is the capitol of Laos. The dining options include French, Chinese, Thai, Laos, Italian, etc... The city is set on a bend in the Mekong River and has many things to see. We spent our day at the morning market, Wat Si Saket, Phat That Luang and the Patuxai. The morning market called Talat Sao, is a sprawling collection of stalls offering jewelry, clothes, music, food, etc...Wat Si Saket is a beautiful temple and has been our favorite so far. There are over 2300 Buddas on display. Phat That Luang is the most important national monument in Laos. It's full name means World Precious Sacred Stupa. The monument looks like a giant gold missle cluster. The Patuxai is a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It has four archways and was funded when the US gave a grant to the Laos to build a runway at the airport. Instead they build the Patuxai, and thus it is called by some "the vertical runway." There is a great French influence in Laos because the French ruled here during the late 19th century until about 1953. Some things you may find interesting - 1. Once you cross the Mekong River from Thailand into Laos the driving shifts from the left side of the road to the right side. This is fun. Drivers often find themselves getting into a car and the steering wheel is on the other side, the rear view mirror is on the other side. Going over the Friendship Bridge from country to country you will see a crossing of the lanes where you make the "switch." 2. The main currency in Laos? The US dollar. Funny isn't it? The Laos Kip is basically worthless. No other country will even exchange it. When we went to the ATM to get some cash, US $50 in Laos Kip gave us 50 bills. Our money belts were packed. The bills are such tiny amounts of cash it takes a zillion of them to equal any amount. Here's an example , Julie goes to get her pastry, (French town, she's in heaven) and she has to take $40,000 Laos Kip to pay for it. 3. Things here are really really cheap. A hotel room $3-10 US. A meal $1-4 US. 4. We now understand what it means to travel to a place that remains untouristed so to speak. It's a different culture. People are not out to get you, or rip you off. It's laid back and on its own schedule. What a refreshing difference. 5. Our favorite Asia signs so far - "Drink - Don't Drive" and at the airport "Show us your weapons." Think about those two for just a moment. That's all we have time for, the bus is going to be pulling up and we have to go pay for the internet which will be about 2 million kip, so that takes some time. We are working on pictures for you, technology is just a bit behind here. Put in your orders for software now if you want any, we are going software shopping in Bangkok soon.