Eight Hours in Vientiane

This tiny landlocked country remains a mystery to many. Although sitting right next to countries heavily favoured by tourists, many are still confounded by its existence.

Laos was once just a thought. Back then, Indochina sounded like a peculiar place to be but the idea of voyaging through this unique region, especially Laos, has always played in my mind, but then again, it always ends up as just, an idea.

The opportunity presented itself as I was planning my journey to Northern Thailand and Malaysia. I was immediately drawn to the concept of spending a few days in the country midway through my Indochina adventure.

Landing at Vientiane Airport, I knew this was a whole new encounter. The terminal was nothing fancy, the immigration officers, although appear authoritative, were uniformed oddly invoking in me a subtle uneasiness. About what exactly, I didn’t know. It still was South East Asia, but everything around me was not something familiar, nor was the country’s charm easily picked up at first sight.

Right before entering the arrivals, you could easily tell how laid-back life here was. The silence was uncanny although the terminal was relatively busy.

Its architecture, while resembling cultural identity wasn’t too grandeur. The art was blasé and the overall welcoming atmosphere, although not lacking, was modest. I arrived from Kuala Lumpur so the comparison was quite notable.

With US Dollars conveniently accepted in Laos, we had no trouble headed to a taxi counter and traveled to the city centre. The morning remained quiet as we passed by the unpresuming streets of the country’s Capital. I’ve met with a few European backpackers as I wandered through the rest of the city by foot and realised that although Laos was not exactly a tourist destination, backpackers have found this amongst one of their favourites in Asia.

Vientiane was just a stop over for me, I was waiting for my bus towards Luang Prabang but I had eight more hours to spare before then.

I rented a bike for 10,000 Kips or roughly a little more than 1 US Dollar and aimlessly pedaled my way through the alleys. The town was starting to grow on me. The sun was high and wind wasn’t too generous that made me soon feel the sun burning my skin, however, the euphoria of squandering my time freely in an unfamiliar place got the better of my sunburn. No, I didn’t have sunscreen.

Through that pair of wheels, I got to drive along the streets of this capital city and see Patuxai Monomument, the emblem of the country’s freedom from the French occupation.

After a short climb to the top of Patuxai, you get a good view of the city and surprisingly a lot of souvenir stalls.

The Golden Temple or locally known as Pha That Louang was where my rented bike brought me next. Hoisted from the Third Century, the temple remains spectacular in its glamour, reflecting much of the sun’s beaming rays.

There were a dozen more temples to see but I was biking at a leisurely slow pace and before I know it, it was time to head back. Restaurants, cafes and hostels were plenty in Vientiane so being famished wasn't much of a problem. Since I was on a quick layover at Vientiane, I got to store my things earlier that day at the DD Hotel who also sold me my bus tickets onward to northern Laos. A few meters away from DD Hotel, a nearby hostel offered shower rooms at $5 so I took a few mins to freshen up before I spend a long night on the road.

Vientiane is not for the traditional tourists,it’s definitely different from the commontourist-packed cities. There were still plenty of travelers in this town but it was accustomed more for those who would like to coddle somewhere far where peace and quiet were free, pamper over a sip of healthy smoothie, or a nice cup of coffee while finishing the last few pages of a book, your mind completely away from the laborious cycle of the ordinary lives and indulge in the present.

Vientiane, as the gateway to Laos will give you a different feeling like nothing you might have been used to. It was a perfect window to just enjoy an off-the-beaten-track experience, talk to other people and take pleasure in an overall undisturbed yet still an exciting moment. Just by being there, unconsciously you get to realise a thing or two. But what those are about is entirely up to you.