A random walk down Vientiane

So by mutual consensus, sleeping in this morning became more important than a bike ride in Phou Khao Khuay. As such, Katherine and I decided that we would take a long walk today instead, walking being a generally safe activity for those in the baby way.

Down the street from our house is this place, which looks like it could have been a cafe at some point, but which now is empty. I'm not sure whether the whole building is the fuselage, or if the cockpit is from a plane left over from or crashed during the war, or what. It's kind of interesting though.

The two sides of Laos are on display throughout town. Rich vs. barely scraping by. A small shack where a family sells tam mak huang and charcoal in front of a huge, newly built house. The mansion owner owns a large development of houses that he rents to foreigners. He was an early mover, and has made some good money. At this point, there is a glut of new houses and rents are coming way down all over the city. Supply has overtaken demand for high-end housing in town.


The Thai have invaded again. But this time, instead of burning Vientiane to the ground and stealing the emerald Buddha, or Phra Kaew, they are arriving en masse in double decker buses too large for the streets of Vientiane, disgorging from the buses in matching yellow polo shirts , and visiting the previous home of the emerald Buddha and other sites of Vientiane.


There is a small neighborhood called Don Chan that, during the rainy season, is basically an island. In the dry season, the water is low enough that the flooded area is drained and used by farmers. The only access is by a small bridge, just large enough for pedestrians and motorbikes.
The island is a small, residential neighborhood, with not much in the way of interesting things to see, unless you want to walk around and stare at people as they go about their daily lives. I guess that's what alot of tourism is about in a place like Laos, though.

Oh, look, Hmong people in traditional dress. Oh, look, Akha people shopping for food. Oh, look, Luang Prabang people giving food to monks. Yes, we are guilty of this, but I always wonder what it would be like to be on the other side.

Imagine sitting in your office working, shopping at the store, hanging out with some friends at the park, or doing whatever it is that you do, and a bunch of foreigners show up and start staring and talking a language you don't understand, taking pictures of you, giggling and pointing.

Strange, no?

Anyway, this is the bridge as we were walking back towards the mainland, with the water tower with grass on it that serves as a landmark in the background, and the covered deck of the lovely Donchan restaurant to the right.

There is a small, basic restaurant with a few plastic tables and chairs on the riverfront on the island, though, that I think we will return to soon.