Hey Adriene

VIENTIANE, LAO (2-6 Feb 2005)

Arrived in Vientiane, the capital of Lao by bus from Luang Prabang. Homestaying with my friend Noy. They live on the first floor of their simple shophouse. Noy's mom runs the family hardware shop downstairs and Noy's dad works as a government officer.

My Lao friends took me to visit That Luang aka the Royal Stupa, the Victory Monument and the big bustling morning market. Also visited Buddha Park which has lots of statues of Buddhist and Hindu gods, myths and mythology like dragons, damsels in distress, 3-headed elephants and even Guan Yin!

Plus walked to the middle of the Friendship Bridge which crosses the Mekong River and connects central Lao with Thailand.

I also had the chance to try Lao sauna which I highly recommend! The steam is infused with some herbs that they boil. The same kind that they use in tom yam kung. And they serve you complimentary herbal tea to drink.

If you like, you can also buy tamarind (yes, asam jawa!) to rub onto your body before entering the sauna room. Good for the skin apparently! Many Lao girls were applying cups of Nestle yoghurt onto their face, hair and skin too. One of them shared hers with me. Very creamy.

On my last night, Vieng and I had a really yummy hot pot meal with Beer Lao. I'm not much of a drinker, but it's nice to do as the locals do :)

Was very touched by the hospitality shown by my Lao friends. Spending time with me, sharing what little they had with me. I guess my friends are average income and well off by Lao standards. But even so, Lao remains the poorest country in SE Asia, with average income of USD30 per month. Puts into perspective how well off I am.