Vang Vieng to Vientiane, Laos

I had a poor sleep because my arm was aching a lot.  It doesn’t hurt much in the day but I think at night I twist and put pressure on it that leads to aching. Maybe tonight will be better if I sleep sitting up.

I was up early watching balloons fly right over my hotel.  I could hear the woosh of the fire in the basket –

At about 11:20 the shuttle showed up and I was on my way to Vientiane.  The highway is called the China Laos Friendship Highway and there were so many reminders of driving through Western China-

We drove through hills like in Vang Vieng, over rivers-

then through a tunnel –

and the hills were gone.  

My drop off point was a five minute walk to my hotel. I am in the penthouse suite-

at the Batman Guesthouse-

I have a terrace-

My bathroom is missing a toilet but I found it on the terrace in its own w.c.  WTF? Oh well- the air-conditioning works well and I’m in a great location.

Lupper was pizza that was pretty good-

I wandered a bit then went to my room to avoid the heat.   I booked a lot of bus tickets, tours and hotels in Cambodia so it was a good afternoon!  

Once it cooled off I went exploring.  They are everywhere -

Nice surprise-

English, French, Loatian and Mandarin on a street sign-

Who knew Vientiane has its own Champs Élysées-

  At one end is the Presidential Palace–

and at the other end is Patuxai-

which means victory gate.  It is a war monument built between 1957 - 1968 and dedicated to those who fought in WWII and during the struggle for independence from France in 1949.  It is Loatian in design as it’s decorated with mythological creatures such as the kinnari which is half female/ half bird-

It was built when Laos was a constitutional monarchy using American money and cement that was meant to build a new airport.  The arch is sometimes called the vertical runway!  In 1975 the communist Pathet Lao overthrew the coalition government and seized power. This ended Laos’  ancient monarchy.

There is a fountain show in the evenings –

I walked back to my penthouse and had my first shower of the trip in a shower like home. There is a shower curtain and a raised lip to keep the water near the drain.  Most Asian showers are just wide open in the bathroom so the floor is always wet as is the toilet and sometimes even the toilet paper!

Who knows what tomorrow brings but I hope my arm behaves and lets me sleep!