March 23, 2010 --Nathan and I took my family across the Mekhong River to Vientiane, Laos for the first time. At that time my youngest sister was about 5-6 months pregnant, but the rough trip didn't seem to bother her much. We took an overnight bus from Chonburi to Nongkai, Thailand and hired a tour guide from Laos to take us across the border to Laos. We stayed there just for one night, and the tour included hotel rooms and a city tour in a private van. I think the tour was a little pricy because there wasn't much to see in Vientiane and the city is so small that you can just go everywhere yourself. Moreover, the hotel listed the price cheaper than what the tour charged us, so I wouldn't want to take the tour again if I ever go back to Laos.
My sisters had to get a temporary pass at the border because they didn't have passports, but my dad and I got to enter free using Thai passports. Nathan, on the other hand, paid $35 for a visa on arrival as an American passport holder.
After we checked in the hotel and took a shower, the tour guide took us to a local restaurant for lunch. It was a little over priced, but that is typical for a tour. After that we went to the That Luang Stupa, the gold-covered stupa that is said to contain relics of Lord Buddha, but we didn't get to go inside. It's very pretty outside though.
Then we went to Ho Phra Keo, which was once the royal temple of the Lao monarchy. It also originally housed the famous Emerald Buddha that now resides in Bangkok’s Wat Phra Keo. There is a museum inside, so it's worth spending some time there. All the information is written in French and English.
It was a hot day, and my family was so tired from the overnight bus, so they decided to take a nap for the afternoon. Nathan and I were still energetic, so we went to Vat Sisaket, the oldest original temple in Vientiane. It looked really old and seriously needed to be refurbished. There we found many Lao students dressed in a traditional uniform. They were on a lunch break and were walking home for lunch. I was surprised that schools there don't provide lunch and instead allow students to leave and return later in the day. If this policy were allowed in Thailand, I am a hundred percent sure nobody would come back to school after the lunch break. :-)
After a good rest, my family and I walked to the Patuxai Monument. It's a pretty landmark right in the middle of the city that nobody could miss. The evening walk was quite nice because the temperature cooled down a little, and the park was pretty peaceful. We continued walking to find a local market and enjoyed the local food. People there were very nice to us, and the food at the market was cheaper and more authentic than in an upscale restaurant. My dad tried Lao beer, and he commented that it was weaker than Thai beer.
After dinner, we were too tired to walk all the way back, so we hired a local man to drive us to a night market. There were many interesting products, but the price wasn't as cheap as we expected. We got only a few T-shirts there and then walked back to the hotel.
The next morning we got a very fancy, traditional breakfast at the hotel. It was worth the price we paid for it. After we checked out, we went to the Morning Market (Talaat Sao). My dad bought a few gifts for my nieces, and I got some local wine for my aunt. At lunch my sisters ordered papaya salad (Som Tum) and they said it was the best they had ever had.
After wandering around, shopping and eating we took a bus across the Friendship Bridge back to Thailand. Overall it was a fun and affordable trip, and Nathan and I think about going back to Laos to visit Luang Prabang in the future.