Laos: Vientiane and Vang Vieng
The main part of my trip to Laos was
about meeting a friend from Korea in Vientiane. He would be working
remotely so that meant we wouldn't be actively traveling around the
country. Instead we would be relaxing and taking it easy in the
capital city of Vientiane, however, I flew in a couple of days early
so I went off to the closest city of Vang Vieng.
Vang Vieng, is a notorious hot spot for
backpackers behaving badly. I had read that the city has cleaned up a
lot of the problems that made it notorious but the beauty that
attracted people in the first place was still intact. I wasn't there
5 years ago so I am not an expert but the backpackers are still there
doing their thing and yes it is home to some really beautiful
scenery. It has also risen in popularity with Korean tourists and I
met some very nice Korean people who made me feel nostalgic about the
place I have called home for the majority of my adult life. Overall
it was a great time and a beautiful place.
Vientiane is a super relaxed city by
Southeast Asian standards. Despite it not being very popular for
tourists both me and my friend thought the vibe was cool and the relaxed
nature of the place made it a great place to visit. The food is
similar to other foods in Southeast Asia but it has its own unique spin with strong herbal and citrus flavors as well as a good dose
of spice. One of the more interesting places in the city to visit a
small visitor center in a rehabilitation hospital called the COPE
visitor center. It gives some in sights into how the Vietnam War effected
Laos. It is a pretty dark and brutal history that is still effecting
the people in Laos but it was interesting to see. I also saw Logan in
the movie theater while in Vientiane. I need lots of breaks inside of
malls while in Asia due to the crazy heat, so I am glad I was able to
do that.
