(So for the past few weeks, 7 amazing friends came from the US to visit me in Thailand, which included a trip to Cambodia. I'm still waiting for the others to upload their photos so I can... borrow them for this blog. So until then, my solo trip to Laos!)

Lao! Silent S.

I don't know how it got that S stuck on the end in the west, but they don't spell it like that here and it's not pronounced. So show off to your friends by pronouncing it correctly, "Lao" (rhymes with 'Ow!')

My whirlwind trip began with a flight to Udon Thani, a city near the border. On the way, I realized this is the first domestic flight I've taken outside the US. Udon Thani is... fine, I guess. There's really nothing to do there. I saw pics on the internet a few years back of an Orchid Farm there that was beautiful, so I went straight from the airport to check it out. On arrival, it certainly was not beautiful, and pretty much just a bunch of wilted flowers near a shack. The guy said they were not in season, and only smell in the morning. I said "Oh, no problem! I'll come back in the morning then... Byeeee!" to make my exit from this not terribly exciting place. After that I saw the only other attraction of note, a Chinese Temple by a lake. It's fine. Meh, temples.

It was evening by then so off to the night market. Walking around Udon, I noticed 1) The few foreigners here were all men in their 50s with wives 20 years younger. 2) The girls are really pretty. I wish UT had something of interest, at all, or it'd be a hip place to live for a young single guy. I got lots of smiles from people in the night market, which was nice after the bustle of Bangkok and the hustling of Siem Reap.

I had trouble finding my hostel, so I called their number. The guy who answered asked if I could see the beach. I said I must certainly have the wrong number. Turns out they also run a hostel in Phuket. Whew. Anyway his new directions were spot on, and I turned in early so I could get the first bus to Vientiane, Laos at 6am.

I need to update Wikitravel because its directions for going to Laos this way are terrible. It's pretty straightforward, but I guess not done cause no Thai was sure I could go that way. Turns out you can walk to the border from the Thai side, and then they shuttle you over the river. On the way I met fellow Americans Luke and Rachel from Asheville, NC. We talked about beer. I instantly decided they're awesome people. We shared a Tuk tuk, first dropping them at the Thai Embassy. As the tuk tuk was pulling away I noticed Luke left his passport and shouted for the guy to stop. Dude dodged a giant bullet on that one.

My first stop was Pha That Luang, but before I stopped at a noodle joint for breakfast. Man, what amazing food! It was a delicious pork soup that was better than pretty much any soup in Thailand. Spot on. Now, back to Pha That Luang. It's basically a giant monument thing, and the symbol of the country. I thought for as important as this thing is, it's awfully dirty. You need to get some people to scrub that thing, Laos. Next to it was a giant palace, much more impressive. I met some girls from the UK who just came from Patuxai. It looked cool so I got a tuk tuk to drive me out. I guess he didn't see the picture that well cause he took me to the wrong part of town. He looked again, and finally doubled back to the right area. I thought "Oh here we go, he's going to ask for more." Nope. Totally cool about it, and apologized for wasting my time.

Wtf country is this?

It's certainly not Thailand or Cambodia, those money grubbing tuk tuks wouldn't stand for that. In general, I've found people are super cool here. People smile, and I even had a car yield to me. That's pretty damn weird for SE Asia, so Laos is pretty kickass IMO.

Right so Patuxai is certainly not the Arc de Triumph even though it is. It was built with concrete the US donated to build an airport. They decided they wanted a monument, though the locals jokingly call it "The Vertical Airport". I love how frank their sign for it is though - the concrete monster. It's pretty much the tallest building in the city, which at 7 floors should give you an idea of how small towny Vientiane is.

After that was to COPA, a government charity to help victims of unexploded ordinance. It's a pretty sad story, and the US were kind of dicks during the Vietnam war. Really nice people there doing some great work. After COPA were two other famous temples, Ho Phra Keo and Wat Sisaket.They're pretty. Got pics. Moving on.

I stopped at a restaurant for lunch, and pointed at some picture on the menu. The lady later said she didn't have it, and instead gave me some other sort of soup. I think it was chicken? But wow, also super delicious. Then she apologized for not having what I wanted, and gave me a free spring roll, also amazing amazingly delicious. WTF is this kindness?! Am I in Japan suddenly? Later I passed That Dam, which I saw just for the name. And then off to the Laos National Museum. Man, that place is a ripoff even for the $1 entrance fee. Super old and run down, with 99% of their stuff just bring a picture and a caption. Seeing "US Imperialists" being written out reminded me of my days in glorious North Korea.

I checked into my hostel, and the owner, some kid in his early 20s, came outside to meet me. He asked if I booked a room, and I said yes, on hostelworld. "OH! YOU MUST BE MIKE!"

This guy was the biggest bundle of positive energy I have ever seen in my life. He moved from Vietnam in his early 20s to run a hostel because... well I don't really know? He told me he just opened two weeks ago. Then he got me a beer, took me around, introduced me to the staff and others hanging around, and then showed me the bar he was building in his spare time.

This guy. This hostel. I like this place. If you're ever in Laos, you need to check out the Getaway Backpacker's Hostel.

After, I went out for some great streetside food and looked around town. There were a few beggars that came around, and I was shocked that pretty much every table gave them money. I know Laotians are poor, but overall the money seems much more balanced here than it does in other countries. So, I leave Vientiane with good things to say, and all my transport and lodging planned out by the bubbly, amazing owner of my hostel. Really, Laos has given me the best first impression I've ever gotten of any country, anywhere. Nice, generous people with amazing food. I just wish there was more to do so I could stay.