THE LAODI RHUM DISTILLERY! SAY WHAT?
Sleeping is AMAZING here in Vientiane! We keep our door open all night long (albeit, the sheer curtains are left drawn to ward off the occasional mosquito), it is very quiet and the breeze is simply divine! We are in a “family” room, which was described online as having a double bed and a single bed. The double bed is actually a VERY HARD king, and the twin currently serves as my night stand! The lady working the front desk, Pouy, has called housekeeping several times on our behalf to bring us “ blankets” to help make our bed softer. It has helped a tiny bit! The condo in KL was really nice, since I get up earlier than John. But hey, you can’t beat having the room cleaned daily...by someone else!!
So, our day today was quite interesting! John tried calling the new number for the Laodi Rhum Distillery to book a tour of their facility. None of the calls would go through. He went downstairs and Pouy was successful! She also helped us book a driver! We left at 11:30 for a 1:00 tour! At about quarter til 1:00, our driver called the distillery to verify his directions. He handed John the phone, and a gentleman with good English told him that there were no tours booked today and that to have one in English we needed to book it five days in advance! SAY WHAT? There was nothing we could do but turn around and head back, so very confused and disappointed! 😢 Fifteen minutes later, Pouy called to see where we were and why we hadn’t shown up for the tour! SAY WHAT? Apparently, Anna, the English speaking tour guide hadn’t told anyone that she had agreed to give us the tour! So our driver turned back around and we finally made it to Laodi Rhum Distillery!
Anna was delightful and the tour was well worth all the hassle! The sugar cane harvest was already finished, but there was still plenty to learn! Loadi is a Lao-Japanese joint venture producing the first agricole rum in Laos. Founded in 2006 by Ikuzo Inoue, a Japanese engineer, Laodi rum is made from organic sugarcane juice.
Anna introduced us to the Master Distiller (also from Japan).
John was a happy camper with all the different tastings!
I was a happy camper, getting to spend time with this sleepy girl!
All in all, it made for a great day! The car ride felt luxurious after yesterday’s Tuk Tuk ride!
We read on the travel blog we found, alifewithoutborders, (by going to Pinterest and typing in “Bucket List-Vientiane”—thank you, Chloe!) that every night by the Namphu Fountain in the town centre, there is a traditional Laos dance show. We had that planned, but the guy working our counter told us they don’t dance there any longer! SAY WHAT?
Luckily, John had checked out restaurants with entertainment and there was one located by, you got it, That Dam Stupa! It was delightful!
The food was delicious and plentiful!
Sitting at another table were NINE AMERICANS! SAY WHAT? I went over and confirmed they were from the US and then told them I hadn’t seen this many Americans since we left the first of January! Would you believe there were two Hoosiers in the group? SAY WHAT?
Our day was complete after Jonathan sent us this photo of himself, Annabelle and Shallie!! 💖🐾💖
Oh yea, and after our nightly massage!
So, our day today was quite interesting! John tried calling the new number for the Laodi Rhum Distillery to book a tour of their facility. None of the calls would go through. He went downstairs and Pouy was successful! She also helped us book a driver! We left at 11:30 for a 1:00 tour! At about quarter til 1:00, our driver called the distillery to verify his directions. He handed John the phone, and a gentleman with good English told him that there were no tours booked today and that to have one in English we needed to book it five days in advance! SAY WHAT? There was nothing we could do but turn around and head back, so very confused and disappointed! 😢 Fifteen minutes later, Pouy called to see where we were and why we hadn’t shown up for the tour! SAY WHAT? Apparently, Anna, the English speaking tour guide hadn’t told anyone that she had agreed to give us the tour! So our driver turned back around and we finally made it to Laodi Rhum Distillery!
Anna introduced us to the Master Distiller (also from Japan).
John was a happy camper with all the different tastings!
I was a happy camper, getting to spend time with this sleepy girl!
All in all, it made for a great day! The car ride felt luxurious after yesterday’s Tuk Tuk ride!
We read on the travel blog we found, alifewithoutborders, (by going to Pinterest and typing in “Bucket List-Vientiane”—thank you, Chloe!) that every night by the Namphu Fountain in the town centre, there is a traditional Laos dance show. We had that planned, but the guy working our counter told us they don’t dance there any longer! SAY WHAT?
Luckily, John had checked out restaurants with entertainment and there was one located by, you got it, That Dam Stupa! It was delightful!
The food was delicious and plentiful!
Sitting at another table were NINE AMERICANS! SAY WHAT? I went over and confirmed they were from the US and then told them I hadn’t seen this many Americans since we left the first of January! Would you believe there were two Hoosiers in the group? SAY WHAT?
Our day was complete after Jonathan sent us this photo of himself, Annabelle and Shallie!! 💖🐾💖
Oh yea, and after our nightly massage!
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