THINGS WE’VE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY!
I decided to enjoy a much needed pool morning, while John was back in the room working. I’m sure you are thinking, “John was working?” Yes, the desk in our “room away from home” was littered with receipts from places we’ve gone, tours we’ve taken, and meals we’ve enjoyed. John looks at the receipts to remember what he needs to review on Trip Advisor! He takes his job seriously! And nothing makes him happier than when other travelers thank him for his review!
Back to my pool morning...
I was ALONE up there which was a GOOD thing, as I started a really good book! (Chloe, you would LOVE IT!) By the time I left, the chairs were full!
The view was slightly different from the one we had back in KL!
Vientiane has been described as the “sleepiest capital” in Asia! And I would agree...to some extent! When we first arrived and looked over the city map, there were literally twelve things that had a star, indicating “must sees.” John and I agreed that we would have to slower our pace, or we would see everything in the first couple of days! Luckily, we were wrong!
THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY:
KL, the capital of Malaysia, has a population of 1.8 million.
VIENTIANE, the capital of Laos, has a population of approximately 800,000.
Throughout Malaysia AND Laos, something is missing. Can you guess what that is?
Yup, you guessed it! In the fives weeks of meals we’ve eaten (and that would be A LOT of meals), we’ve only been offered a knife once, that we remember! We have gotten really good at cutting food with a spoon. Knives — highly over rated!
KL— we took GRAB everywhere!
VIENTIANE-- we took Tuk Tuk’s UNTIL we learned about LOCA LAO. We downloaded the app last night and can’t wait to use it!
KL — we used GRAB, trains, buses, etc. to go everywhere.
VIENTIANE — we can walk EVERYWHERE around the City Centre and a bit beyond.
KL — prices were AMAZING!
VIENTIANE — and we thought KL prices were AMAZING?
KL — big city feel with so much to offer!
VIENTIANE — much smaller, more Third World feeling, with so much to offer!
KL — we felt totally safe even though we were warned to watch our pockets and purse.
VIENTIANE — we feel totally safe, even walking home down dark streets with locals and stray dogs roaming around.
KL — a Starbucks is on every street corner. (I may be exaggerating, but you get the picture)!
VIENTIANE — when we googled “Starbucks in Laos” we got, “cross the Friendship Bridge into Thailand!”
KL — English was spoken everywhere! Not an issue at all!
VIENTIANE — let’s just day, English is NOT the second language here!
KL — uses Ringgets as its’ currency. We divided everything by four.
VIENTIANE — uses Kips as its’ currency. We divide everything by 10,000! BTW, have we shared that we are now officially multi-millionaires?
KL — the main religion is Muslim. With a perfect blend of Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. One tour guide, Kingston, likened Malaysia to a tapestry, every culture remaining very much its’ own, but blended perfectly at the seams!
VIENTIANE — We need to look it up (and keep forgetting to), but we would guess by all the Wats (temples) throughout town, that it would be Buddhism. Just checked—we are correct!
KL — we had a washer in our condo and used a rack to dry our clothes.
VIENTIANE — we send our laundry out. Can you say, “CHEAP”?
KL — ruled by a Kingdom.
VIENTIANE — ruled by the Laos People Republic.
KL — cheap massages!
VIENTIANE — cheaper massages!
So that’s it! That’s what we’ve learned along the way!
Later, of course, we needed to make a decision on where to have our evening meal! We opted for a restaurant overlooking the fountain at Namphou Park. Lo and behold, traditional Lao dancers were there...DANCING! We were told last night that there were no longer dancers at the fountain! SAY WHAT?
Back to my pool morning...
I was ALONE up there which was a GOOD thing, as I started a really good book! (Chloe, you would LOVE IT!) By the time I left, the chairs were full!
The view was slightly different from the one we had back in KL!
Vientiane has been described as the “sleepiest capital” in Asia! And I would agree...to some extent! When we first arrived and looked over the city map, there were literally twelve things that had a star, indicating “must sees.” John and I agreed that we would have to slower our pace, or we would see everything in the first couple of days! Luckily, we were wrong!
THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY:
KL, the capital of Malaysia, has a population of 1.8 million.
VIENTIANE, the capital of Laos, has a population of approximately 800,000.
Throughout Malaysia AND Laos, something is missing. Can you guess what that is?
Yup, you guessed it! In the fives weeks of meals we’ve eaten (and that would be A LOT of meals), we’ve only been offered a knife once, that we remember! We have gotten really good at cutting food with a spoon. Knives — highly over rated!
KL— we took GRAB everywhere!
VIENTIANE-- we took Tuk Tuk’s UNTIL we learned about LOCA LAO. We downloaded the app last night and can’t wait to use it!
KL — we used GRAB, trains, buses, etc. to go everywhere.
VIENTIANE — we can walk EVERYWHERE around the City Centre and a bit beyond.
KL — prices were AMAZING!
VIENTIANE — and we thought KL prices were AMAZING?
KL — big city feel with so much to offer!
VIENTIANE — much smaller, more Third World feeling, with so much to offer!
KL — we felt totally safe even though we were warned to watch our pockets and purse.
VIENTIANE — we feel totally safe, even walking home down dark streets with locals and stray dogs roaming around.
KL — a Starbucks is on every street corner. (I may be exaggerating, but you get the picture)!
VIENTIANE — when we googled “Starbucks in Laos” we got, “cross the Friendship Bridge into Thailand!”
KL — English was spoken everywhere! Not an issue at all!
VIENTIANE — let’s just day, English is NOT the second language here!
KL — uses Ringgets as its’ currency. We divided everything by four.
VIENTIANE — uses Kips as its’ currency. We divide everything by 10,000! BTW, have we shared that we are now officially multi-millionaires?
KL — the main religion is Muslim. With a perfect blend of Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. One tour guide, Kingston, likened Malaysia to a tapestry, every culture remaining very much its’ own, but blended perfectly at the seams!
VIENTIANE — We need to look it up (and keep forgetting to), but we would guess by all the Wats (temples) throughout town, that it would be Buddhism. Just checked—we are correct!
KL — we had a washer in our condo and used a rack to dry our clothes.
VIENTIANE — we send our laundry out. Can you say, “CHEAP”?
KL — ruled by a Kingdom.
VIENTIANE — ruled by the Laos People Republic.
KL — cheap massages!
VIENTIANE — cheaper massages!
So that’s it! That’s what we’ve learned along the way!
Later, of course, we needed to make a decision on where to have our evening meal! We opted for a restaurant overlooking the fountain at Namphou Park. Lo and behold, traditional Lao dancers were there...DANCING! We were told last night that there were no longer dancers at the fountain! SAY WHAT?
So we listened to Lao music and watched Lao dancers while we enjoyed a tasty octopus and vegetable pizza! Oh yea, and in between the sets of Lao dance, Ed Sherwin music was blasted over the speakers! MEMORABLE!
You want to hear something else we’ve learned along the way? No day is complete without finding a new place for massages!
It’s official! Our day was complete!
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