My second day in Vientiane was very domesticated in the morning, getting clothes repaired, hunting down camera batteries for Fran and other odds and ends that needed to get done.
I spent the afternoon strolling around the city and ended up walking about 5km out of town to see Pha That Luang, the most important national monument in Laos. I stopped off at a few other sights as well such as Wat Si Saket, the oldest temple in Laos whose cloisters are riddled with small niches that contain more than 2000 silver and ceramic Buddhas and Patuxai, Vientiane's Arc de Triomphe. It commemorates the Lao who dies in pre-revolutionary wars but was built in 1969 with cement by the USA for the construction of a new airport.
Vientiane is not a particularly glamorous place (and that is being kind) but at night it is really quite gorgeous, with the dim lighting casting a romantic glow and hiding the dirt and decay that is so stark during the day! Despite it's lack of aesthetic charm, Vientiane is still a very cosy city and my brief stay has been quite pleasant overall.
The guesthouse we've been staying at is lovely and even includes a REAL breakfast (not just a roll with butter like in most of the places). Of course it also has the slowest internet in the world, but a small price to pay...
