Looking Good

GR, f2.8, 1/125, ISO 800, RAW

My last day in Vientiane for now, my visa stuff was all done in the afternoon but it was too late to leave so I decided to stay one more night.

Tomorrow, it's going to be back to Thakek over 350km of pretty boring and uninspiring road but at least it will be quick.

In Vientiane (Again)

TG-4, f2.0, 1/1000, ISO 125, RAW

The 150km from Paksan to Vientiane were mostly boring but easy and allowed to drive very fast. Aside from my bike still making a lot of noise and also managing to get a puncture from a big nail on the road, it was uneventful.

Back in Vientiane it was time to part ways, I had to finish things at the embassy here before heading back to Hue in the next day or two.

Another Day in Vientiane

Another day in Vientiane and I started it with a visit of the market, it received some updates since the last time I was here.

It's a bit of a mess with a different buildings, levels and stalls situated in between buildings s finding anything is not easy but it's nice if you're here for taking photos or wandering around.

After the market, I went to the Patuxai arch to take some photos of the people around but didn't go up this time.

In the afternoon, I decided that it was time to go and see something new. Since I had my motorbike I decided to head to the Buddha Park a bit outside of town.

Although I spent a few days in Vientiane during my around the world trip 2 years ago, I didn't go to visit the Buddha park then. It is actually a shame since it's pretty cool and would have made for a nice stop during my trip then.

Still, it was good to go now and I enjoyed walking around the Buddha statues and taking photos of the statues but also the people there.

On my way back, I came across a few groups of people partying on the street, dancing, drinking and listening to very loud music from massive speakers.
They invited me for a beer which was a nice refreshment for my drive back.

People in Vientiane

Being back to a place I've been before means I never need to worry about any of the sights but can instead just relax and take t easy there, especially if I'm not here to actually visit the place.

Instead of going to see anything, I just relaxed and went only for short walks around the guesthouse I was staying at.

I did go to the river to catch the sunset and see a bit of the night market. Parts of the riverbank look like you're at the beach.

The night market is quite colorful and seems to be aimed mostly at locals which is nice. It's also not overpriced.

People mostly hang out along the riverbank and under the street lights to chat and socialise.

While this post is called 'People in Vientiane' the Beer Lao dog is my favorite photo of the day so I had to add it.

Thakek to Vientiane

The next part of my Laos trip were the 350km from Thakek to Vientiane. It started off with another grey day and quite cool for Laos.

The road from Thakek to Vientiane is not very exciting, it's a good road and you can drive fast but there's not much to see or much fun in driving around corners.

About halfway through it started raining so I did find shelter instead of taking my raincoat out, I had more than enough time.

I did stop a few times for some short breaks but overall I made it to Vientiane in the afternoon and had plenty of time to chill.

Vientiane has changed a bit from my last visit here, it feels more busy, there are more bars and restaurants and more tourists but this could be due to the season.

Overall it was nice to be able to just take it easy since I've seen everything I wanted before.

Day 94 - Quiet Day in Vientiane

Vientiane is not a very big city and also not hugely happening so after the last two days I felt like I have seen everything and just took it easy today.

I did wander around in the hope of doing some street photography but did not find many opportunities for this so ended up seeing two more temples near the palace and just chilling in the evening before checking out the Japanese Festival at the culture hall.

Tomorrow morning, i will be heading to Vang Vieng as a stopover on my way to Luang Prabang.