Vientiane 101

During my short 2 week 'sejour' in this city, through the course of my job hunting, I managed to also gather information on staying, eating, and various diversions - and thus, here are the fruits of labour from a once upon a time would be expat (hybrid traveler ;-)):

*note: prices quoted in kip, and current from February 2009. The exchange rate at that time was 8400 kip for $1 US.

Staying:

first off, a NON-recommendation - phone phaseuth guesthouse, on Pangkham Road near Nam Phu square. I never stayed there, but did check it, and the room offered for the price was poor value. I met others who stayed, and were charged upwards of 200,000 kip, which is quite a lot for what they got.

Places I did actually stay - and liked include MOIC guesthouse, which is a few blocks from the Nam Phu square on rue Mantathourat. walk down Rue Settathirat, past khop chai Deu, until you reach the 'True' Coffee place - its very shiny and new, with a red sign. Turn right into the road before it. MOIC is very unassuming - look up to see the balconies, as well as their small blue sign. Its a basic place, but the rooms are large, with balconies, A/C and fan, hot water and TV for 100,000 kip a night. Its in a good location, but note to solo ladies out there - the male staff can be a bit amourous (tho not aggressive) so if this is an issue for you perhaps pass this by....in which case you may want to consider..

Laos Heritage Hotel - an absolutely lovely place (with friendly female staff) set in, as one might guess, a heritage style house. singles go for 125,000 and doubles for 165,000 including breakfast (tea, toasts, marmalade, fruit). they have 2 locations, but the reception for both is Baan Champa, 125 Phnom Penh Road, near the national stadium and tennis courts. the rooms are very cosy and its a quiet place to stay. breakfast is taken outside in the garden, and at the second location (Baan Champi) there is also a large terrace. I really liked it here and felt at home so it was worth the small splurge!

For those who are really on a budget, Sabaidee Guesthouse on rue Settathirat (just next to the 'True' coffee place) is in an excellent location and offers dorms at 20,000 kip per night, singles for 50,000.

Eating:

oh, one of my great joys in life! Especially with all the lovely cafes and bakeries in this town...

For some good, cheap Laos eats and the obligatory beerlao whilst watching the deep red sunset on the Mekong, simply head down to the riverfront; there are innumerable places that are basically simple bamboo huts where you can sit on the floor with cushions and the family running the place will wait on you with smiles. one can get the usual noodle and fried rice dishes for around 15,000 kip, and lovely fruit shakes in the neighborhood of 5,000 - 8,000 kip. If you hit it right, and are on your own, you may find some people to chat with, local and foreign. on a few nights I chatted with a Lao man working in California, but comes back when he can to see his wife.

Bakeries: Joma was far and away my favourite. Located on Rue Settathirat just down from Nam Phu, across the street from the well-known Khop Chai Deu and next to the Pimphone supermarket, they have great hot and iced coffees, light meals such as sandwiches with a variety of breads, chilli in a bread bowl and a nice greek salad. Not to mention the chocolate chip and ginger snap biscuits, which became a daily staple for me along with the fruit shakes and coffees. another popular one was the Swedish bakery, owned by an award winning Swedish pastry chef who chucked all in back home to start up in Vientiane. Outdoor and upstairs seating available at both places, the Swedish bakery is located directly in the Nam Phu square and thus affords a view of the fountain

Breakfast: I was a fan of the simple cafes on Rue Samsenethai, across from the Asia Pavillion hotel. Not far from the black stupa, they all have fruit shake stands out front and offer reasonably prices breakfasts with baguettes, fruit plates or muesli fruit and yogurt. They will also rent bicycles for 10,000 kip a day, but you will need to leave either a passport or $20 US for a deposit.

Fruitshakes - try Noy's Fruit Heaven on Rue Hengboun, not even a block from the cultural centre.

French Restaurants: for great whole wheat crepes, and as they advertise, a charming balcony, head to Ty Na restaurant at 68 Pangkham Road (Nam Phu Square). Prices around 50,000 kip for those, so it's good for a nicer night out or so. Friendly service as well. Closed Sundays. I also ate at 'La Cave des Chateaux' right in the Fountain square, which is also a charming place. I took the steak dinner menu for 67,000 kip which was great and although expensive for Laos, still excellent value by Western standards.

Expat Hangout: Sticky Fingers on Rue Francois Ngin (across from the Hotel Tai pan) is THE place, specifically Wednesday and Friday nights. Food and drink available, and include lemon lime bitters..a treat for me as I've not seen it since Australia, although not surprising given the owner is Australian! For those looking for work or other things with regards to residing there, there is a comprehensive information board located on the main floor.

I had a good pizza at 'La Terrace', which, has a nice terrace and apparently is also recommended for its other dishes.

The Pimphone Supermarket, located on Rue Settathirat right next to the Joma bakery is expat food haven if you are craving something from home, be that europe, N. America or Australia. Of course the price tag for such luxuries is attached, but I did allow it for myself once or twice whilst there. It's also got an information board for expats, similar to sticky fingers and it seems one can get anything in Vientiane..if memory serves I believe I saw a posting there for dog training...

Internet: after hitting a few slow ghetto cafes in the centre, I was pleased to find the cafe at Green Discovery, which is just a few blocks down from the cultural centre on Rue Hengboun. They are also a travel agent and do adventure tours, so one stop shopping if you're after both. They had a decent connection, and appeared to also have wireless, with headphones for skype. they are also open from 8:00 until 23:00, daily, and there was a friendly younger guy there who always greeted you with a smile and 'sabaidee'! It's also a cozy atmosphere.

Laundry: many viable options also exist on Rue Hengboun - often it's next day service for around 10,000 kips a kilo. don't expect ironing like in Thailand though; that will be extra, thank you!

Late night convenience: later fruit shake and snack stands can also be found at the other end of rue Hengboun, as well as a block away at Rue Samsenethai. many shops and thigns shut around 20:00 or 21:00, but at the end of Rue Hengboun (and a few other locations dotted throughout Vientiane) one will find the red-signed 'M Point Market' which is open until midnight and is a sort of hybrid convenience/grocery store.

Cash Machine: Many of these abound in Vientiane, but take note, not all cash machines are created equal. For example, the ones outside the M Point Market have a limit of 700,000 kip on one withdrawal. For those requiring extra cash, and also for a fairly reliable machine, the ANZ bank on Rue Lane Xang will allow up to 2 million kip per withdrawal. It saved me when a few other machines were down that day...

and now for some more fun stuff!!!

Massage: almost about as common as in Thailand finding massage parlours/spas in Vientiane! there are 2 I found that I liked; one was the white lotus, on rue Phangkham, about 50 up from the fountain. the prices are reasonable, in the lower range for Vientiane, and the setting is very conducive for relaxing. The other one, which was probably one of the best value places (cheaper than white lotus, but just as good) is called 'Dao' massage, and is located on Rue Francois Ngin, slightly further up from sticky fingers. It is located above a medical clinic in a charming colonial style area and Dao often leaves his sign out with the prices during the day. If Dao himself is there, allow a few extra minutes to chat with him; he likes the opportunity to practice his English, but said people rarely had the time. It's a pity for them, as I had an enjoyable conversation with him and got some insight into how the local people live and he's a courteous enough fellow.

Swimming: If its sport swimming you are after, you are in luck. there are a few outdoor pools in Vientiane for this, which didn't ever seem to be at all busy. At times I ahd the entire thing to myself to do lanes. One is located in the city centre, just a few blocks behind the large Lao plaza hotel. I believe it is just called 'Vientiane pool', and is a proper 25 meter pool. there are also smaller children's pools..not the most atmospheric place to hang out by the pool, but at 10,000 kip for entry....its still great for those who want a bit of exercise. it's open from 8:00 until 20:00 each day. a bit further out is the sokpuluang pool, which is the same size, but surrounded by greenery...a better option if you want to hang around and sunbathe after. For those wnating to just hang out by a pool, Hotel Lane Xang (at the river end of the road of its namesake) will allow non guests usage for 30,000 kips for one day. I have to say though, they are not all that attentive, so you could probably just try to wander on in and act like you stay there. I'm too honest for this though ;-). A more expensive, but nice option is the hotel Tai Pan.

Gym: speaking of which, they also have a small fitness facility. As I generally only used this, I only know that they charge $6.50 US for entry for both the fitness and the pool which includes towels and drinking water. I was also told of, at the end of my time there, another large fitness facility on DongPalan road, which included a free 1 hr massage!

Yoga: Vientiane Yoga (www.vientianeyoga.com) is a great little studio run by the same lady responsible for sticky fingers, Marnie. the schedule and the map are all on her website. For those staying a longer time, after 6 classes, you get one free. the cost is 50,000 kip and the class lasts 90 minutes. you may want to check the map on the website against a larger vientiane one; if you are in the centre you will need a bike or a taxi - i tried to walk it once and didn't even make it halfway (!).

Sightseeing: not something I really did a lot of, apart from the obligatory Patouxy and That Luang, which are withing walkign distance of each other.

I did however check out a couple of other things that might not be on the usual tourist radar. The first was monk chat; the one I went to was the first ever done in Laos, but if you are lucky they will have subsequent ones. This one took place at Vat Ong Tue, located in the centre just off rue Settathirat. its noted on all the maps. Basically, what it was, was a group of expats bringing monks together with foreigners interested in buddhism. It was a sort of exchange, as the monks wished to practice speaking English, and the foreigners in turn could learn about buddhism from them. At first the monks were a bit shy..well, save for Kheum, who was very chatty with me and keen to practice his English. It was a wonderful 2 hours. Watch for posters in the centre of Vientiane; or closer to the time groups of people will walk around handing out flyers advertising the event. It was pretty low key, and free of charge.

the other thing I decided to go see..as I'd seen many posters in Vientiane, as well as from riding past it on my way to the yoga studio, was something called 'COPE', which stands for 'cooperative orthotic and prosthetic enterprise'. For more information, check their website: http://www.copelaos.org . Basically they provide orthotic and prosthetic limbs, medical care, surgery and rehabilitation to those who are in need and cannot otherwise afford it, quite often the victims of UXO (unexploded ordnance). They have set up a small, very well organized and informative museum, including a variety of documentaries to watch. For me it was a real eye opener and worthwhile to check out and leave a small donation for the great work they do.

Shopping: Vientiane's biggest shopping centre is Talat Sao, which can be accessed easily from Rue Lane Xang, and is also conveniently located across the street from the main post office. Here one can purchase everything from a multitude of 'laos skirts' to mobile phones and Laos SIM cards. next to it is also a H'mong tribe market, and on the other side, the morning market.