When I left Manila Saturday morning, I had no idea that I would be traveling the whole day. I was in four countries that day: Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. But I loved every second of it! We finally arrived in Vientiane, Laos and checked in to the Lao Plaza Hotel. Then, I headed to dinner with my friend David because my mom was exhausted from traveling.
We went to this amazing restaurant outdoors on the Mekong river. David had a table reserved right next to the water. The entire place was lit up with colorful lights and there was music playing from the bar. He ordered everything and the food was unbelievable. I started with a Khan Khum cocktail (light rum, Malibu, pineapple, lemon juice, grenadine, and syrup). It was very tropical and refreshing. David had a Beerlao which is the most popular beer here, pretty good if I do say so myself :)
The appetizer was an assortment of seaweed (fresh from the river), pork sausage, fried pork, pate, cucumber, and green beans. It was all served in a basket. Next was vermicelli noodles with shrimp and pork, and the main dish was deep fried pork with mashed potatoes and saurkraut (made with peppercorns). Needless to say, I was porked out by the end of the meal but everything was spectacular! Over dinner, David and I talked about how funny it is that we were having dinner in Laos of all people. He is one of my brother’s best friends and I’ve known him for years and he just moved to Laos permanently last October. Its just ironic that of all the people, I’d be the first one to visit him in Laos and we’d be having dinner. But it falls in perfectly to how this trip has been. Its all about the adventure and spontaneity – David is leaving for Paris this week so I could have easily missed him.
The next day, David picked me and my mother up from the hotel and we drove out to the Namgnum Dam. This was no ordinary drive! On the way, we stopped multiple times. Our first stop was at the market and it was splendid! I don’t know what it is about foreign markets, but I just love visiting them. The only thing that comes close is Pike’s Place in Seattle. We saw everything from buffalo skin to blood cubes, it was a wonderful experience but we had to get back on the road.
There are so many temples here! They are everywhere, every few blocks. Buddhism is the primary religion in Laos, approximately 67% of the population are Buddhist. The temples are so beautiful. And the cows!!! They are everywhere too! Some are tied in front of the temples, just grazing but most are free and roaming in the streets. We were driving during the lunch hour … its tradition for Laos to take an hour and a half nap after lunch everyday. So when we were driving through the towns, we barely saw any people but there was an abundance of cows! Roaming free in the streets, grazing on the side of the road, everywhere! They were so cute LOL. We also saw goats, chickens, and water buffalo.
We finally arrived at the Namgnum Dam and had lunch on the river. We had traditional Laos food, beef with cilantro and basil, morning glory (quite possibly my new favorite vegetable), shrimp soup, eggs with sausage, and fresh fish from the river beneath us. This fish was the best me and my mom have ever had! It was so fresh and so flavorful! The best meal since we’ve been here. After lunch, when food coma set in, we walked around the town for a little bit and headed back. Our full day excursion was fantastic and we were tapped out by the end :)
Definitely a great way to be introduced to this country. I’ve fallen in love with Laos
