Across the Mekong

After a full day in Bangkok (well, OK, we did chill out for a couple of hours and watch a movie in the most luxirous theater ever…think business class seats, pillows, blankets, socks, and table service…) we were pretty knackered and passed out on the train almost as soon as it got rolling. The trip was 624km (about the distance from SF to LA via I5), but it took twelve hours because we stopped numerous places and never got going all that fast. No worries though, we slept pretty well through almost all of it.

When we arrived at the end of the line in Thailand, Nong Khai, we teamed up with a couple of other travellers and negotiated a tuk-tuk to take us the last kilometer to the border. On the Thai side you have to check out with emmigration, and then you board a 10 baht bus to take you across the 1,200 meter bridge over the Mekong river. On the other side we applied to Laotian visas-on-arrival (one passport photo and $30US…our change bills looked like suspiciously good copies of the newest twenties we have in the states), proceded through immigration, and then found a taxi on the other side to take us the last few kms in to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. No fuss, no muss (but I always do like to cross borders on foot for some reason).

Finally we arrived about 11am and started the arduous journey of finding a place to stay. After wandering by the US Embassy we looked up a Rough Guide recommended hotel off the downtown streets. Again, the Rough came through and we found a great place full of charm and character and quite clean/good value. We’re just hoping they find space so that we can stay on through tomorrow night (right now there’s only room for one night).

I really like this town, it’s completely mellow, and for a national capital you can walk from one end to the other in about thirty minutes (if you’re willing to brave the sun and extreme heat). There are legacies of French architecture all around and even the taxi/tuk-tuk drivers aren’t pushy at all. Supposedly Vientaine has some of “the best and best-value international cuisine in all of south-east asia,” so we’re going to be trying something different today probably. Tomorrow morning we expect to find fresh baguettes and imported cheese and even better, real brewed coffee (the Thai’s idea of coffee is nothing more than a couple teaspoons of Nescafe stirred in to some tepid water). Now we’re off to wander around a little more then find a pleasant spot to watch the sunset over the Mekong river. We’re spending tonight and tomorrow night here and heading north on Saturday.