Laos ... A New Experience for Us

 Sunday, February 22, 2026

 

Today was a quiet day for me. I spent the day working on our photo books and writing the next blog post (which I hope you have all received). I literally did not leave our hotel.

 

Breakfast was a wonderful feast with a couple of anomalies that made us laugh. First of all, the coffee was excellent and refillable. The printed menu was in English with several appealing options. Jim ordered a croissant and an omelette. I ordered a pork pancake and muesli with yogurt.

 

We were both served a beautiful bowl of fresh cut fruit watermelon, papaya and passion fruit. A basket of slightly toasted white bread and butter were also delivered to our table. It turned out that they were out of croissants so this was the alternative. That made us giggle a bit.

The pork pancake was delicious (I ordered it again on Monday) and Jim’s omelette was also worth repeating. A very filling and tasty breakfast.

 

I spent the rest of the day working at a small table adjacent to the breakfast room because the internet in our own room was spotty. The staff were quite ok with my constant presence and even brought me a glass of water occasionally.

 

Jim went out into the city in search of an ATM and information about train tickets. He returned several hours later, unsuccessful on both counts. The ATMs would not accept any of his cards for reasons unknown to us. He also needed a new SIM card for his phone to be able to negotiate train tickets. Because it was Sunday, most shops that handle SIM cards were closed. Finally, he found one shop that was open and successfully acquired a functional SIM card. By this time, dark was descending and it was too late to go to the train station several kilometres away to get tickets to Chang Mai, our next destination.

 

We did enjoy a lovely dinner in the seventh floor dining room including a welcome dark Lao beer and glass of wine. We also managed to find the overtime of the Canada/USA hockey game, just in time to see the final goal. Good try, Canada!!! There is nothing wrong with a silver medal.

                                                       

 

Monday, February 23, 2026

 

Today began much the same as yesterday. Breakfast … again delicious but bread instead of croissant (we will have to get up earlier tomorrow).

 

Jim has gone out to get train tickets and I am writing this as well as working on our photo book. We are planning a city tour this afternoon, assuming Jim is successful with the tickets.

 

There is a lovely little gift shop in our hotel so I took a break to see what was on display. Lots of scarfs, small purses, table runners and some clothes. I hope to get a couple of things tailored when we are in Chang Mai so I took a photo of one dress I particularly liked as a model of what I would like to have made.

 

Once Jim got back to the hotel (it always takes longer than expected to get tickets), Jim had the tickets and we are in a first class train car on Wednesday with air con and a window seat. That is all good news although it is only a two hour train trip.

 

So, we headed out from our hotel to explore this part of Vientiane. The streets are filled with shops, as expected, but we were surprised to find that most of them are food shops. Several had beautiful displays of local fruits on tables at the front of the store. 

                                                

Some had bins of loose fruit and others had packaged the fruit in various combinations. We were surprised to see the number of durian that were on offer. Although the fruit itself is reasonably tasty, the odor is repugnant. Most hotels will not allow durian to come in at all.

 

There were also several cafes and restaurants in the area where we were wandering. We did stop and have a raisin croissant and iced coffee (it is quite warm today). 

                                                        

Refreshed, we continued on our way. We stopped at a huge area that was filled with food stalls that were not yet set up. Apparently, it opens at 6 pm to serve all manner of dinner options. We have dinner plans for tonight but we will check it out for tomorrow night. It looks very interesting, much like a wonderful food market we encountered a few years ago in the Cook Islands.

 

We paused again at a large pub that was offering beer at a reduced price. Jim had a dark Loatian beer and I had a light one. I am not generally fond of beer but this one hit the spot. We sat facing the street and enjoyed seeing the array of people wander past, some on foot and some on scooters. Many of the scooters were quite quiet, likely electric motors

Late in the afternoon, we returned to our hotel. Jim is out getting his beard trimmed and I had a nap. The air con in the room is most welcome.

 

When Jim returned, freshly coiffed, we changed our plans for dinner. Rather than eating along the Mekong River bank, we decided to go to the stalls we had seen earlier in the afternoon. It was actually very close to our hotel.

 

We could not believe what we saw. Every stall, at least 100, was set up to serve all manner of food. Some of it was pre-cooked; some did not require cooking; but most offered options of foods to combine into a meal and get cooked right before your eyes. We wandered from stall to stall trying to make a decision about what to eat.

                                                     

Choices ranged from freshly cut fruit, chopped vegetables, seafood galore, all kinds of meat and chicken as well as soup bases to which meat and/or vegetables could be added. Oysters on the half shell, large whole squid, chicken feet, ground pork, enormous carrots shredded before your eyes to make a beautiful salad. Green leafy vegetables for salad or soup, many kinds of mushrooms, pancakes folded in half with the filling of your choice.

 

It was so hard to choose. We watched carefully as food was prepared. Cleanliness was clearly a priority. Gloved hands, new plastic containers, chopsticks in commercial wrappings, fans blowing to discourage insects, boiling broth or oil to cook the meat and fish.

 

Finally, I chose a fish and vegetable soup. I was able to choose the ingredients and the portions and watch while it was cooked in hot bubbling broth. I chose not to add hot peppers. It was delicious!!

                                                 

Jim had a pork pancake, the pork cooked thoroughly with some green vegetables before the pancake was wrapped around it. He enjoyed it thoroughly. 

                                                      

On our way out, we selected cut pieces from several kinds of fruit as well as a large glass of juice from freshly squeezed oranges. What a treat!!

 

Back at our hotel, it was time for bed. It had been quite a busy day and we need to be out early tomorrow for our city tour.

Good night all!!

 

 

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

 

Another early morning. Today we had breakfast at about 7:30, again nicely presented and very tasty, because we were going on a city tour of Vientiane and were being picked up at 8 am.

 

We had barely finished our coffee when our guide arrived with some details about the excursion and a change in start time. Now, we needed to be ready at 8:30 am and we would be joining 7 other tourists on this tour.

 

Sure enough, the van pulled up outside our hotel promptly at 8:30. And the tour began. The first place we visited was a Buddha Garden about a 45 minute drive out of the city. That gave us opportunity to become acquainted with the other tourists in the van. It turned out that two people were from Australia and the rest of us live in various parts of Canada. Who would have thought there was such a concentration of Canadians in Laos?

 

Our first destination was Buddha Park, a beautifully manicured and very large garden, created in the 1950’s, featuring more than 15 Buddha statues in various poses representing Buddhist beliefs and history. We learned a great deal about the Buddhist faith as we moved from Buddha to Buddha in the garden. The reclining Buddha dominates the park. There are also some Hindu statues in the park as well. I can only hope that we can retain some of the information and deepen our appreciation of this religion. Of course, many of the statues had been created and installed many years ago. The newer ones were quite identifiable because they have not been weather beaten over many years.

                                                     

We returned to our van and travelled back into the city. Our guide was very good at pointing out highlights along the way – the Canadian embassy, the Lao Brewery which makes Beerlao beer (Jim has become very fond of the dark beer.), the American embassy, the night market that sells only clothing, the bridge that connects Thailand and Laos, constructed in 1994. Prior to that the only connection was by ferry across the Mekong.

 

We stopped at another temple, Wat Sisaket, one that featured a central building and a large courtyard area surrounding it. 

                                                    

There was some activity at this temple aside from all the tourists. Worshippers were very quietly and solemnly carrying bouquets of bright orange-yellow carnations and placing them in various locations. Shops around the outside of the temple had a multitude of bouquets for sale. Clearly, this event was significant and predictable.

 

The next site we visited was a very, very large temple complex, Wat Si Muang, with at least six temples of various sizes and purposes. The gold used in the construction and maintenance was breath-taking in its volume and beauty.

                                                         

We continued our informal tour of the city – border patrol points, manufacturing plants, some government buildings and the financial district with at least ten large banks. We also passed the President’s home, well protected by a very high fence.

 

The final temple we visited, Pha That Luang, was the most crowded There were many worshippers gathered there and several monks were also present. Buddhism in Thailand, Loas and Vietnam is a very active religion. And the donation boxes, always clear glass, reflect the value of the religion in the country. One of the largest boxes had currencies from China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam in it.

                                                         

We also stopped at the Patuxai Monument. It was built between 1957 and 1968, dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France. It has some resemblance to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris but is a Laotian design.

                                                     

It was a very hot day and I have to admit that we both welcomed the air conditioned comfort of our hotel room when we got back. A bit of a nap, some laundry and managing the photos we have taken filled the rest of the afternoon.

 

After a short rest, we decided to get our laundry done. We leave tomorrow for Luang Prabang on the border of Thailand en route to Chang Mai. It is always good to have clean clothes and not have to worry about what to wear.

 

Right beside the nearby laundry was a small fruit store that also had a small but interesting menu including baguette sandwiches, vegetable spring rolls, fruit drinks made from fresh fruit and dark beer for Jim. It was an easy decision to have dinner there. The food and drinks were superb and so was the traffic on the street. Loads of people of all ages strolling along, motorbikes passing by, the occasional car that dared to manoeuvre among the crowd. Take out food and beverages was commonplace and most people had a clear plastic bag with something edible in it. Children, as at home, had store-bought treats of ice cream, fruit, and,of course, candy. The restaurant was quite quiet when we arrived but was totally filled inside and on the sidewalk by the time we left. Clearly, it was a popular place to get some great food.

 

And now we are back in our room, organizing to travel again. Suitcases packed, passports at the ready, cash in the pocket (credit cards do not work well here). Time for a good night’s sleep.

 

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

                                                      

We left Vientiane this afternoon and took the train north to Luang Prabang. It was a gentle train ride with lots of agricultural land to see. Rice paddies, groves of mango trees, more rice paddies, banana trees, cattle (pretty skinny if you ask me). 

                                                        

Closer to the end, there were some quite interesting mountains that we paralleled for several miles. 

                                                     

There were at least 100 taxis at the train station when we arrived to transport passengers into the city. Our 'taxi' took the form of a pick up truck. The luggage was loaded into the back. We are very happy it did not rain.

 

It was about a 45 minute drive along a hilly and circuitous route.

Since all the taxis were headed in the same direction on the only road that was paved, it looked like a convoy or a parade. Occasionally, one vehicle would pass another or a scooter would pull up beside us. The road was chaos. And as dark fell, the journey became somewhat nerve-wracking.

 

It was pitch black by the time we got to our modest hotel which we learned does not have a restaurant. We dumped luggage in our room and set out in the dark to find a restaurant. We hit the jackpot!!! A great restaurant close to our hotel, already busy (a good sign) overlooking the Mekong River. They said that the far shore was Thailand. (We will check that out to be sure. It is actually several miles from the Thai border. Such a misleading comment to make) But the food was delicious and the service was excellent. We may go back tomorrow night.

 

We are now settled in our room (mediocre bathroom, the rest is lovely). Tomorrow will dawn a new day and we have some wandering to do. 

We also realized that we only have about a week left to do a month’s worth of exploring places we have not yet been. Life will be hectic from now until we board a plane back in Bangkok, headed first for Hong Kong, then the long trek home.

 

Thursday, February 26, 2026

 

We had a slow start to this morning and almost missed breakfast entirely. It ends at 10:30 am. Breakfast is not actually in our hotel but at a small café just across the road on the shore of the Mekong. It is a great setting and the food was excellent. I start each day with yogurt, muesli and fruit, sometimes tough to find. But this little place had it all. Yum!

We sat for a while enjoying our coffee and the setting. This is a great time to visit South East Asia as the days are not excessively hot and the rainy season has not yet begun. Perfect from out point of view.

 

We also did some planning for the next few days. Luang Prabang does not have many organized tours or a Hop On Hop Off bus so we were on our own to establish a plan. There are several locations we wanted to visit including temples, museums, the Presidential Palace, and some markets.

 

With the help of the hotel staff, we developed an itinerary for today and arranged for a tuktuk to drive us around the city. The price was negotiated and our tour began. The driver did not speak English so on occasion we called the woman at the hotel to communicate with the driver about what the next destination was.

 

One of the most interesting places we visited was Ockpoptok, a living arts centre where we had an audio tour to take us through the various rooms. Mostly, the topic was silk production which we had seen earlier during our Mekong tour. However, this tour also focussed on design and we learned a lot about symbolism and colour. We also learned that a lot of the silk produced here is based on local plantlife, not just moths and cocoons. Many local women were on site weaving some very intricate patterns. It was refreshing to hear that they were able to sell their own work and make a reasonable income depending on how many days they worked and how many items they produced.

                                                     

                                                            

We also visited two amazing temples. The amount of gold used for ornate fixtures and statues of Buddha is breathtaking. 

                                                        

We tried twice to visit the Presidential Palace but for some unknown reason, the Palace was not opening today. There was a large disappointed crowd at 2 pm when the gates would normally open.

 

On our way back to our hotel, we dropped into the Tamarind Restaurant, not to eat, but to actually register for a cooking class. The only time they had an opening was today at 4:30. A quick trip to our hotel and yet another tuktuk picked us up and took us back to the restaurant. There were only 4 people registered for this event so we got a lot of individual attention.

 

The class took place at a beautiful facility about 30 minutes from the city. It was a pleasant drive, even if the tuktuk itself lacked in comfort, especially on the poorly maintained dirt track that finally led to our destination.

 

We made several dishes – Oua Si Khai (chicken cooked in lemongrass baskets which we made); Khoa Gam (purple sticky rice with coconut sauce (we even made the coconut milk); Mok Pa (fish steamed in banana leaves).

The two people leading the program were very helpful and while we were preparing our dishes, they supplemented the meal with a green pumpkin salad, a mushroom soup (Gaeng Nor Mai) and buffalo laab (buffalo meat served on a bed of greens).

 

The setting was beautiful; the staff were delightful; our companions were very compatible (early 20’s from Australia) and over all the meal was superb, if a bit larger than we could manage.

                                                         

It was well after dark when we arrived back at our hotel.  We enjoyed sitting on the front steps until the insects chased us inside.

 

Time for some sleep. Tomorrow is our last day in Luang Prabang.

 

 

Friday, February 27, 2026

 

This day was supposed to be a fun-filled day as we further explored this fascinating city of Luang Probang. But that is not the way things turned out.

 

Jim has come down with a serious head cold and did not spend much time outside our hotel room. We crossed the street for breakfast overlooking the Mekong River. As usual, breakfast was served with a plate of fresh fruit, coffee, muesli and yogurt as well as an egg dish of your choice. No need for lunch after this enormous start to the day.

 

Jim returned to bed right after breakfast and I took up a seat on the front porch of our hotel still overlooking the river. As Jim rested, I seized the time to work on the blog as well as our photo books. I like to produce them as we travel, rather easier than trying to remember all the details once we are home. From that point of view, it was a productive day.

 

Jim felt well enough to go out for dinner. We chose a lovely restaurant right beside our hotel. We ordered some lovely food, a glass of wine and dessert. Jim had hot soup and I had stir-fried morning glory stems (which I would recommend). I also had a deliciously tender buffalo steak. What a treat that was! And we both had ice cream for dessert. Total cost of the meal was 896,500 kip. The exchange rate is 16,000 kip for 1 Canadian dollar. So in fact, the meal was about $50.00, by far the most expensive meal we have had to date. No where close to what we would have been charged at a Canadian restaurant. And, it was so delicious!!!

 

Back in our room again, getting organized for our flight to Chang Mai, Thailand tomorrow. We have loved our experience in Laos.