Wandering Vientiane



Currently I'm living out of The Day Inn, a little hotel near "downtown" Vientiane. It works for now, but the plan is to find a house or apartment shortly and settle in a bit more. Having lived in SF for the last 5 years, I'm having reverse sticker shock here in Laos. Most apartments in the city are $250-300 for a 1 bedroom.

I spent today wandering around Vientiane, stumbling into Buddhist Wats (temples), and soaking up the sunshine. I will admit to getting lost, although only slightly, and with the Mekong river as a southern border, it's hard to get too distressingly lost. Somehow it seems that getting lost is often the best way to orient oneself to a new city anyway. I stumbled upon a number of restaurants, food carts, and bars that I will surely seek out again in the near future. I also happened upon my new place of work, to which I will be formally introduced tomorrow.

I also found the local hospital, which the ex-pats joke about viciously....aparently not somewhere you ever want to have to visit. Luckily, I've been told that there are a couple of clinics at the French and Australian Embassies that are quite good, should healthcare be required. With that in mind, I still think I'll invest in a bicycle helmet for scooter and bike riding purposes.