This time, it’s the Vientiane edition.
…Or rather,
what exactly is there in Laos?
Arriving in Vientian
I arrived in Vientiane from Ho Chi Minh City.
It was a little after 9 PM when the plane landed.
At the airport, I bought a SIM card and asked for a taxi to my hotel.
The driver didn’t seem very familiar with the area.
At one point I even found myself giving a bit of direction while looking at Google Maps.
Eventually, we made it safely to the hotel.
Morning in Vientiane and Exchanging Money
The next morning around 9 AM, I got ready and headed to a bank.
At the airport I had exchanged only a small amount of money, so I needed more.
The first bank I tried was about a ten-minute walk away.
But when I arrived, it was closed — apparently a holiday.
When I searched again on Google Maps, the next bank looked much farther away.
Since I didn’t have much time, I decided to run.
Near what looked like a temple, a tuk-tuk driver called out to me.
I asked if the bank was close from here.
He said, “You should take a tuk-tuk.”
At that moment I was in a hurry.
I needed to get back to the hotel, eat breakfast, and book my train ticket to Luang Prabang.
Honestly, I hesitated for a moment.
But in the end, I decided to trust him and got on.
The Tuk-Tuk Driver
Almost immediately after we started moving, I thought,
“Wait… isn’t this the wrong direction?”
When I asked him about it, he said,
“We’ll go around. It’s okay.”
Still, it didn’t really feel like we were getting any closer to the bank.
I told him a few times,
“I’m in a hurry. That’s not the way.”
But he remained completely calm.
Then suddenly he stopped in front of a mysterious statue.
“You can take a photo,” he said.
So I took one.
…Wait, this really isn’t the time for that.
A little later he pointed toward the Mekong River.
“That’s Thailand over there,” he explained.
Even though I was worried about the time,
his incredibly relaxed pace slowly started to make me laugh.
In the end, we did reach a money exchange place, and I was able to exchange my cash without any problems.
The driver waited for me with a smile and kindly drove me back to the hotel.
Heading to Luang Prabang
Back at the hotel, I successfully booked my train ticket to Luang Prabang.
I missed the hotel breakfast, but that’s fine — it’s still a good memory.
The hotel prepared a sandwich for me, and since I still had some time, I did a bit of work there.
After that, I took a taxi to Vientiane Station.
The taxi driver showed me his phone and said,
“This is the ticket.”
Apparently the screen itself worked as the ticket.
I took a photo of the QR code and showed it at the station entrance, and it worked perfectly.
Inside the station café, I ordered a coffee called “Three Musketeers.”
It was very sweet, with a thick chocolate-like flavor.
Strangely, it made me feel calm.
Soon after that, I boarded the train without any problems.
My stay in Vientiane was short.
But Laos — or at least Vientiane —
gave me the image of a place where people move at their own pace
and greet you with warm smiles.
P.S.
By the way, the mysterious statue we stopped at earlier turned out to be the King Anouvong Statue.
In the end, I’m glad I took that photo after all.
