A guide to do nothing in Vientiane

How do I begin this?  I will start from the start. After the shock of Vietnam, I had decided to not expect anything anymore. We decided to complete the checklist, to throw off the last bit of temptation to explore, discover  and relish any more of South East Asia and Vikram, well he was going to dump the checklist altogether and return home. But the 36 hour long bus journey from Hanoi ended in the pretty little, touristy, yet charming town of Luang Prabang. It was a pleasant surprise which was followed up by the jaw dropping beauty and simplicity of Vang Vieng. But just when we thought that the best of Laos was either behind us or lay way ahead in the sleepy hammocks of Don det, we arrived in  Vientiane.

Could I say, it is the most understated, unassuming or even underrated city of the region. It is just what the capital city of Laos, the most relaxed country I have ever been to, should be like. Remarkably quieter than even many small towns of India, Vietniane does not show off a huge list of to sees and clicks or a rocking night life. Most people consider it a compulsory rather unneccessary stop along the way between the fun in Vang Vieng and Si Phan don or a point to jump over the border to either sides but this city charmed us in more ways than one. I will restrict the count to five here:

1. Coffee – There is a row of wonderful cafes you can sit and relax for hours in. No one expects you gulp down the drink and rush away. Some cafes are comfortably cushiony with soothing music in back ground inviting you to sit all day and sip at the Lao pace. A cup of latte will cost you anywhere between 10,000 kip to 20,000. They will not all be equally good and the most expensive one is not necessarily the best. But when they say there is nothing to do in Vientiane, they don’t know there is nothing more important than finding which among  the several perfect cups of coffee is the most perfect.

2. International cuisine – Thin crust pizzas baked in wood fired oven, falafel wrapped in pita with garlic sauce, a chicken curry to dip your naan in, or the good old Lao laap with rice – there is no dearth of good food in Vientiane. Within a walking distance you will find a variety of restaurants from fancy ones to simple road side eateries. Pick one that fits your budget. The food at roadside eateries was, as Andrew put it, perfectly mediocre. We had had plenty of that all through our journey in Vietnam, Vang Vieng and even a bit of it Luang Prabang. We decided now that we have a chance to eat good food, we will make the most of it. We settled on better looking restaurants with our average spend of 100,000 kip per meal. We were surprised and rewarded each time.

3. Wats galore – How can you see all the wats in a city which has a wat at every step you walk. Our hotel had a Wat at the back, a Wat in the front and two other wats within a few steps. This is when you realize that Wats are not for sightseeing tourists, they are a place of worship where local communities come together to pray and celebrate. What I love about Vientiane is that it is not centered around tourists that it is not putting a show to impress you, it is just simply being utilitarian to its residents and still beautiful. I would put it in my most bearable cities in the world list as well.

4. Smoothies and bubble teas – There are multiple smoothie or bubble tea stalls. Our favorite stop always was the fruit heaven opposite Lao kitchen. While Bubble teas were another excuse to take a halt when even snail’s pace was not slow enough.

5. Cakes – Vientiane is the best place to get a chocolate cake, Ryan told us. I hate chocolates but were there fewer surprise for me? The tiramisu  the caramel flan, the rice pudding at Yulala cafe, banana muffins, custard cakes and the random free cakes at our hotel  were so good, I could stay another week to sample and them.

Imagine a place where the only thing to do is to wake up to wonderful breakfast and wash it down with a smoothie as you wait for a gourmet lunch after which you grab a slow, lazy cup of coffee as you wait for the sun to go down on the Mekong while you feel grateful to the people who told you that there is nothing to do in Vientiane! Love coffee, love food, love quaint, love laid back, then how can you not love Vientiane. Don’t miss this one, you will love it, seriously!