Laos is a very poor country and the difference from Thailand in roads and houses is obvious.  Whereas in Thailand most houses have at least a moped parked in front, in Laos there are very few cars or mopeds.

 I fought my way into Vientiane, the capital of Laos.  It's a small city compared to Bangkok or KL, and quite navigable.  I battled my way to the section of the city along the Mekong River and found a decent hotel with air conditioning and private bath, for about $20 a night.  There are much cheaper guesthouses available in Vientiane, but I needed secure parking for my bike, and I like some of the other comforts available in the nicer places.

 I liked staying in this part of the city because I could explore many of the main wats and stupas on foot, and sit in the beer gardens along the river in the evening.  One of my goals for this part of the trip was to drink beer along the Mekong, and this was the place - I bought small pitchers of Beer Lao for $.90!  When I wasn't drinking cheap beer, I visited the victory monument (built with American concrete supposedly intended for a new airport!), the Black Stupa, and the national stupa, as well as several Budhist temples.

 This area of the city also had countless restaurants including several that advertised vegetarian food.  I was able to try local curries and stir fries, as well as Italian pasta one night.  My card with the Thai word for vegetarian has worked so well that I had the Lao word for vegetarian written on the back.  In the city I didn't need the card, but it came in handy later when I headed into more remote areas.

 One confusing thing about Laos is their currency.  They use a mix of local currency, Thai bahts, and American dollars.  Many places advertise prices in all 3 currencies, or some advertise in only one, and they'll convert the price to another currency if you ask.  You always get change in the local currency, even if you pay in dollars or bahts, so you end up with a pocketful of 3 different currencies that you're always trying to keep straight.

 After 3 days in the city it was time to head south.  I followed route 13 along the river.  The road was paved, but had more potholes and rough sections than the roads I had been riding in Thailand.  There was very little vehicle traffic on the roads.  People just don't have the money to buy cars, and there were even fewer mopeds than I had seen in Thailand.

 Every few kilometers I went through a small town, with the houses built on stilts to keep them above the flooding river.  The local people were out working in the rice fields, plowing with oxen or sometimes crude tractors.  I admired the misty mountains off to the east as I rode.  Because of the continual small towns and pedestrians and mopeds the going was slow but I enjoyed the scenery and riding on the empty roads. 

 I originally had intended to cross from Laos into Cambodia, but as far as I can tell the border crossing between these two countries is closed because of banditry in Cambodia.  So instead I rode to Pakse in south Laos, then crossed the Mekong on a new bridge and crossed the border back into Thailand.  On my last night in Laos I stayed at a small guesthouse with a beer garden and restaurant.  My room with ac and bath cost about $4 / night.  Using my handy card with the Lao word for vegetarian, I was able to get a good vegetable stir fry with steamed rice and a large Beer Lao for about $1.75 - total.  You can live very cheaply in Lao!

 I only spent about 5 days in Laos, but I found the people to be friendly and the country to be scenic.  There aren't always the tourist amenities available elsewhere, but if you don't miss them you'll find Laos to be enjoyable.

 

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