Vientiane advetures

Sleepless Nights, Great Food, and Locking Myself Out of the Apartment

After nearly 20 years, it’s time to revisit Laos, and was excited to see if it still has the peaceful charm, stunning beauty, and food that left me dreaming about it. Spoiler alert: it does.

The journey from Bangkok to Vientiane was a breeze, thanks to the shiny new China-Laos Railway. This railway has been a game changer for trade and tourism, though it's come with a hefty price tag—debt to China, that is. The sleeper train was sleek, quiet, and (most importantly) on time. The only hiccup? The air conditioning was so strong I ended up wrapped in every piece of clothing I had access to —yet still couldn’t quite warm up. In the end, I fashioned a hat out of the sleep mask/headphones Matt Wemyss had thoughtfully given for me. And voila! Warm head, peaceful sleep.

We arrived in Vientiane at the colossal Chinese-built station, which could easily double as a small airport—if only there were more than a few trains a day. Already, it felt a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. We hopped on the cute green shuttle bus into town, but it wasnt long before the weather decided to turn grey and unleash torrential rain, resulting in a powercut . No worries though—Mark had gifted me a head torch, and for the second time in 24 hours, I was saved by well-meaning presents from friends.

The biggest disaster of the day? Totally my fault. I locked us out of the apartment. And to make matters worse, I had decided to leave my phone at home—meaning I had no way to contact the apartment owner. We were rescued by the grumpy owner of the French café downstairs, who we eventually learned had a spare key. Crisis averted, and we are still talking to each other.

Now, the food. Ah, the food. Exactly as I remembered: amazing. We’ve been devouring delicious green papaya salad, Larb, Bin Mah, and of course, a few chilled Beer Laos. And the prices are a joke—dinner for about £2, and breakfast (a Ban Mih) for under 50p. We decided to avoid the dish labeled "Cow Shit" on the menu. We thought it had been mistranslated but it is pretty much as it sounds. It’s actually a dish made from bile and the grass from the cows intestines/stomach. Let’s just say I’ll be sticking to the menu translations from now on.

As if that wasn’t enough indulgence, we decided to treat ourselves to a Lao massage. And oh boy, 9/10 would recommend. This wasn’t just any massage—it was a full-body experience using the power of legs and feet to twist, stretch, and pull you. Think Pilates, but without breaking a sweat. At £4 for an hour, I’ll definitely be back for more before we leave.

And then... the night market. So much food, so little time. I had to make a tough call: do I pay 4,000 kip for a single trip to the toilet, or go all-in with a 10,000 kip ticket that grants unlimited access for the whole night?

Next up: Luang Prabang, and yes, you guessed it—we’re taking the shiny new railway again.

#Vientiane #laoschinarailway #nightmarket #laosmassage