Border crossing was a disappointment; I had been looking forward to complete chaos where traffic changes from driving on the left to the right. The reality however is very organized a boring, Goddamn traffic lights!

Upon arriving in Vientiane my first stop was the bank. After half an hour of form filling a people counting out bills, I depart having exchanged two 50 dollar notes for an entire suitcase full of money. This currency is ridiculous, roughly 16 million to the pound, and no notes bigger than a 5000. That’s allot of notes!

Vientiane the capital of Laos is more like a small town than a capital city. There are a few sights to see including a huge tower called the victory monument, built by the government with building materials donated by the USA for the construction of a new airport. I like that defiance, "Cheers we'll have the materials but we'll do what we damn well like with it".

Although not a great deal to see i spent a couple of nights here, the climate is bearable and the setting on the banks of the Mekong river pleasant. Entertainment is limited but 'Beer Lao' is plenty and its my duty to sample it well, Its supposedly the best beer in Asia. After two nights sampling I’m still not entirely convinced so I will have to do some more sampling at my next port of call. Vang-Vien.