Missing… Presumed Having A Good Time

A funny thing happened to me on the way to V V. I went to the local bus station to catch a public bus to V V, I suggest doing this, $2. The bus didn’t leave for another hour and already looked pretty crowded. It looked like the sort of bus that would have chickens on it. In the heat of the middle of the day, I decided to listen to a Tuk Tuk driver and let him take me to the VIP bus ticket place back in town near where i started. I bought a ticket for a VIP A/C bus, $6 and started to see the scam unfold in front of my eyes. They bus didn’t leave at 1:30 as promised, but picked me up from the ticket seller in a pickup truck around 1:40 and proceeded to drive all around town picking up other suckers. We actually stopped in front of my guesthouse at one point. We finally get to a different bus station after 2 and am told that we are waiting for other suckers until about 2:45. When we get on this shitty bus it has no A/C and the guy says that there’s something wrong with it. No shit Sherlock! It’s a 100 degrees in here. About 2 hours into our trip a loud sound of a tire delaminating fills the bus and we pull over to the side of the road. We have no spare so we have to wait for a bus from VV to come and get us. Not only do we wait, but when the bus does get there we have 2 wait some more until they fix the old bus. Guess what, the new bus also has some problems with the A/C too. Go figure! Finally, 8 hours after I leave on a 3 hour tour, I arrive in a strange little town after dark. I need a beer Lao, Now!

It’s strange. This is the second time I’ve paid extra for a bus to make sure it’s a nice one and this is the second time it’s broken down on me. (See Hoi An to Nha Trang post in Vietnam.)

After a 14 hour train ride from Bangkok, I’ve gone from capital to capital. The first 2 hours were spent sitting in Bangkok for some unknown reason, Thai Time rivals Cuban Time, but for some reason, it’s less annoying. Guess the comfy bed that I had on the train and a couple yummy sandwiches that Lisa made for me made the time go by faster.

So far so good in Lao. I’m staying on the river just on the otherside from Thailand, which is nice because my Thai SIM card still works here. Nice little town that doesn’t seem like a capital city. The main road thru town is little more than a dirt road, but the city has some fine dining restaurants and some good wine. But the best part of Lao so far is Beer Lao. Finally, back in a country where the beer is cheap and good. It’s difficult to beat a 640mL beer for .80 cents, unless of course you’re in the Czech Republic and u get a Staropromen for .15 cents. Besides the food and drink, there’s not much to do in Vientiane (Vin Chan). I didn’t bring my camera out with me tonight so I’ll post pictures later. I went to see the Patuxai – Victory Monument “Arc de Triumph” Lao Style that looks sorta like a cement Rook from a chess game on a massive scale. I also saw That Dam (Black Stupa) and the pride and joy of Vientiane umm…. Big Golden thing, oh ya That Luang (Royal Stupa). Man this Stupa is really Gold! Impressively gold, even! Besides that, there’s not much else to see here. I did go and get a very nice massage at Wat Sok Pa Luang for a mere $3 an hour. Better than the Thai massages that I’ve been getting in Bangkok. So far, I’ve been mostly impressed with how cheap things are here. i.e. internet for .01 cent per minute or .50/hr That’s nuts! I’ve heard there’s even a cheaper place than that, but couldn’t be bothered to look for it. I think I’ve spent about 10 bucks a day here eating and drinking most of the day. I could sure get used to this.

I’ve found the best internet cafe in all of Asia. It has reasonably quick internet speed upto 756MB with some semi new well managed computers. The best part about it is Ta, he has a good knowledge of how computers work and diligently cleans them of Spyware, adware and viruses. I did my normal clean up job I always do before doing any banking and found only a few negligable items in all my scans. If you’re in Vientiane, you should come here for your internet. The best part is that it’s only 100 Kip/min or 5000/hr. Btw Samsenthai Rd and Setthathirath Rd. towards the river from the National Cultural Hall and Xayoh Cafe in the Lonely Bastard. Just down the street at a guesthouse, it’s 150/min no breaks.