Vientiene

We had a very short view of this capitol city mainly due to the fact that the 'sickness of the stomach" had finally gotten the upperhand and took all three of us down with it. Fortunately we were in a clean guesthouse that had AC and our own private bathroom :)

Let me give you a little written picture of this city. After being in the countryside and smaller towns it was quite odd to find ourselves in a city with highways and much more traffic (bikes, cars, tuk tuks and the tour buses!) It was a short drive to the city and we got in early which was new for us and a blessing because we found not many rooms available. We had become accustomed to getting off in a town and getting a driver to take us to a guesthouse or many guesthouses with the luck of finding one in short amount of time. Not so in Ventiane. We went from place to place, I might add carrying our backpacks, and continued to get the shake of the heads and "no rooms here" remark. Finally we found a place that was a little higher in price then we had been paying (about $8 Canadian dollars a night...I know it is pretty pricey but we were desperate). We dumped our belongings as Grant and Ben found a cheaper place down the road. Ben is an American Valena sat beside on the bus trip to the city and became our fifth member for the time being. We decided to explore the city and we rented pedal bikes for $1/day to see the sights and get a real experience of being on the roads. It was fun and quite interesting watching out for the dodging traffic whilst we pedaled along looking at the temples, monuments and other sights.

Our golden find was this amazing little cafe a block from our guesthouse that was called New Moon. It was our first taste of really fresh veggies, wraps, pitas and had the most calming atmosphere that we literally parked there for two days. We made use of their book exchange, the delicious freshly squeezed juices, their lounging seats and the AC. I think they must have thought we were the weirdest people because if we did leave it was for a short time only to return within the hour and take our "usual" seat back!

On one of these exursions, We decided to take charge of our sick bodies and take a Tuk Tuk to a chemist (pharmacist). It was incredible all of the options a customer could have. No prescriptions necessary and as nurses we couldn't believe what just anyone on the street could pick up. From pain medication to vitamins, this Cambodian chemist had it all and could sell it to you for a cheap cheap price. With our loot in hand we made our way back to New Moon cafe to find relief in the AC. We stayed there until we headed on an overnight bus (with beautiful beds on it complete with pillows and blankets) to the 4000 Islands. Love from us all. B