Vientiane Day 25. Happiness that new pedals bring

My trustee bike, Franso, got a pair of new pedals today. Never thought new bike pedals can make me happy. Franso's old left pedal was broken . Just imagine driving a car with the accelerator pedal split in two. 

Franso is named after Francois Ngin, one of the most happening streets in VTE, where I stayed during my first week. The street is lined with rows of hostel, restaurants, bars, cafes and in the earlier part of the day, messages and spas. Next to Francois Ngin, there's Nokkeokoumane street, where I go for one of my favorite things made of flour : bread and pastries. Freshly baked every morning. Bonjour!

My friend Soulivan is so kind to lend me Franso throughout my stay. She doesn't know her bike is now called Franso,though.

Without Franso in top condition,my exploration won't be as fun.

Franso has a cousin, Kolao Gonzales. Kolao is away on a trip and will be back on Monday.

Vientiane Day 23. Mon Petit Cochon.

Three supermarkerts, NO beef. I can't believe how hard it is to find fresh beef in this city. They sell it in the wet markets for sure which close before office hours end. Supermarkets seem to sell everything but. Even the Carefour of Vientiane. Mon petit cochon keeps staring back at me everytime I'm looking for my meat. 

Mon petit cochon comes in all forms : sausage, salami, smoked, roasted, rib...rows and rows of them.

I'm looking for the day when ma petit vache is smiling at me.In form of meat.

Vientiane Day 21. A $38 birthday trip

I'm proud to say we made an excellent choice to visit Nam Lik Eco-village for my birthday trip.2,5 hours tuk-tuk ride from Vientiane, it's a really nice change from the city. Kayaking,trekking,mountain biking, home-made bread and apple pie - all for $38. I'm lovin' this country.

Highlights include: 

• Sleeping on a hammock (first time ever)
• Home-made bread and apple pie (this worth mentioning twice)
• Being appreciative of decent intercity bus transporations (after 5 hours bumpy ride on a non-AC tuk-tuk)  
• Saw a collection of dead snakes belonging to the resort manager.And saw a real one slithering about the resort ground
• Did I mention it's $38?

More photos here

 

Vientiane Day 20. The start of my fertile year.

It rained for nearly 20 hours on my birthday. I tell myself it's a sign of abundant fortune and blessings for the next year. Though a friend said it's a sign of a 'fertile' year. Hmmm....I'll categorize that under 'blessings'. I do feel blessed. Receiving over 100 wishes while I'm away from familiar faces had made my day. On my 19th day in VTE, new friends have gone out of their way to make my day special. Birthday dinner-checked; Birthday present-checked; Birthday night out-checked; Birthday candle-checked; saw a half-naked French guy in a curly blond wig-checked.

Here's to my new friends...*clink*

A tuk-tuk will pick us up to go to Nam Lik eco-village in less than 7 hours. Wohoo. Birthday mode continues.

Vientiane Day 18. Planning my birthday weekend.

I never thought there would be an episode of "a birthday in Lao". Now it's here, I will make the most of it. It's going to be great. We watched a flamenco guitar performance under the star on the eve of my b'day. Somehow, I'll take it as a sign. The monsieur guitarist was great.

I set a place for birthday b'fast, b'day lunch, b'day sunset, b'day dinner, b'day night and b'day trip. 

It's 12:02 am. Happy Birthday to me.

I love flamenco guitar

 

Vientiane fun fact part 2.

• Most places close for lunch including museums, temples, travel agents, tourist office, and sometimes... restaurants.
• There are too many French around.Trop beaucoup. Even the French think so.I picked up more French words than Lao.
• Fruit drinks stalls are everywhere.They use the term fruits shake and fruit juice interchangeably
• This is not a fun fact: The Discovery Channel is dubbed in Lao. Pfft. 

 

Vientiane Day 15. A Visa Run

My heart goes out to those who need to regularly do a visa run. I need to get out of the country and back to day. What a hassle. Apparently the immigration did not give me the correct visa when I arrived. Only a stamp for a tourist from fellow ASEAN countries. I remember the immigration officer handed back the reference letter, which I know now, which supposed to grant me the correct visa. WHY oh WHY?

Khem from the office toook me to the immigration checkpoint bordering Nongkhai, Thailand. I had to board a bus that took me to Thailand, queue to get my entry stamp into Thailand, then cross the street to queue and exit Thailand.   

The point is to re-enter Lao in order to get the right visa on arrival, which then my office uses as a base to get a reference letter from the Department of Consular to ask for extended stay permit from the Immigration Departmen. If all goes well. It should be ready in 6 days.Fingers crossed.Or I need to remain in the country till it's done.

Immigration checkpoints, bus ride and King Bhumibol.