I’ve been doing some research into food in Vientiane. Why? Because I’ll be in Vientiane tomorrow! Pickle Deli write well about Vientiane, saying the food is better than Luang Prabang because there are lots of permanent repeat customer Falangs, rather than just tourists. I heartily agree. Vientiane’s food is fantastic. mmm-yoso has a good story about their time visiting various restaurants in Laos. Their recommendation for “Bounmala Restaurant” is highly recommended. It’s great for Lao food and is the kind of place locals would like to go to.

I’m hoping to closely document my food and travel escapades in Laos this time for stay tuned for new updates.

Checking out the Vientiane Times website, I saw an ad for a new cave open in Vang Vieng.

Vientiane now has a monthly “Monk Chat” program where foreigners can spend 2hrs speaking with Monks at a school near Nam Phu. It sounds like a great opportunity for both the Monks and foreigners. For the Monks, it’s a great chance for them to practice their English in a practical setting. For many Lao boys, becoming a Monk is the only way to get a formal education.

You can find out more about Monk Chat at their website.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/pregnant-heroin-trafficker-to-be-sent-home-20090729-e0gr.html

Laos Travel Information is a very informative website. There’s quite a bit information about Laos and Vientiane, like stuff about working visas and housing costs. Check it out if you’re thinking of visiting Laos, or in particular, moving there.

Vientiane Living is a pretty cool website that reviews various restaurants and businesses around Vientiane. Good photos and a good summary of things around town if you’re visiting of new to the city.

I am watching the movie, Gone Baby Gone, and there’s a quote that mentions Laos:

You’re gonna wish you listened to me, ’cause your sh**ty pool hall crime syndicate headquarters is gonna get raided, and your doped-up bitches are gonna get sent back to Laos.

The first 5 star hotel (according to one news report) is now open in Savannakhet in Laos.

Check out their website, called TYCOONRESORT.COM.

It’s Lao New Year again so wishing you all a Sok Dii Pi Mai (literally Good Luck New Year).

The NYTimes has an excellent article on the water festivities of the New Year celebrations in Myanmar. It’s not quite Lao, but same same.

A friend told me an exquisite Lao fact that I’d never heard of before. Apparently during the Lao New Year festivities, where everyone throws water on each other, there is no need to use the toilet. If you need to go, you can just pour water over yourself while doing it. It’s perfectly acceptable for men and women to do this. What an ingenious way to combat the plague that is massive toilet queues at festival events.

The current political unrest in Bangkok, Thailand will surely be very damaging to the Lao tourism trade. Many people come into Laos through Bangkok, so any disruptions there will block one of the main avenues of tourists into Laos.

I hope that people wanting to travel to Laos will realise that there are many alternate avenues to Laos. Air Asia fly from Kuala Lumpur to Vientiane at very reasonable rates so there should be no reason why problems in Bangkok should stop you coming to Laos.

There are also flights from Vietnam, China and Cambodia to Laos so there are definitely many options on the table for those not wishing to come through Bangkok.