July 19th, 2012
Last day…final blog…
It is Friday July 20th and we are still in Vientiene, Laos. We have had breakfast….which was lame even by my low standards…so already looking forward to lunch! We scoped out a place yesterday a few doors down that has a lunch buffet. Gonna give that a whirl. To say I have been underwhelmed by the food in Laos would be over stating it! The only redeeming meals we have had are the sandwiches from the sandwich ladies on the street in Luang Prabang and the 2 Indian meals we had in Luang Prabang that were outstanding. Maybe we have just been spoiled by the Thai food I don’t know…but as you can tell by the shift in the content of my blog entries…I hardly ever talked about food since we got to Laos….but talked about it pretty much every day in Chiang Mai. I think that says all it needs to say…
Not overly impressed with the hotel here either. Staying at the Family hotel right now….breakfast was a waste of my energy going downstairs, just as i was about to put the room temp milk on my little bowl of cornflakes, Troy said “watch out for the ant on the rim of your glass”. I got it just as i was tipping the glass….and the other 2 that were also there…could easily have missed more…but good thing i am chillaxed about these things. The Laurie from 5 years ago would have screamed and left! The A/C is also terrible…barely takes the edge off the heat…and no fan. Sigh! This is the first hotel in all four years we have been doing this and I am sure over 50 hotel rooms that the A/C hasn’t worked well enough to keep us comfortable.
I am so glad we shifted the days so we had more time in Luang Prabang and only one day here…initially we were planning for 2. I often think it is good to have the end of the trip be a place you don’t mind leaving….so that it is easier to come home….otherwise I just might stay forever. Assuming my baby girls would come be here with me of course ; ))
In summary, I am SO glad we came to Laos, I would go back to Luang Prabang in a heart beat (and most likely will, given its relative proximity to Chiang Mai)…but won’t be coming back to Vang Vieng or Vientiene….
We fly to Bangkok this afternoon via Laos Air and then overnight there at the same hotel we o/nighted at on the front end of our trip. Then up and at it early in the morning as we have to be at the airport at 6am for our flight home. Arriving in Woodinville around supper time Saturday : ))
