Oh hi there, I’m in Laos. Vientiane to be specific. If you’ve never been to Vientiane, let me fill you in; it’s a very small city which has a few nice cafés, a couple of reasonably interesting temples if you’re really into temples (I live in Bangkok. Sorry, but I’m kind of over temples) and not much else.
It’s a bit of a hotspot for visa runs, which we expats know all about the joys of, amirite? Paperwork, queues, expense and stress are all the ingredients for a highly miserable city break and so, each time I’ve been to Vientiane, I’ve hated it.
In addition to all that admin fun, both times I’ve been here before, I’ve been really unlucky with over-eager backpacker guys trying to buddy up with me during the daytime and then (both times) getting angry that I’m not interested in them when they go to make a move. If anything tops off a visa run, it’s a little bit of sexual harassment. Don’t even get me started on guys who think you owe them something just because you spent some time in their company.
Anyway, you can understand why, perhaps, I was on a downer about Vientiane. I’ve always been mean about this place; advising people not to go and swearing I’d never go again because, I mean, sitting in a café trying to avoid speaking to backpackers isn’t my idea of a good time.
But, alas, here I am. I won’t go into the hows and whats of why I’m back here again (short story: I needed to leave Bangkok for a couple of days and I’m on a budget after blowing all my money on flights to England last month). Turns out, I’m enjoying it very much. These days, sitting alone in a café IS my idea of a good time. It’s a luxury big city dwellers are rarely afforded, after all.
It’s funny how, at one point in your life, solitude and quiet days doing little else but café hopping can seem like a kind of purgatory and, at other times, it’s exactly what you need. I have three days of nothing to do but writing a few stories and, perhaps, hiring a bike and tootling around the city. You can’t tootle in Bangkok. I’m pretty sure you can’t tootle in Dubai, either. It’s just too busy for that kind of simple joy.
I didn’t realise it before, but a little meandering, a little picture-taking and a little coffee shop hopping is exactly what I was looking for. Sometimes you need to get out of the city rat race of over-packed commuting, glitzy launches, form-fitting work wear and brisk lunches at your desk and swap it all for long chats with locals at the riverside, unflattering and comfortable clothing and hours spent reading books.
Vientiane is no Maldives or Bali when it comes to the ultimate in bumming around and relaxing, but just the fact I have no plans, no alarm and there’s no crowds to battle against (you know when you have to walk against the flow of human traffic with your ‘don’t even think about getting in my way’ game face on? Ugh). It’s actually pretty blissful.
Sorry for all I said before, Vientiane. I’m charmed by your ridiculously slow pace, your tiny population, the faded glory of your colonial architecture, your quiet streets and your great coffee and baguettes. One request: please never make me do visa paperwork here again, though.
