Wasn't much to report before then-dropped off my relative at the new airport, Suvarnabhumi. It's not quite high season yet since so the place is relatively empty.
Few days after that, it was time to skip the country myself. The new airport is shiny, but the old one, Don Mueang, has this aged '70s jet-set disco feel to it. There were some local celebrities wandering around from the god-awful American Idol-esque Academy Fantasia show, but I neglected to get my picture taken with them.
A stiff drink in the terminal, and then it was about an hour north to Udon Thani airport, and another hour to the border at Nongkhai by bus. Then....waiting in line to check out of the country.
A Thai friend of mine picked me up at the duty-free shops, and we drove up to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. It's a pretty dull ride, mostly farmland until you hit the city. I DO find water buffalo oddly hilarious for some reason so.....
Then, into the city proper to relax and take a break until we headed out to the disco. Between my trip and the celebratory Beer Laos I'd drank upon arrival, I barely lasted a few hours before heading back. The next night went a little better, with mandatory Azn Group Photo to boot (who can pick the fey Lao gay dude out of the group?).
So, after more Beer Lao and a trip to the Thai consulate, all I had to do was kill time. I appreciate the fact that drinking heavily in Vientiane is practically a patriotic act. They're very uh...supportive of their brewery in the city. So, I took a visit to the Chinese Market (empty, sucked), the Morning Market (not so bad, fake Rolexes and Thai Levis 'Repros'), a random beer stall on the river, and a local wat (Temple).
The Graveyard section of the Wat. Always kind of creepy.
Buddha w/seven headed Naga.
There really wasn't a lot else to see. Vientiane isn't necessarily that small a city, but it's spread out and most of the interesting and/or accessible landmarks and areas are close together. I checked them out and investigated the outskirts of the city, but there wasn't much to report.
The Vientiane version of the L'arc du Triomphe, as taken from the back of a speeding Tuk-tuk. For reference, the one constant I've found between Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, is that the taxi drivers will do their best to try and fuck you over.
The Mekong River. Not pictured: Some waitresses flying kites, and a few fisherman wading across the border. Vientiane is pretty laid back during the day. Small houses, local businesses, and faintly curious locals mark the areas outside of the landmarks, restaurants, and hotels. The Thai and Laotian languges are similar enough I didn't have much problems communicating. Once my friend had gone back to Bangkok, I rented a room for two days in the heart of the tourist district:
Compared to Sukhumvit in Bangkok or well....anywhere, this is pretty mellow. Guest houses, tailors, and a few spa/massage places. Since I had met up with two Lao people who worked in the area (aforementioned Gay dude and a girl who lived out on the outskirts of Vientiane-stayed at her house one night and was woken up vaguely hung over by the sounds of roosters and cavorting goats-good times!), I demanded we go to a local disco for whatever passed for a Halloween party.
I'm not sure anyone has any idea what the hell Halloween is for, but there was the typical mix of drunken backpackers, Laotian club kids, and a few working girls on the prowl. It was a good time, and this particular place, the disco at Don Jon hotel, stays open two hours past curfew, until 2 am! Scandalous!
So, I woke up early, said goodbye to my Lao friends, and headed back, stopping briefly to get drunk on the border at the Duty-Free while I could still buy Beer Lao.
After I got back to Bangkok, I met an aging Thai rock star and enjoyed some food, but I'll put up that stuff later. Plus some updates for the jeans.
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