Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, but you would never know it. The town is beyond sleepy. I arrive in the pouring rain and spend thirty minutes searching for a cheap hostel. The most economical I can find is Youth Inn, which is quite expensive at 50,000kip ($6), but at least it has its own bathroom. Unfortunately, the bed is made up of a thin concave twin mattress as thick and comfortable as 2x4.
The rain briefly subsides which is perfect for an open-air lunch in a small cafe overlooking the Mekong River. Selection is easy: If I'm on the Mekong, I'm having Black Mekong River Fish. "Caught this morning" the waitress/cook proudly says. It's served alongside a large crispy rice ball that is crumbled into a pilaf of chilis, peanuts, scallions, and strands of pork skin which look and taste like transparent rubber bands. The pilaf and fish are accompanied by a large platter of fresh herbs: mint, coriander, lettuce, basil, and some terrible unidentifiable vegetable that looks like a parsnip but tastes like chalky dirt. No thanks. I combine everything else into little lettuce fish tacos, like Vietnam-SoCal fusion cuisine, drizzling on a small amount of the sweet vinegary chili sauce. The fish is beyond fresh and buttery and the whole taco is bright, spicy, and crunchy. The rain starts back up on the tarp above my head but I couldn't care less.
***
The following morning, I have a quick breakfast of hill tribe coffee, a pineapple fruit shake, eggs, and a cheese croissant at Vientiane's famed Scandinavian bakery (a cousin of the one in Luang Prabang). From there, it's goodbye Laos. I really fell in love with the country and wish I had more time to visit Kong Long Cave and Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands), eat more river fish, and fraternize with more smiling locals but that will have to wait for another trip.
Until then, Laos, khwap jai for the memories.
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