Vientienne

Port of arrival into Laos. This is like the Bangkok of Laos. Nothing much here except a city trying to become something.

Like a young man moving out of teenage-hood, the city has it's high points and you can see it will become something but as yet it still carries the scars of it's youth all too clearly. The dirt from days playing in the mud piles across the street is still around - dust still hovers over everything. Teeth have yet to come out of the braces - the streets are still undergoing the change to the straight and not so narrow (a good thing? i like the dirt roads to be honest) and the city still displays its youthful self consciousness - buildings sprout from nowhere and everywhere, peeking out from around one another as if ready to beat a hasty retreat back into vacancy at the first sign of interest. It also doesn’t really have that much to offer yet. With time perhaps but for now the city is just another guy sitting on the edge of the school hall trying to decide if he can handle the pace of the dance floor.

Needles to say, you start here but don't bother looking back (except maybe one last quick glance at those 7c filled rolls at the day market).