It was nice to catch up waith Allan and we did a fair bit of walking around, drinking coffee, chatting and eating. We caught a tuk tuk out to a monument called Patouxia(it has been modelled on the Arc de Triomphe) and went to the top for a birsd-eye view of the city. There is a lot of new development going on and I suspect things are going to change here very fast. The funny thing about the monument is that it is actually on a street that is modelled on the Champs Elysees as well. At the other end of the street is the Presidential Palace, an impressive French Beaux Arts-style building.
The tuk tuks are fun to get around in and the drivers don't hassel you. In fact they are often having a sleep in them - they have hamocks tied to the roof inside and when things are slow they drop them down for a snooze. Yesterday I took one out to the That Louang, Lao's most important religious building, and its national symbol. It is pretty impressive and very gold. The driver waited for an hour or so until I had looked around and then took me back to town.
Last night I went for a facial spa before dinner. I had no idea what that involved and when a machine was put in front of me and started spraying steam over my face I wondered what I had let myself in for. It all turned out very nicely though and I went away feeling very relaxed.
Well I better get on with my day before it gets too hot. Off to Bangkok tomorrow afternoon. Have booked a cooking class for Saturday morning so looking forward to that. Unfortunately I couldn't find one in Vientiane.
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