Visiting Vientiane

It has been a while since I've updated the blogging world on life here in the Lao PDR.  I'll try to catch everyone up on the recent happenings in sunny South East Asia.

Last time I wrote, Mom and Dad were on their way to Laos to visit yours truly.  Their first morning they were introduced to the Kung's sticky rice pancake, and despite the lack of mango, it was delicious! Thanks to some coordinating on Vongdala's part, we visited the orthopedic hospital, which serves as the main surgical hospital in the country. We met with one of the hospital directors and toured the patient wings including the emergency room, neurosurgical unit and recovery floors.  It was very fascinating and gave my dad a good perspective for his work in Haiti.

Making our way into town, we stopped to scale Patuxai, the "vertical runway" and arc de triumph-esque monument on the main road of the city. The scenic panorama from the rooftop provided a very beautiful view of Vientiane and gave a good idea of the city layout.  We made our way to Nudle for lunch and enjoyed the Asian western fusion take away from the comforts of the small air conditioned restaurant.  Mom was pleasantly surprised by the availability of coca cola light, the Lao equivalent of Diet Coke.  I told her not to get too used to it, but was shocked by how everywhere we happened to go actually sold the silver can.

From lunch, we trekked back across town to let the jet lagged travelers nap, while I caught up on some work.  An afternoon at the apartment was a nice change of pace and gave mom a chance to play with Sok, who has grown into a full-on menace.

At six, we made our way to Daofa for happy hour and gave dad a chance to try beerlao on ice.  Mom joined Kiki and I in a glass of pastis before we all made our way to Makphet for dinner.  Despite calling and being told that there was no availability without a reservation, we were seated quickly and Mom and Dad got their first taste of traditional Lao food.  As always, the food was delicious and we overate, entering into a self induced food coma.

Exhausted, we returned home where mom and I indulged in an episode of Downton Abbey that only the pirated DVD store sells. There are perks to living in Laos!