Day 2: Time by the River

Weather Update: Sunny. High 26°C

Elevation Above Sea Level: 174 Metres

Mid-Morning Adventure

I took off mid-morning and found what I was looking for—a place to concentrate and catch up. Writing a blog and adding photos seems to take up a lot of time when you get behind, so this allowed me to do what I was going to do yesterday.

Vientiane: A Functional Stop

Vientiane is not a city I recommend coming to, but it's a point on the map that if you need to go anywhere, the airport is here, the train station goes north, and border trains head south to Thailand.

Meeting Jamie

I met up with Jamie, an Australian who has been away for a few months and is heading back to Australia (Adelaide) via Kuala Lumpur the day after tomorrow. He is itching to get going, rather than sit around and wait. We caught up with each other later in the day back at the hostel and played three games of chess. I lost 2-1, but I've not played for many years and accommodated myself well. Soon, we delved into conversations about travel and other topics of interest. We were also joined by a Chinese gentleman who was here on business arranging visas for travelers from China into Thailand coming through Laos.

Evening Stroll

With not much to do, we headed across the street early in the evening and had some street food and a beer. Jamie, a big boy—not fat but muscular—loves his food. I had a bowl of stir-fried beef rice, and Jamie had one, then ordered another one.

A Quiet Night In

Upon leaving, I decided to stay at the hostel and watch a movie on the laptop. Jamie and the Chinese man left to find a place to play pool. His name is on the tip of my tongue, but I just cannot get it out of me.