Day 5: Luang Prabang to Day 1 Vientiane

Weather Update: Sunny. High 28°C

Elevation Above Sea Level

Day 5: Catching Up

I was almost caught up yesterday, so I hired a bicycle and went to the bar where I could finish what I needed to do. However, the Canadian guy turned up earlier than normal because he was okay but his wife was under the weather from having had too many gins the night before, and I got no work done. I had a local pizza which I enjoyed, but my train was booked for 5.30 pm, and I was being picked up from my hostel at 3 pm. I said my goodbyes and was gone as though I was never there in the first place.

Train Station:

The train station was 22 minutes outside of the city, and it was a rough ride along potholed roads that made navigating a challenge for the driver. Security at the train station was like being at an international airport but passed through uneventfully. The trip was 2.5 hours away on the slow train, which stopped at a lot of stations, but I had no choice even though I asked the hostel to book me a fast train in the morning. I arrived late in the evening.

Arrival Vientiane

The railway station had the normal hawkers, and taxi drivers charging you 150,000 kip, but if you caught the local bus, it was only 25,000 kip—a little over $1 US or $2 NZS.

House Of Jars Hostel:

I found enough WiFi to get me to the hostel and had good conversations with other travellers on my arrival for the rest of the evening. The hostel is better than I thought it would be, but the location is not quite as it could have been. We are on a main road, but the traffic for a capital city is not as bad as some of the cities I have been to recently. I stayed up late, which is unusual for me, and I was in and out of sleep all night, which did not hinder me too much in the morning, knowing I was only here for two nights.