Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Vang Vieng. Woke early, internetted, packed. Breakfast in the guest house restaurant. Minivan to Vientiane, Laos. Lunch at Khop Chai Deu with the group. Someone at the far end of our table ordered a large plate of bugs. After it arrived a few of our party tried one and didn't touch the rest. Afterwards we split up. I checked out nearby bakeries—JoMa is my favorite. At the Scandinavian bakery only a few items looked good, the rest just okay. I visited Wat Sisaket then walked along the Mekong River, ending up at JoMa where I had an iced coffee and a scoop of chocolate ice cream—both perfectly delicious. Lee and Anna stopped in. I chatted with them a bit before returning to the hotel for a quick shower. Dinner with the group at La Gondola. I had penne with smoked salmon. On the walk back to the hotel I stopped to watch a really good guitar player sing mostly Western classic rock favorites as part of the Vientiane 2011 new year countdown celebration in the city center.