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Baguettes in Vientiane

15-23OCT02 We rode the motorcycle to the Friendship Bridge at the border between Laos and Thailand.  We found out that while passenger cars could cross the border, motorbikes were not permitted without lots of paperwork.  The shop that arranged our visas agreed to look after the machine so we headed for the border.  After the usual formalities we caught a $7 taxi to Vientiane.  The driver knew of a hotel that met our specifications and we checked in.  

After a few hours we ventured out into the cool of the evening.  We found our way toward the center of town and had dinner at a restaurant across from the Cultural Center.  The next day we had to find the immigration office to extend Nee's border pass by four days.  

The next day we visited the War Heroes Memorial , a big cement structure that looks like the Arc de Triomphe with an asian twist.  Then we took the rental motorbike to the big wat which is the other big tourist attraction.  We explored the rest of the city and determined that we would relocate to a hotel closer to the Mekong River.

We had a good time walking along the river.  With a combination of shops and amusement rides and a huge crowd of people, it reminded me of the Midway at the State Fair of Texas (no corny dogs, alas).  There were small riverside beer gardens with tasty food and cheap Beerlao.  We tarried awhile and watched the traffic on the river.

Nee went out the first afternoon in the new hotel and saw a dragon boat race.  Two days later, I saw a dragon boat  practicing on the river. 

Then we had a little adventure with the People's Republic Traffic Police.  While waiting at a completely deserted intersection for the light to change, I looked over my shoulder and determined that the light was green.  Surprise!  That was the left turn signal.  You see, the lights in Laos are not across the intersection but placed on the side where you wait located where the front vehicle can't see them.   Anyway, after I finally understood the crime, I was told that my international driver's license would be kept for a week or two then I could pay the fine.  I inquired if it was possible to pay the fine now and oddly enough the fine was the same as the two $5 bills I had in my driver's license.  With Nee's help we were able to continue on our way with license in hand.  

My main obsession was to find out how to view the Naga Fireballs from the Laos side of the Mekong.  The fireballs are a natural phenomenon that happens once each year at the full moon when Naga, the dragon, sends red balls of fire into the air.  We spent hours tracking down where the location was.  Many knew of the fireballs but few could explain to me or to Nee where the place to see them was located.  Nee's hometown spoke a dialect of Thai that was close to Laotian and she was a great help, but most of the directions were of the "go to the big stump, turn left, and then right at the red rock...you can't miss it" type.  Eventually we got the name of a town and the route number out of Vientiane.  

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