Eating in Vientiane, Laos

Eating Places in Vientiane

Finally on the eve of my departure from Vientiane, people in the street are recognizing me; acknowledging me. The Lao people are shy and its taken time but slowly they “see” me.

I’ve changed breakfast spots – just for this morning. I’m at Le Banneton a french cafe and I’ve ordered a cappuccino and as always with a new place I wait, in anticipation for its delivery. Will it be a good coffee or one I want to leave? It arrives quickly and is presented with a flourish. The flavour is divine. It is smooth and flavorsome with a pleasant aftertaste which lingers on my palette. But the cappuccino itself is not well made. The pastry and bread selection here is superb and it inspires me to take a piece back to my hotel for a snack later. And I wonder why I’m not losing weight!

Their coffee is organic and fair trade coffee from the Jhai Estate. This is located in Bolaven Plateau which is in Southern Laos. Coffee was introduced to Laos by the French in the 1930’s. Coffee production went into decline with the war but is now a huge business. Whenever I read anything about Lao coffee they proudly proclaim its Fair Trade status. I’m all for Fair Trade – everyone has a right to be paid fairly for their efforts.

It’s very pleasant sitting here on a crudely constructed bench seat and wooden table watching the world go by. This is a quiet street traffic wise but the number of people wandering by keep it interesting; a mixture of locals and tourists.

Women wearing conical hats come past pushing big flat topped wheel barrow type contraptions loaded up with fresh vegetables. They have a set of scales ready to weigh the produce. Women from the shops and houses nearby come out and greet the seller and then they smell, feel and maybe buy. If it weren’t for the motor vehicles parked on the street or that I’m sitting at a café with a digital SLR camera in front of me, you could think it a scene from a bye-gone era.

A woman carrying baskets of food which hang from a sagging rod slung over her shoulder walks by. I’ve seen this a lot throughout my travels. They have an unusual gait, these vendors, which I imagine is attributed to the weight they carry every day. The gait is similar to the road walkers I’ve seen in the Olympic Games. The attached photo (sorry neither is the best quality – you just have to point and shoot or the moment is lost) is of a lady in Cheong Mon Beach, Thailand cooking my lunch. If the photo is clear enough you can see how much she carries – including fire.

My other favourite breakfast place is the Scandanavian Bakery which is by the fountain. I say breakfast place, but the set meal of cappuccino, fresh fruit salad and my choice of roll, cinnamon bun or croissant is enough for lunch as well. All for around $2.40 (and yes, I just checked my conversion). The quality of the food is extraordinarily good and it has a very pleasant atmosphere. By the way, the toilets at this Cafe are spotlessly clean. I might write an article about the toilets here in Asia sometime....but lets not mix it with food!

On my first day here I went to a river front place called SaBai Dee Café (actually this is the local greeting) and they have an extremely extensive menu. I got very excited when I saw their coffee menu and although it looked extremely good (and they served it with a cinnamon stick and a crockery spoon) the taste wasn’t very good. But…the fruit shakes here are superb and well worth another visit.

The other day I went to Sticky Fingers Café and Bar. My guide says it has the atmosphere of a Sydney café and describes it as being one of the best places to eat here, noting the cuisine as modern international. The first time I went I ordered a feta salad with balsamic dressing. It was my first salad for months and I thought I was in heaven. The taste was so fresh, the blend of flavours so perfect it sent my taste buds into orbit. But, I didn’t like the atmosphere. I’m not sure why. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and put down to me (perhaps I was out of sorts, hot or whatever) or that the staff were having a bad day. I went back a second time but I experienced the same feeling so although I loved the food, I’m not going to try it again.

Of course the JoMa Bakery Café is a favourite haunt and the food and coffee consistently excellent. They serve their own blend of coffee and both the cappuccino and espresso are very good. They offer small or large options. Once I tried a large cappuccino. It was indeed large and served in a mug. Three quarters of the mug was thick frothy milk – probably the thickest I’ve had. The only complaint is that they serve them with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Yuk! One day I tried asking for chocolate on top but my request was not understood. When in Rome….. and it’s a no fuss place to while away some time, people watching, writing or reading.

The police presence on the street is very noticeable today. They are standing around all of the corners in large groups. They are tense too. Occasionally I see young men with automatic guns. They hold their guns loosely by their sides. I’ve seen that on the streets and at the markets, here in Vientiane and Phnom Penh. It always unnerves me. What would it take for them to fire I always wonder?

People tell me that Vientiane is very busy and hot at present. They say it’s much nicer during January. But to me it doesn’t seem busy at all. I find it rather sleepy and that’s just fine by me. I love it here. I feel deliciously relaxed and comfortable here. So much so that I am sure I'm wandering around with a grin on my face all the time. Up until yesterday, I toyed with the idea of staying longer but tomorrow I leave for Vang Vieng – a four hour bus ride north. I’ve booked a place on the Song River – the Ban Sabai Bungalows. This area is famous for its caves and stunning limestone scenery.

After that I’m off to Luang Prabang which is even further north and then I’ll fly to Hanoi in Vietnam. But you’ll be hearing from me before that because I plan to be in Laos until my visa expires on the 23rd April.

Emergency Health Care in Vientiane

I needed to visit the health clinic here in Vientiane, Laos today. Like going to the Hua Hin Emergency Clinic, (see Travelespresso in February 2008), my visit was for a minor condition but nonetheless, I fervently hope this is my last brush with medical services during my trip.

When I was pitched off the boat into the water in Sihanoukville, I hurt myself and still, two weeks later, my upper rib cage is sore so I decide to check it out before leaving Vientiane (population 234,000) and going north to Vang Vieng (population 30,000).

It’s Saturday and my tuk tuk driver drops me off at the International Hospital (where foreigners are told to go). I am informed that there are no doctors on duty today unless required to attend an accident, heart attack or high fever. I calmly advise the nurse (whose understanding of English is reasonable) that my reason for visiting doesn’t fall into any of these categories. I tell her that my upper rib cage is sore but it is not an emergency.

I was preparing to leave when she says "if I want to see a Doctor now it will cost you $20". Huh? (No point going down the “I thought you just said….…..). Instead I say “OK I’ll pay”.

I’m taken immediately into a consulting room and she instructs me to sit on a bed. To my surprise another woman is led into the room and put on the other bed beside me. The linen looks fresh (but later I notice that it’s not changed between patients). However, the rest of the room isn’t all that clean. Tied to a sink, are a couple of old 2 litre water bottles loaded, almost to the top, with used syringes. The metal side table is covered in rust.

No curtains divide me from the other woman but her consultation is conducted in Lao so I have no idea of her problem, although if I want to watch I can see where the Doctor prods her. After she’s had her diagnosis, she leaves and a man is led in. Because he’s an American I can understand what he’s saying and he’s worried that the needle they’re about to use to inject him is not new. It is, but I too, had been warned to always check this point should I need an injection. Later he told me he had a rabies shot because he was scratched by a cat.

There’s no hand washing between patients but now it’s my turn. The Doctor is a very pleasant woman with a passable command of my language. She presses here and there to confirm the area of pain and concludes it’s not bone, so no broken ribs. However, she informs me, I have strained some muscles. She prescribes massage ointment and time.

I’m directed along a corridor to an outside veranda area where there are two small windows (think TAB). Behind one sits a cashier and the other the pharmacist. I’m waiting in the cashier line, when suddenly the nurse, with the Doctor nipping at her heels, rushes up to me. “You, no pay” the nurse says to me. “Just for today the Doctor says you no pay”. I look at the Doctor but she's just nodding in agreement. I’m confused but say “thank you very much”.

After I collect my ointment, I go on my way.

I stroll back into town, in the sweltering heat, along the Mekong river bank taking the side of the road with the grassy verge which offers a little shade from the overhead trees. Occasionally I glimpse the water in the river some distance from the edge of the bank. The river level is low at this time of the year – nearly the end of the hot dry season.

It’s a relaxing walk and I watch youngsters in groups; in couples, enjoy each other’s company. When I reach town I sit down at a table in one of the air conditioned rooms at JoMa Café, to read, eat and drink. The weekends here at my favourite café are busy, but, the begging lady who always sits right outside isn’t here today. Actually she is just one of two beggars I see around here.

Earlier in the day I spent time at the Post Office where I sent a parcel of goodies home and was asked to pay a “customs” fee (what for or upon what basis the price was calculated, I’m not sure). They helped me to pack the box. I thought I was packing from the bottom up (you know - heavy things on the bottom, light things on the top) but no – that’s not how it’s done. You pack and then tip the box upside down and that’s the top, so then all my easily squashed items where on the bottom!

My visit to the hospital and the Post Office has ensured that again today, I’ve had another interesting morning “on the road”. Even though, at times, I don’t know what’s going on or why. Most times I just go with the flow, remember to smile and forget about how things are done back home.


Taste sensation…….chocolate chip cookies. They’re the best I’ve ever tasted (sorry NZ manufacturers). The chocolate chips are huge and plentiful. I get a solid chocolate fix with just about every bite. Yum Yum. Brand: Pepperidge Farm and made in the USA. I tired to buy some more yesterday but then I remembered that I’d purchased them in Cambodia. Another reason to go back there?

I’m loving……….getting my laundry done by someone else. It costs $1 per kg and it’s returned to me at the end of the day smelling fresh and beautifully folded. This could be the bargain of the moment.

Bargain of the moment……the massage cream for my strained muscles. It cost about 70cents. I imagine I would pay about $20 in NZ, so why is it that we pay so much for this type of product in good ole NZ? On a more positive note, silver is incredibly cheap here and very plentiful.

I’m surprised…..at how I’m stared at. The blond hair? They also love to watch me write. Not quite so much here in Laos but in Thailand and Cambodia they did. In Siem Reap one man stood on the side of the road and watched me for ages as I wrote and had a cup of coffee. He then commented that I must have gone to a good school. I said yes I had. He then said “good….you write more….you write good things about Cambodia” and proudly rubbed his hands together in glee.

I’m missing…..beetroot. Don’t ask me where that came from but suddenly I really miss it. I haven’t seen anything like it so far.