Postcard from Laos Day 2

We were 31 hours from door to door to get to our hotel in Vientienne, 21 of those with our butts in airplane seats. The weather is balmy and warm, the food good, and the tour company quite capable. We spent Sunday doing sightseeing in Vientienne, and enjoying some quiet time in our French colonial hotel, as well as chasing our luggage which didn't arrive with us from Bangkok.

Monday was spent purchasing some clothes and bug spray for the trip to Vang Vieng, only to have the airlines call us 10 minutes after laying down the cash, announcing our bags arrived unexpectedly. We had a spectacular drive up the highway from Vientienne, a stop to see some 1000 year old buddha carvings in sandstone, a fresh fish lunch on an inland lake, and a stop at the fish market which was filled with exotic smells and sights such as piles of sardines, smoked fish, roasted bats, and wild boar. Tomorrow is a bike tour among the limestone cliffs, and some pool time.