We rose pretty early the next day eager to walk some distance and see some sights. Our goal was 5 kilometers away, a golden temple called That Luan. We could have hired a tuktuk or taxi to take us there, but we wanted to burn calories and be hungry. So we hiked it!
Along the way we stopped for a more detailed look at the Lao Arch, and took a picture for a very strict Thai couple that wanted the picture framed “just so”. Past the Arch we walked past a food stand grilling a side of pork and homemade sausages, and we just couldn’t resist. We bought a bag full of meat, said no thanks to the rice, and then sat on a curb outside a BMW dealership and had a meat breakfast. The grilled meat really hit the spot – and we ate like a couple of starved barbarians. Who would believe we had like five meals the previous day?
We reached That Luan, but entered via an unconventional route. We walked across a huge parking area that I can only compare in size and scale to something that would be next to Disneyland. There were no lines for parking spots, just a vast paved area. Military gathering area? Backup runway for airplanes? Whatever it was, we walked across it and finally found our goal.
The gold temple is certainly gold, and it strikes you as something out of a low budget movie about the Pharaohs of Egypt. It was very unique, and once you get up close you can appreciate it a lot more – there were unusual details like gates with the image of Buddha bent into the metal wires. We walked around the perimeter taking pictures of the gold temple against the blue, cloudless sky.
There were other buildings in the area, but some of them seemed like they were closed for religious reasons that day. Some Buddhist monks in orange robes worked to set up a stage for some upcoming event, and there were even some guys trying to take our picture and sell it to us – which I imagine is a tough sell in the age of modern smartphones.
From there we walked back towards the center of town, with the aim to check out the bus station. I know the bus station isn’t a typical sightseeing area, but Kuniko had heard that around the bus station was a great place to buy sandwiches, and I wanted to try the Laos version of a bahn mi sandwich. It was a long walk to the bus station, and I was occasionally distracted by stands selling fried bananas or a guy roasting an entire pig on a spit. Finally we made it to the bus station, and it was a pretty wild place.
It made sense that the bus station would be a central hub of activity. There is no train system in Laos, and naturally the most affordable transportation would be the bus. Buses were pulling in and people were rushing onto and off the buses helter skelter. We walked down a curious side street near the station with food stands that sold food aimed directly at the locals, not us. Flies buzzed even more down this alley, and the floor was wet with what I think was water but could have been something else. There was a smell of blood, too – like a butcher was nearby.
Around the corner we found a row of sandwich vendors. They stood behind piles of baguettes and made up the sandwiches for people to take on long distance bus rides. We choose a vendor at random, and luckily the guy spoke enough English that it was easy to make the purchase. He sliced open the big baguette, and then used some kind of liver paste like you would butter or mayonnaise. Next was meat (some kind of bologna), lots of pickled vegetables, chili peppers, a generous helping of cilantro, lettuce, chili sauce, and fish sauce. Kuniko and I split one sandwich, and we just about inhaled it. We didn’t think we’d be able to eat something that big, but I am happy to report that it was no problem whatsoever. Delicious!
The hustle and activity around the bus station was the first time in a long time that I really felt like things were out of my control. Like we were surrounded by a storm and could do nothing to affect it. I never felt like it was unsafe, just that things were happening way faster than my mind could track them. It was a little breathtaking, a little scary, and a little exhilarating. Just what we need to really feel like you’re in a completely different environment and break out of your comfort zone.
On the way back to the hotel for a break we hit a tiny little restaurant just to buy beers. However, it would have been a shame to not try their noodle soup, and that was nice, too. I liked sitting there because we sat on the street, but still in the shade of some trees that they had planted just for that purpose. We rested our feet, washed down the soup with BeerLao and enjoyed the perfect weather.
Back at the hotel we took a nap on that hard bed of ours, because that was a luxury we rarely get during our normal lives. We lounged and napped for a while, and then went back out to to eat more. We had sticky rice and fried chicken meatballs with beer on an expat-popular street downtown, and then we moved on to the foodie paradise on Ban Anou to get some food for takeout. The noodle place that we had wanted to try wasn’t open that night, but we found a wide assortment of different foods to bring back to our hotel. We got an egg omelet, homemade grilled sausages with lemongrass, a coconut curry with bamboo shoots, and more. The takeout food was nice because the flies couldn’t follow us to our hotel room, and the room had a full kitchen so it was easy to reheat and organize everything.
It was our last night in Laos, as we were headed back to Bangkok for New Years and more street food. We really had a great time in Laos, and I’d recommend it to adventurous people interested in trying a real “Southeast Asia” experience on the cheap.
