International culture and medicine, Laos-style

We’ve been in Vientiane, Laos for a few days now. It’s fun to be in a new place – a new country – with an open-ended future ahead of us. Masayo and I continue to be struck not only by the simple life of this small and most basic of world capitals, but also by the absolute charm of Vientiane. If this is the showpiece of Laos then I’m awfully curious what the smaller towns in the provinces must be like – a traveler I met in Chumphon, Thailand said that paved roads were scarce – but for now life is excellent in Vientiane.

Osaka food in Laos?

One night we found a Japanese restaurant called Osaka; Masayo and I came from Osaka and were very surprised to see a shop advertising okonomiyaki, a cabbage-and-pork pizza-like thing that originated in Osaka, Japan. So of course we had to check it out.

And it was pretty good, and not inauthentic. The guy capably fried up some okonomiyaki for us and we ate at a little outside table on the sidewalk. Just us. We also had some grilled meats and vegetables, Japanese-style. Although it’s nice to check out a local place’s original cuisine, we aren’t culinary purists. It was really a wonderful and even exotic little trip back to Japan.

Dinner with Akiko

Another night we met up with Akiko, the traveler we’d met when crossing the Laos border from Thailand. She’s traveling alone and came with us to dinner at one of the many covered outdoor restaurants that sprawl along the banks of the Mekong River on the south side of Vientiane. We had bottles of Beer Lao, a popular, cheap, and tasty local brew, and a scrumptious meal of noodles and soup. It’s an exceedingly pleasant atmosphere, sitting on a wooden platform in the warm air and cool greenery with the wide river extending out almost to the horizon. If you squint you can even see Thailand on the other side.

Pharmaceuticals, heated by the sun

I was running out of my thyroid pills – my insulin supply is still fine after my visit to the Thai hospital where they sold me a large quantity of ActRapid – so I spent one afternoon tracking down some replacement pills. After a visit to a hospital in the center of Vientiane, Masayo and I walked a few streets over to a sun-baked roadside stall that had several types of medication in a glass case.

Was this safe? It didn’t really look all that reassuring, but as usual I figured that if it’s good enough for the locals then it must be ok. The pills (called Thyrosit) weren’t my usual brand, but I’ve learned that worldwide these pills go by many names and are all the same. The best part of these pills in Vientiane, sitting in the direct sun in opaque red blister packs, was the price: just pennies for a couple months’ worth. For that price I’ll try any medication! The packaging suggested that they came from Thailand, which was reassuring.

Lazy days in Vientiane

Otherwise, Masayo and I have been hanging out at the only real Western-style coffee shop we have found, called Joma Bakery Café. They have wi-fi, big cups of decent coffee, and attractive snacks like pumpkin soup and pastries. And a big wide-open floor plan with a youthful and vibrant clientele.

One day, while strolling around a side street in Vientiane, Masayo and I stopped into a kind of bootleg DVD shop. We both have laptops with us and are always on the lookout for things to watch. Usually we have a “buy nothing” rule since this is a long-term trip and we have to carry things around with us, but we did allow ourselves to buy three DVDs including Boogie Nights. That ought to while away some evenings back at MOIC Guesthouse.

We still haven’t decided where else to go after Vientiane; places like Luang Prabang nearby are the most obvious choice. At any rate, so far the vibe of Laos has been great and I’m excited to see more of it.

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