I mention Internet cafes in this section because this is an activity in and of its self. Rarely have I been in a town with so many Internet cafes!! In the center of town and along Thanon Fa Ngum which is the closest main road paralleling the Mekong River there are several Internet cafes along every block. As you move away from the Mekong River there won't be quite as many, but you still won't have trouble finding a cafe. Most of these cafes are on high speed connections and for the most part the cafes have modern computers. You will even find several CD burners in town at the Internet cafes - and many of computers have USB connections. You may have to visit several cafes before you do find a burner, as not everyone has these.
Microtek Computer Shop is a good source of any computer components you might need (most of the Tuk-tuk drivers will have heard of this shop). Microtek will burn a CD for you but their price is much higher than you will find at some of the Internet cafes.
It is quite expensive to call out of the country using one of the countries several International phone lines. There is a main post office where you can buy calling cards based upon a certain number of minutes. I recommend using the much cheaper "net-to-phone" service
available in several of the Internet cafes. I found the reception to be quite clear. Note for some reason the cafes offering the "net-to-phone" service did not allow phone calls to Thailand.
The Morning Market is best visited in the morning but parts of it stay open all day. Its a good place to shop for fruits and vegetables. The permanent part of this market stays open all day and sells many different items ranging from "supposed antiques" to old coins, knives,
clothing and other assorted jewelry. There is a lot of the same type of items sold here - there is not
a lot of variety. Be very careful when purchasing antiques here - before you buy, at least know the value of what you are buying. There are several "hole in the wall" antique shops located here.
Wat Sok Pa Luang is the place to visit if you are in the mood for inexpensive
massages and herbal saunas. These services are given by individuals who live at the
monastery but are not actually monks. Most Tuk-tuk drivers will have heard of this
Wat. Its about 10 minutes by tuk-tuk from the center of town - its in the direction of the Morning Market.
Each massage takes about 1 hour and costs about $2.50 - if you want the masseuse to
continue after your hour is up - just tell them. It is not uncommon to see people enjoying several hour massages. Before, in between, or after a massage - you can enjoy a wonderful warm steamy herbal sauna bath. The massage
platform can
accommodate up to about 8 massages at any one time. The sauna seats about 12 people. The massage platform is a great place to meet fellow travelers and sit for hours talking to other people. The evenings are are great time to be here provided there aren't
a lot of mosquitoes. This will depend of course on the time of year.
Dong Dok
University is located several miles north of Vientiane and is a
great place to meet Lao students. Often these students are interested
in practicing foreign languages with tourists.
Patuxai is a fairly impressive arched monument located in
Vientiane. This monument in part was built with concrete from the USA
that was originally intended to be used for the construction of a
runway strip. This monument was built as a tribute to Lao soldiers who
have died in battle. As of late 2002 a new road was being constructed
in front of this monument.
