Vientiane, Laos [Post #7, Day 24]

Today is my fifth day in the capital city Vientiane. I have been in Laos longer than expected because I am waiting for my Vietnam E-Visa to be approved, but it has been nice to stay put in one place for a while. For one thing I have found a great temporary workspace called Toong Samsenthai where I have been able to get a bit of work done, send some emails, and have some WiFi calls with family which has been great.

The Toong Samsenthai workspace. Cost: $10 USD for a 3-day pass.

Since I've been in Vientiane I have been seeking out specific Lao foods I've been wanting to try, here's a selection of some of them:

Laap, a traditional dish made of minced meat (chicken in this case) mixed with spices and a variety of local herbs. Laap means "prosperity and good luck". I had heard of this dish before (also spelled laab or larb) but was reminded to try it by reading my book Mother's Beloved: Stories from Laos by Outhine Bounyavong. I feel that through his stories, Outhine has been giving me a tour of Laos and a connection to Lao culture. This dinner inspired by Outhine was a special one. It had lots of delicious flavors from the herbs and spices. Of course I had it with sticky rice which is the quintessential food of Laos and eaten with just about every meal. Cost: 110,000 LAK ($5.28 USD).

Khao poon, a traditional Lao soup made with rice vermicelli noodles and a coconut milk broth with spices. I love a big bowl of soup and this was one of the best I’ve had so far (the khao soi in Chiang Mai, Thailand is also up there). Cost: 75,000 LAK ($3.60 USD).

Khao jee, a Lao sandwich made with pork, vegetables, and a variety of other fillings and sauce, served on a baguette. This sandwich was very flavorful and delicious, and shows the historical French influence on the food here (Laos was under French colonial rule from 1893 to 1953). Cost: 23,000 LAK ($1.10 USD).

Kanomkok, a rice "pancake" cooked in a molded pan over a stove, with a texture a little firmer than custard. I was also introduced to this food by one of Outhine Bounyavong’s stories in his book. I think these can be savory or sweet. I had some coconut ones which also had bits of sweet corn in them. The woman making these was very nice and gave me some hot ones right out of the pan. I sprinkled some granulated sugar over them and boy were they a delicious treat. Cost: 20,000 LAK ($0.96 USD).

After my tour of Laos cuisine in Vientiane I am taking the train back north to Luang Prabang tomorrow, and as soon as my E-Visa comes through I plan to take the overnight (“sleeper”) bus from Luang Prabang to Hanoi, Vietnam.

I have bought the plane ticket for the next leg of my travels, on March 1st I fly to Jaipur, India. I was very excited to learn this evening that my application to participate in a 10-day Vipassana Meditation course at one of the centers in Rajasthan has been approved! Vipassana means to see things as they really are. During the course I will be required to observe Noble Silence which means I cannot communicate with anyone (except the course teacher if I have a question) for 10 days. I will not have my phone or computer and will not be allowed to read or write anything during the course.