Matt had mentioned yesterday how our tans were fading due to the lack of sun we'd been having. It was like the weather had been listening to us and so the sun shone all day. This meant it was very hot and if we got off our bikes for more than a minute the seat became burning hot. The cycling did manage to keep us a little cooler though.
Our first stop was a statue. I haven't a clue what the statue was called but it looked out onto the Mekong river. We took a picture and cycled barely 20 metres to see the presidential palace. We couldn't go in as all the gates are shut but I was impressed with what the president gets to live in.
We cycled on further, trying to find our next location but ended up stopping at a supermarket to look round. The big ones aren't very common so when we see one we get a little too excited and go in, even if we don't need anything. I bought some shower gel (lavender and rosemary so I may smell like a grandma) and we got some snacks for emergencies. Plum biscuits and cranberry cheese biscuits. I'm excited to try them!
Turning back a little we managed to find the place we were looking for: the COPE visitor centre. I can't remember exactly what COPE stands for but its a charity that deals with prosthetics. A huge amount of people in Laos have lost limbs due to bombs that failed to detonate when dropped during the Vietnamese war and so have exploded years later when touched. I don't understand why the Americans came all the way over to Laos to attack when their fight was with Vietnam though. Many innocent people died from the bombs that did explode. But the charity makes prosthetics for the people of Laos that have lost a limb and if a person cannot afford to pay for the prosthetic then they are given it for free. It's a brilliant idea. The visitor centre had pictures and explanations about exactly what the charity does and how they make the prosthetics to fit each individual perfectly. There was also a little cafe where we got ice creams. I chose a scoop of snickers ice cream which was really good but super sickly.
Back on the bikes we found a big mall which had a market underneath it. The mall was quite tacky, like the dodgy part of the metro centre, but the market was full of everything you could think of. We found some lunch in a little restaurant on the edge of the mall and I chose a pork and rice dish. The amount of pork was pitiful and unfortunately the first mouthful of food I ate included a very hot chilli. My mouth felt like it was burning and for a few minutes I didn't want to eat anymore. I then picked out all of the chillies (Matt ate them) and finished the plate but my tongue was still burning. There was also a lot of black pepper in the sauce so I wasn't impressed with the meal.
From the mall you can look up the street and see the Vientiane version of the Arc de Triomphe. There was a nice fountain beside it which seemed to be the place for tourists to get their picture taken. Obviously we posed too. At one end of the street was this Arc de Triomphe thing and at the other was the presidential palace. Next to the palace was Wat Sisaken, the oldest temple in Vientiane. It was quite nice and grand with a little covered walkway surrounding it. On the walls of the temple and walkway were little alcoves for mini statues or monuments. I'm not sure what they were meant to symbolise but I thought they looked striking as a whole.
Back nearer our hostel was a fountain with some restaurants and bakeries surrounding it. We'd read about the Scandinavian bakery so we went to try it out. I got a piece of dark and white chocolate cake and a homemade lemonade. The lemonade was really good but I was disappointed with the cake. It was far too sickly, the sponge was too dry and the white chocolate part tasted more like condensed milk than anything else. I can easily make something better. The fountain started to light up as we were leaving so we walked round it before going to take our bikes back. The Twingo's little sister had been good to me but cycling in a city isn't very fun. Too much traffic.
By the river there was a night market which we had a quick walk through. I don't know whether it was because it was a Sunday or what but it was really lively! The city had been quite quiet all day (quiet for a city) but everyone seemed to show up for the market. It was full of clothes and accessories but no food which disappointed me slightly. Market food tends to be some of the best. Just off the market though was a little pop up restaurant that we found. It was serving barbecued meats which we were craving. I chose grilled duck and Matt chose grilled pork and sausage. His sausage was really good, like the nice sainsbury's taste the difference chorizo sausages. My duck was chewy (I think it was the cheap off-cuts of the duck) but was in a nice salty marinade so I happily ate all of it. I've said it before and I'll say it again, meat tastes better when it's barbecued.
When I was about half way through my meal it decided to rain very heavily. We were under a cover but the rain got us from the sides. We had to move our table and put our waterproofs on but I ended up just eating whilst I was getting dripped on. Big downpours bother me less these days. Probably after Hong Kong. Because of the rain, the night market decided to close and everyone went home which was a real shame. It seemed a little odd to me though as it rains most days during rainy season so surely the stalls would be used to a downpour.
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