Vientiane is the queen of cities. We had heard this magic name for many kilometres; we had seen it written in the local English and French press and had already got the impression that Vientiane was a graceful capital by the River Mekong filled with excellent French restaurants and shops filled with excellent French wines. It seems that Vientiane is also the capital of one of France’s favourite colonies and so no effort was spared to make every corner of it look like a large town in the south of France. It is here that you really get a taste for l’Indochine.

We were not disappointed by the food or the wine. A recommendation before it’s too late: Le Silapa on Street. It is owned by two French Canadians. The food, service and wines are top notch. Dinner for two with wine, desert, and cheese: U.S. $37. Nor were we disappointed by the Colonial French architecture. Vientiane is a charming, rounded, flowing city where no one honks and the traffic is smooth. The Buddhist-Communist Arch de Triomphe is a classic monument to megalomaniac desires set in an unpaved square. You can turn around it for hours (there’s no traffic) and watch the cement falling off.

Vientiane is also its busy day market and its temples. There’s something of India here in that it is poor and underdeveloped. But the comparison ends there, thank God. The people are polite and clean and silent. Silence is a more important consideration than most of you can imagine. In the ‘developing world’ the power of one’s sound system is paramount. The more watts you can pump out the better you are. Busted speakers only add more charm to the picture. India is a nightmare for the ears, Thailand and Malaysia are doing their best to catch up. But the Laotians live and eat in total silence. In large market restaurants the only sounds you’ll hear are the whirling of the ceiling fans and the clash of the chop sticks.

Vientiane is the gateway to Laos. It is the gateway to wonder and fascination and performs this function perfectly.



Mair