I have had a great day today! I met some of the new ETAs today that are also assigned to Vientiane, and we went exploring around the city. We surprisingly did a lot of things in 3 1/2 hours.

Lao Breakfast

I had my first Lao breakfast at the hotel this morning, which was absolutely delicious. Traditional Lao breakfast consists of noodles and soup (congee). I had fried rice and mushroom congee, and they were absolutely wonderful. Fresh juice is also popular and is served at every restaurant in Laos.

Guerra, C. (2023)

The hotel that we’re staying at (i.e., Family Boutique Hotel) is great because it has nice air conditioning and a fabulous breakfast offered every morning as part of your stay. If you ever come to Vientiane you should definitely stay here!

Buying Sinhs at Talat Sao (Morning Market)

We went out with Christina P. to meet her cousin and aunt who live in Laos. The purpose of our visit was to buy sinhs (traditional skirts) at Talat Sao (“Talat” means “market” and “Sao” means “morning”). We arrived at 8:45, which is a super early morning for Lao people. I have learned that Laos is very laidback and Lao people take time to enjoy life by slowing down and starting work later in the morning.

Christina P. and I (Christina G.) bought sinhs that we can wear to school when we’re teaching. Women are required to wear sinhs at university and in government buildings. Sinhs are ubiquitous and it is acceptable to wear them anywhere in Laos. I read somewhere that some people refer to Vientiane as “Sinh City,” which I naturally thought was awesome!

I bought 5 everyday sinhs for 1,000,000 kip. When you buy a sinh in Laos you buy the fabric from a shop after bartering for a good price. Christina P.’s cousin did this for us when we visited Talat Sao. Then you take the fabric to a tailor to have them fit the sinh to your body. The tailoring will cost me another 100,000 kip per sinh (500,000 kip for all five) In total each sinh will cost me about 300,000 kip including tailoring services ($15). We took our sinhs to the tailor and she measured our hips, waist, and the length of our legs. (The tailor remarked that I was very tall.) Our sinhs will be done next week, and we’ll pick them up then.

I unfortunately do not have any pictures of my sinhs, but I have added a general image of an everyday sinh. Sinhs are all long and generally reach to the ankle. The sinhs that I chose have no pattern or a striped pattern and all have a large decorative border embroidered with gold thread at the hem. (The tailor remarked that I had good taste for a foreigner, which was good to hear.) I am excited to own such a beautiful piece of clothing that is tailored to fit my body.

Courtesy of 123RF

There are fancy sinhs that you buy for weddings or important life events such as the one below. (You would never wear these on an everyday basis.)

Courtesy of Laos Tours

Supermarkets in Laos

We also visited the supermarket located in the mall (i.e., Parkson) for snacks and toiletries today. It seems that you can get almost any foreign food that you want in Vientiane (e.g., Nutella, peanut butter, Snickers, etc.); however, many of these foreign items are expensive since they are imported. I saw that Parkson had many Pringles. It seems that Pringles are the chips you can find internationally with relative ease. The special Pringle flavors that are in Laos but not the United States include hot and spicy grilled squid flavor, spicy lobster, and sweet mayo cheese.

Guerra, C. (2023)

I thought it was also really funny that the mall had a sign specifically prohibiting durians! Durians are large spiky fruits that have a powerful, offputting smell that smells like garbage or sewage, so I’m told. It’s no surprise that the mall wouldn’t want them inside!

Courtesy of Asian Inspirations

Guerra, C. (2023)

Patuxai

We visited Patuxai today, and took pictures in front of it. Patuxai is a monument that was built to honor the Lao people who died in battle when fighting the French for independence. (Laos gained independence in 1953.) “Patuxai” means “Victory Gate,” and the monument celebrates Lao freedom and autonomy. This is one of the most famous things in Vientiane.

Guerra, C. (2023)

Guerra, C. (2023)

Talat Sao (Night Market)

We went to Talat Sao (the Night Market for food & the one for goods) in the evening. The one for food had so many wonderful things. Laos is really known for its sausage apparently. We had some pork meatballs cut from a sausage wrapped in twine, and I can indeed confirm that Lao sausages are delicious! I had a sweet potato pastry with taro, “Taiwan tea,” and chicken bites with a Lao sauce at the food night market. After that all the ETAs went to the night market for goods and looked around. There is a lively carnival by the Mekong. The lights you can see across the river behind the ETAs come from Nong Khai, Thailand.

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

Christina P. and I really enjoyed our milk teas at the Food Night Market!

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

Here are all the ETAs enjoying the view from the Night Market for goods.