Capital Vientiane, Rice Beers, and Riverweed

Vientiane, a nicely compact, rather small capital city, was pleasant.  Nothing really special, but we could definitely feel its "Frenchness", as it was an administrative center for the French colonial activities in southeast Asia.

Perhaps not too many people know that Vientiane was a real hot spot for espionage during the Cold War and the Vietnam conflict eras.  Lots of skullduggery and plotting, pitting East versus West for influence in the region, occurred there.

Yet, life simply goes on for the average Vientiane citizen.

What, no incense????

'Real' beer is made from barley, water, yeast, and hops.  Rice is used by some brewers, such as Budweiser, to replace a portion of the barley malt content, and make the beer cheaper to create and, thusly, cheaper to sell.   And, consequently, hook its drinkers on the unique rice beer 'flavor'.

In Laos, of course, there isn't a whole lot of barley grown, so Beerlao, as are most Asian beers, is a rice beer.  Though I prefer to eat, rather than drink, my rice, these beers, designed to provide a refreshing quaff of chill during hot beach days, work well.

The best thing about beer in Laos are the omnipresent large bottles, yea!

Namkhong is a rather unknown, yet highly quaffable, local beer.

Of course, there are other spirits available.

On the streets of Vientiane, Karen salivated as she discovered a streetside sushi purveyor.

Yet, for dinner, she had to try the local riverweed, a sort of dried and salted seaweed.

The wonderfully fresh fruits and vegetables available everywhere were so good.

One clever thing we noted at a market was the attachment of white plastic bags on the ends of the armature of a fan motor, that whirred around to keep the flies off the freshly grilled and seasoned skewers of meats and vegetables.

Our landlocked Laotian adventure ends, as the beaches of Phuket, Thailand beckon.