Vientiane

I left Vangvieng at around noon on sunday,Jan.3. I walked to the bus station but the next local bus was full. The next one wasn't leaving for another 2 hours so I took a seat in the back of a pick up for the same price. The road to Vientiane was in good shape and not nearly as winding as the previous journeys I had taken. I arrived in the capital city of Laos around 4 and took a tuk tuk into the center. While we drove along the cities wide and clean lanes, I was surprised that this was actually a capital city. This would be a small city in many other countries. It was very relaxed and no sky scrapers. It was a good first impression.
Even though the city seemed okay, finding decent and cheap accommodation was another nightmare. All the places I checked from the guidebook were full, so I just starting checking every place I saw. I found a cheaper room, though it was cramped and not that nice. I ended up at Semsanthai Hotel in a more expensive room that had a private hot shower, TV and fridge. The hotel also supplied 2 bottles of water daily. Both this room and the previous room I checked, were only really worth half of what they were charging. I guess I got spoiled staying in guesthouses in Luang Nam Tha, my first destination in Laos. I use these places for comparison to all the other places I've stayed and so far, nothing has come close to the value I got there. For me peace of mind was more important than saving a few bucks, escpecially here in the capital where there wasn't much I wanted to see. I knew I would be spending more time in my room. Even with my expensive room and some creative food choices, I could still stay within my budget.