we arrived in Vientiane at around mid to late afternoon. Once we were off the train we had to head into town. The train station was a bit out of the main city so we had to take a pretty rough bus into the main area of the city. There was about as many people as you can imagine on this bus and then they also filled the aisle up with chairs too. Instead of asking everyone to pay the 30k charge to the city centre when getting on, they decided to make all 30/40 of us pass our money to the front and obviously not everyone had the correct so then the lady was passing change back. That went about as well as you can imagine.

Once we had made it to the hostel we checked in and then headed out to explore we walked over to look at the Thailand boarder which was pretty cool. Along the front by the river was also a cool night market selling the standard selection of night market things. We then headed back into the town and headed to the famous pizza place everyone suggested we go to. The town itself has mostly a selection of western food and then a seafood night market. We didn’t wanna eat here however due to the fact that laos is a land locked country… the pizzas were really good though we enjoyed a lot. In the evening we just headed to the hostel to chill. 

The next day, we headed over to the national museum. It was pretty good we enjoyed looking around at the history of Laos. A country that i would say a lot of people don’t know much about. Such as the impact of the Vietnam war. I think this is mainly due to Laos not allowing tourism until 1990 which meant that it was really on many peoples map. Once we had done that we shared a tuk tuk with a German couple as the museum was quite far out and only one tuk tuk was available. They were heading to the big Buddhist temple which is a significant cultural building in Laos due to its survival while Lao was being heavily bombed in the Vietnam war. It was awesome and a really beautiful Building. I was able to be blessed by a monk and received a bracelet that i still have on. The afternoon we had a look around some of the cafes and found a really cool one. They had jenga which we decided to play and actually completed it. Pretty cool ill drop a picture down below. In the evening we went to the tipsy elephant bar and watched the sunset. It was cool and we saw the sun drop over into Thailand.  We then went to a smash burger spot which was genuinely really good. Possibly the best I’ve ever had, before heading back to the hostel for bed. 

We weren’t in Vientiane very long so today was the day that we were leaving to go to Hanoi a destination i was so excited for. In the morning we grabbed a coffee and then had a look around the Vientiane uxo centre. Again it was super interesting and really highlighted the impact American bombing had on the development of Laos even to this day. Once wed done that we went for a quick bit of lunch before it was time to go to the airport. The taxi to the airport was definitely running on what i like to call “Laos time” and we were REALLY late to the  airport. However it all worked out and we were able to make the flight into Hanoi. I will now start on my Vietnam blogs. Not gonna lie it is gonna take a while we are in Vietnam for a month and a half.

Vang Vieng is probably the smallest town we went to in Laos. It sits in the centre of the country and is known as the adventure capital and the cheapest place to go hot air ballooning in the world which is cool. Outside of all cool attractions and adventure stuff the town is really small and there’s not too much To do. Which is fine but came to be the reason I didn’t love vang being as you can’t always be bungee jumping or para motoring.

The first day we just went to a restaurant as it was that kinda time after we had checked into our hostel which was not as advertised but it was fine. The crux of it was they give out free beer per 5 star review so there reviews way out way how good it actually is, anddddd we were in a 40 dorm room with only 2 toilets when we booked an 8 person one which never existed. But compared to the other hostels around in vang vieng it was defo better which is crazy lol.

Our first full day in vang vieng we rented a buggy to go to the lagoons. It was SUPPPER fun we went with our friend Lucy. The buggy was automatic and the Laotians drive on the opposite side of the road. So it was very different to what we were used to in England but we a managed and it was a great time i really enjoyed driving it. The lagoons were really cool. We went to the second one first which was was underrated and nice and quiet. It had a swing, zip line into the water and a 10m diving board which was pretty wild. I then drove us to the 3rd lagoon which is the famous one. It’s a bit more built up with like a shop and restaurant and a lot more people. It was cool and the vibe was very jungle bamboo vibe. This one also has a cave which is horrifying. I don’t know how to describe it other than a hole into the centre of the earth. It was honestly so dangerous. Lucy went in fairly deep and said once you were in there it was really hard to find which way you came from as there were multiple passages and none of them were marked. I did go into the main chamber by the door and it was COMPLETELY pitch black. It’s crazy how no one has got lost in there before as loads of people were going in.The rest of the day was spent chilling before we had 7-11 for dinner. You can’t go wrong. 

The next day was our most empty day. We didn’t really have anything planned so we started our day going for breakfast at naked espresso which is a bit of a chain, i think just in Laos but not sure. I had a omelette and grace had a smoothie plus cereal.  The coffee was pretty  good too for a chain. We walked around the town for a bit of the morning having a little explore in the town. We then decided that we would go to the nam xay viewpoint. It is described as a hike but its really a scramble up one of the steepest hills. It was so so worth it though and the view at the top was incredible and of course we went onto the motorbike up top and took some pics before heading back down into town for a bit of lunch at the green cafe. I had falafel which was so great. The more western foods here are always so good. We played a lot of uno in the afternoon as regular cards are not allowed in Laos. We then went to Garys Irish pub for dinner where we had bangers and mash and i had a Guinness too. As you expect it was quite expensive but honestly so worth it, really hit the spot. The next day we were  doing a zip lining and canoeing which was exciting.

We got picked up at 9 for our action tour thing. We met loads of friendly people in the truck on our way there but the tour was terribly managed but a great time. We didnt actually get to the zip lining until 11 which was honestly crazy but it was funny and the people we met were all laughing too so it was a good way to connect. Although 2 people decided to leave before we started lol. On the way there a stray dog jumped into the back and chilled for a second before jumping out when we stopped to pick up the kayak that had been thrown off the top of the truck when we went under a bridge. The zip lining was really fun but also pretty terrifying, it was split into 4 parts. The first one was about 100m and pretty chill. Then i saw the second one which was 350m or so and probably the same distance if not more down. This one was so crazy and i was not excited to do it. But actually once i was strapped in i was excited and did enjoy it. The other 2 were pretty similar lengths and heights and before long it was all over which was a bit sad as it was really fun. We then had a quick break before heading to the kayaking spot. By this point it was about 1pm which was when the tour was meant to end, but because we had been so delayed we still had our other activity to do but no lunch to be had. The kayaking was a great time we headed down the Mekong for about an hour or 2 before arriving at the beach that was right next to our hostel which was handy. In the afternoon we headed to big mamas roadside sandwich, which are a famous part of vang vieng. The sandwiches are pretty good i do have to recommend. The rest of the day was just spent chilling and getting ready to head to Vientiane tommorow.

As i just said, today is a travel day to Vientiane. We just chilled in naked espresso for the morning and then took a tuk tuk to the awesome train station. We then boarded and headed off to our final stop in Laos, Vientiane!

Taith is an awesome small hold roastery in East Sussex. They produce a select few coffees that they have personally sourced. They handle their coffees very transparently and have a great selection of information on their website for each individual coffee. This is something I think is really important and helps connect a buyer to the farmer who produced the coffee. This is the coffee I decided to buy.

Quebraditas 

Varietal- Orange Bourbon 

Flavour profile- Orange zest, nectarine, peach 

Process- Double anaerobic washed 

Country- Columbia 

Thoughts:

This is one of the most impressive coffees I’ve drank in a while. I think the anaerobic process really helped to bring out the intense fruity notes of the orange bourbon. It had a great marmaladey flavour that was really enjoyable. It was very intense when brewed in V60 I think this would help it bridge the gap for people who normally don’t like fruitier coffees as it allows them to experience something darker and intense while still be an intresting and new experience away from a normal chocolatey Columbian.

I’m really glad I was able to try this coffee Edison Argote is a really inspiring farmer who producers some really impressive coffees in his time. I’m really excited to see what he comes up with next. If your intrested in seeing what he’s up to he is on instagram and is fairly active.

We’re pretty much there now. We shall be leaving in January to Thailand and hope to travel round countries near by including Laos, Cambodian, Vietnam, Malaysia and japan. Now all the planning and preparations are done, I’m in full saving mode trying to build up as much money as possible before i have to go!

We’re going to be following the classic banana pancake route so we can try and fit in as much as possible and see as many countries as we can. I think I’m most excited to be heading to Laos. I really hope i can capture the people and vibe of the country on my camera. While we’re away i really hope to connect with the people of the countries we visit and make some meaningful connections through photography. I have been watching a lot of videos by the YouTuber MIKE OKAY i love how he connects with locals and brings a human approach to countries like Afghanistan, china and even North Korea. Even if he doesn’t agree with the ways their countries are run he is still so willing to connect with the people and tell the individuals story. Something that is so important nowadays. 

Once we have finished in South East Asia we are planning to head down to New Zealand to see the selection of family i have down there. It will be really cool to see them and we can stay in New Zealand for 6 months without visa which is really cool. 

That’s kinda it for now !! Im sure ill update you as soon as i have more to say :)

Goose and Badger is the sister shop to Soulshine, and is actually where they get all of their beans from as a roasting house. They produce a great selection of beans for their own shop, Soulshine and ofcourse their website. While i have reviewed their coffee I haven’t ever reviewed or been to their shop, so i thought id do a short piece on the shop itself while I’m here!

Goose and Badger have a lovely shop in the front of the electric palace cinema/ theatre thing? It’s a very open space with glass on all angles of the shop, giving it a lovely  view of the high street and loads of natural light. In shop they have a great selection of coffees and brewing techniques. Both V60, espresso and batch. And like 10 teas. So can’t complain about selection at all. Im having a great time just sitting here on the big communal table working away with different people coming and going next to me, awesome vibesss.

In the evening goose and badger turns into a classy wine bar with another large selection of craft beers and artisan wines. I haven’t yet been but since we lost our local hipster speak easy in Dorchester i will need to come some time soon. 

Anyway this one was just gonna be a little catch up piece so i know i’ve got all the areas covered. I think as my local area  goes, thats all the good spots done. Yay