We had arranged a pick up at the train station by our hotel, as it’s quite a distance out of town. Our hotel is only about 6 months old, still some teething problems, but the staff are wonderful and nothing too much trouble. We ate in the hotel the first evening, due to heavy rain.

Next day was a visit to two local temples:

Wat Sisaket
This is one if the oldest surviving temples in Laos, with many Buddha statues displayed inside the outer walls.

Ho Phra Keo
A former Buddhist from 1565, now a museum of religious arts. Locals call it ‘the Temple of the Emerald Buddha’ as it has a gilded throne meant for the Emerald Buddha, which now sits on the grounds of Bangkok’s Grand Palace in Bangkok. Unfortunately no photos allowed inside.

We finished the day off at the Hard Rock Cafe, only 5 mins from our hotel! Of course the obligatory Tshirt, the odd beer and some food.