All of experiences of Laos, to this point, had been of small countryside towns. On the last day of cycling into the capital of Vientiane we wondered if that image was going to have to change. After arriving and getting a bit of a feel for the place the opposite proved to be true. Laos is a rural country through and through. The best evidence I saw for this was a stroll we took along the stretch of Vientiane that falls on the riverside of the Mekong. In most cities this would be prime park, or commercial space but in Vientiane, right in the heart of town, you can see people tending their riverside gardens and leading water buffalo to drink from the river.

But there is more to Vientiane than just a farm town. It feels like a town that was planned by colonial engineers who thought it would grow and grow, but the growth never came. So there are wide boulevards with no traffic and old colonial buildings being under used. These architectural leanings contrast sharply with the monuments the Lao Revolutionary Party has erected to solidify their cause. The most notable of these is the pictured "Arc de Triomphe" copy that is even bigger than the real thing in Paris. Rather humorously the "Arc" was completed with concrete the American government donated for a new airport runway. To make it all kosher the Lao government has called the structure "The runway to heaven".

We stayed in Vientiane for a little more than a day. The highlight of our time was definitely the chance we had to meet and talk with some Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) workers. All of us have over the trip been making observations and having conversations about the level of development in each of the countries we have visited and how development can best be facilitated. Against that backdrop it was a real treat to talk to some people who have been doing their best to help the people of Laos benefit from "development". We especially thank Wessel who answered all of our questions with fascinating and colorful responses. Dan and Sarah really got excited about the possibilities of working in the development field and Deb and Jon could really get a handle on an issue that isn't quite completely understood in developed, Western countries.

There was no time to spare though and so, just after finishing up coffee with the CRWRC gang, we loaded on to a bus for Vietnam, the next stop on our trip. We weren't quite ready and were a little sad to leave Laos. The experiences and memories we made there we will never forget.