living the cafe life in laos
I’ve really stepped out of my comfort zone this year by going on overseas trips without family. Yes, about damn time, since I’m at the ripe old age of 23.
Ever since my dear friend and colleague, Faith, mentioned wanting to go on a solo trip to Laos—and kindly extended the invite to me—I immediately thought, why the heck not? And so off to Laos I went for 6D5N.
I have a confession to make: prior to this trip, I had no idea where Laos was—I even thought it was a part of Thailand. Call me uncultured…
For everyone’s benefit, here is a map to illustrate where Laos is located!
It is a landlocked country, bordered by Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and China.
Which probably explains the influence of those respective countries on Laotian cuisine, and the general spread of food offered in Laos.
I spent all my time in the capital, Vientiane.
OK TIME FOR THE FOOD!
The food here well exceeded my expectations. As a cafe gurlie, I absolutely LOVE my cafes. And oh boy, Laos did not disappoint. Here are two of my favourites from the trip, arté and aunties cafe.
These cafes were not crowded at all—a pleasant change of pace from the eternally crowded cafes back home. I especially loved their orange-yuzu espresso drinks, and couldn’t go a day without grabbing a matcha since it was so affordable. The cheesecake (pictured in the middle) was one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever consumed. The perfectly fluffy, not overly dense cheesecake, adorned with a generous cloud of luscious creamy goodness, topped off with biscuit crumble—not many things in life come close to experiencing a mouthful of those components combined. Its almost like the holy trinity (my apologies to religious readers) was edible or something…damn…
I miss the routine of cafe-hopping and going for massages. Laos was a great break from the work-study routine, but for now it’s back to capitalist slave programming to fuel my next travel. Will this cycle ever end? No clue. Travels are my sole motivator for working harder now I suppose.
