A Morning To Myself

On the one free morning in the schedule, it didn't seem prudent to sleep in. There was plenty of time to do exciting stuff that didn't involve paperwork. The hotel breakfast, while decent, was a little sterile and almost boring. I ditched it and went out to find something else to eat and breathe in some fresh air instead of just staying in till it was time to head to the airport. The shoes weren't bothersome. I could still walk in them and figured that the plastic could hold for a bit.

There was this silver jewelry shop that all the ladies raved about and showed off their purchases at dinner the night before. My colleague and I didn't go on that trip. After the day's meetings, we scooted off to the room to clear our emails. I thought about checking out that particular silver shop, but decided it wasn't worth the effort.

I grabbed a hotel car and went to the National Museum. I had missed out on that the last round because the hosts thought it more appropriate to take us to other museums. The National Museum seemed alot like this huge messy, haphazard office that reminded you of its original usage as the office of the police commissioner, the photos on the wall re-told the country's struggle against its colonial masters and some cultural depictions and artifacts when it was known as the Lao Kingdom of Lan Xang.

My early morning jaunt was concluded with a breakfast of pastries at one of the expat cafes in the town area near the Nam Phou Fountain, watching the world go by in a whirl of accents, colors and business. Vientiane isn't exactly the sleepiest of towns anymore. It's waking up slowly, but surely. This is the sort of solitude I truly enjoy on a work trip.