After bumping into my two friends from Ireland I'd met on the way here, Elaine and Emer, we decided to meet up later for dinner at a place called L'cote de azur. A very nice French restaurant with a menu to match any menu back home. When I arrived around 7pm I got us a table and just observed the surroundings. Everything just said elegance and was 100X the class of a noodle and rice stall on the street thats for sure. But throwing away the budget for one night for a holiday dinner is no big deal. The chef and owner was a very hefty Italian looking man who just gave the impression he new food and gave me high hopes for the menu. I ordered a drink while waiting and was expecting them any minute. What I should have realized was that I was waiting for two girls getting ready for a night on the town, and of coarse would be late. So about 7:40pm came and starting to assume I'd be eating alone I ordered a Spagetti a la panyamme, basically an amazing spaghetti covered in mushrooms and cheeses. Well of coarse right after that they came in, but it really wasn't a big deal and they ordered and I just waited for there food to come before eating mine. Boy did they come in style. Decked out head to toe in Christmas attire, beautiful red dresses, Christmas pins, and of coarse, Santa hats!

      I was really glad to see them and totally forgot I had been waiting instantly. The food was delicious and for about $10 we got authentic French food, drinks, and deserts in a classy place. You just can't beat that. We chatted away about all sorts of things before deciding to head out to a nearby rooftop bar for a few drinks to bring in Christmas. They were of coarse the life of the party, with everyone yelling merry Christmas and the like when they passed by. Right after sitting the bartender took a picture of the three of us which was nice.

     Talking and having a really good time and enjoying ourselves, things just were going great here and I don't enjoy nightlife but this was turning out to be an exception. After about an hour of being there, a guy from Australia pulled his stool over to Elaine ( Left ), and from then on at this place it was them too talking together which left me and Emer to just chat away. Very empathetic, most of her conversation involved things like why the world can get 100+ presidents to take on climate change at Copenhagen when that problems years away, but we can't get any leaders together to make sure every child is in school, never hungry etc. It was perfect conversation for me. We took turns taking pictures, and more pictures, and just sharing our photo's, stories and things about our trips.

     Upon closing, to my naive surprise no one was planning on going home and although I was I decided to go along anyway. Leaving together with the guy from Australia, we got into a tuk tuk he payed for and were off to a Lao nightclub. Now I knew that they existed here, after all every capital city holds some type of nightlife. I was just surprised to see it on the 3rd floor of a fancy hotel. I was really out of place here but I must say these two made me really feel comfortable. Things got going fast and I just kept looking around taking it all in. Music on full blast, people dancing everywhere, I don't think I've ever felt more awkward and really just kept thinking I've never been to a nightclub at home, why am I bothering here? But things went great and staying with them gave me a comfort zone.  Watching them just mingle away was impressive to me, showing off the pins and just getting to know the crowd.

     Having no idea where I was going I still had my giant SLR camera strapped over my shoulder, which although being out of place gave me some excellent chances to interact and have fun taking pictures. Disco lights shimmering on everything and everyone was quite the sight, and I didn't even really realize it until opening up and dancing, Elaine had my camera and took a photo. I was simply covered in red and green dots :-P

      Before long a large group of young Lao guys just basically pulled us to there table and joined in for the rest of the very long night. When the time came to go home, although I had a good time it still wasn't something I'd do again unless under the same terms. An experience nontheless, which is really the entire point of it all.....