The morning we arrived in Vientiane we had been awake for close to 30 hours. After checking in to our hotel, we went to find food, but were too tired to go any further than the restaurant across the street. We were glad we ate there because the food was really good and spicy enough, and the people were really nice. In the past two weeks, we ate there six times, and bought even more Iced Kopi Lao.

She Handles Drinks and the Convenience Store, He Does the Cooking

The wife in the husband-wife team is named is Noy. She runs the drinks stall and the convenience store two doors down. The family lives above the convenience store. Their little girl would watch the store if Noy is at the restaurant, and would yell for her mom when there’s a customer. Noy is 42. She and the chef have four children, the oldest is an 18-year-old boy.

She speaks basic English which she said she learned from talking to people every day. There’s a popular hostel next to her store, so she gets a lot of practice with the backpackers. She and her husband invited us to join them when they were eating and drinking with their friends outside the store the other day during Pi Mai Lao celebration.

Their Generous Offer

Days before, when Noy heard us talking to the tuk tuk driver about going to Buddha Park, she offered to take us there on Sunday because her husband can drive. We said we didn’t want to trouble them on their only day off. She offered again when we were drinking outside her store; her husband nodded. She said they would be going to Buddha Park anyway the following day because they wanted to pour water over Buddha. By then, we had already made an appointment with a tuk tuk driver; it’s also not cool to flake on people during new year. Besides, we didn’t want to bother Noy and her family because we didn’t want them to feel like they have to entertain us, especially at Buddha Park.

She was a little sad yesterday because she knows we’ll be leaving tomorrow. We made sure to have our final meal in Vientiane at their restaurant tonight. She said she’ll miss us. She asked when we’ll be back, “One year? Two year?” We hope we can be back sooner because we like Vientiane, and based on what we’ve heard from the expats we’ve talked to, Vientiane has a lot to offer those who want a simpler life, the people are nice, and things are affordable.

Sadly, Noy and her husband closed their restaurant a few months after we left.