Back in Mae Sot?! (Don't ask, don't ask.)

Vientiane, the capital of Laos, was closed when we got there. Just kidding. Actually, it had been closed for the week prior to arrival, opening back up the day we arrived. The ASEAN conference had been going on and all backpackers had been kicked out for security reasons. It was a short 3.5-hour bus trip to Vientiane from Vang Vieng. We arrived on a Sunday, so most of the stores and sights were closed, but we were able to stroll around their streets (some paved, some gravelled), the whole time thinking, "This is the CAPITAL?!" There were no skyscrapers in sight. We saw an old stupa, the main boulevard that runs between the Arc d'Triomphe-like Patuaxi (Victory Monument) archway and the Presidential Palace, and strolled along the Mekong River. It was nice to see the super-high wall and street blocked off around the US Embassy -- as close to "home" as I've gotten on this trip.
In Vientiane, we dined on some excellent French food. That's pretty much it.
The next day we got up early to start our trip back to Thailand. It took all day and three buses to get from the eastern side to the western side of Thailand. I have returned to the warm bosom of Mae Sot: cheap 20 BHT meals, 5 BHT samosas, and 15 BHT/hr internet. I'm waiting around getting some visas and visiting friends, some of whom appeared to be in the burnt out state that I found myself in a month ago. My, how a month out and about can change things.