Vientiane has singulary lost any significant traces of its french heitage. The street signs may still refer to 'rue', but the few remnant colonial houses are lost amongst the non-descript concret blocks and BeerLao adverstising signs. The newer buildings are either mediterranean specials, with bulbous balustrades, and the prefferred colour scheme of ochre yellow and maroon, or Government buildings, built high and impresive in a style reminiscent of the prayer halls of the ubiquitous wats. The pace though is slow, and the wekend in not dead - shops and businesses still close on Saturady afernoons! The city looks bright, decked out in its bunting of red slogan banners, the hammer and sicle and Lao flags flapping in the warm breezes