Saturday night in Vientiane

A full moon is shining over Vientiane. I leave the river area to stroll through the darker streets and alleyways. Although it's saturday night, it's incredibly quiet. People sitting on their porches, talking in low voices, the continuous sounds of what could be crickets or cicadas, the rustling of leaves of palm and banana trees in the evening breeze, smells of charcoal fires and barbecued meat in the ubiquitous food kitchens... I'm only a few blocks away from the "center"...
When turning around a corner, I get to a night market: again rows of food stalls, the sweet sounds of Asian pop music from a shack selling CDs, a few tables where clothes and kitchenware is being sold... but in spite of all the people tranquility is still like floating in the air..
Slowly I head back, taking as many turns as possible through unlighted alleyways... I'm not too eager to get to the mainstreet with its continuous flow of cars, scooters and tuk-tuks, and yet this flow of vehicles, people and noises is so far away from the habitual frenzy of Barcelona... so why not getting another Lao beer before going back to the guest house?