Vientiane

Vientiane is probably the sleepiest capital city i have ever been to.  Light traffic and people walking around is pretty much all this town has to offer besides the obligatory temples sparsely built in the area.

Smokey

When I was about 7 years old, my brother and I would play in the yard between our house and our grandmother's on her double lot.  There was Chow that kept watch over the yard and he would lay quietly near the garage.  One day my brother and I were playing with the dog and teasing him with a stick.  I approached him and held his ears down against his head and proclaimed "look Frank, Smokey's bald!"  I guess he didn't like that very much because he proceeded to attack me and bite my hands into a bloody mess.  As i stared down at my hands dripping salty crimson, my brother screamed and ran into the house.  I remember hearing him sobbing on the phone telling my mom what happened between panicked breaths.  After a short while and hospital visit, i returned home with a fractured left index finger and may punctures in both my palms.  

Even now, he still lays claim to his domain.  He lies alone, mostly deaf and unable to sit up.  His body is broken and worn.  Sometimes I wonder if he remembers what happened that day...