Vientiane

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Vientiane is the capital of Laos. It is close to the border with Thailand and you can see Thailand on the opposite side of the river. The friendship bridge connects the two countries. In the afternoon I visited the Wat Sisaket which is the oldest temple in Vientiane and displays in the corridor around the sim a collection of wooden Buddhas and tiny Buddhas in niches. The tour also included a walk to the victory Monument. This is modern (1969), but it has a very old fashioned design. It is also known as vertical runway according to my guidebook because it was built using concrete given by the US intended for a runway. All of the group visited COPE (www.copelaos.org) first thing in the morning. COPE is a charity for helping people with a disability. Many of those who are assisted were injured by UXO (unexplored ordinance) from the Vietnam war. COPE has a visitor centre with information about the areas of Laos that were bombed by the US, the clearing operation that is taking place very slowly and the assistance that is provided including prosthetics and occupational therapy. Waiyee and I walked on to Pha That Luang, the golden stupa, and symbol of Vientiane. It was a ceremonial day and the locals were very busy around the outside of the stupa lighting candles, burning incense, and preparing food offerings. We met up with Leone and Wendy for lunch near the Mekong river. The river here is less beautiful than in Luang Prabang, but it was overcast so we didn't have the best views. I managed to fit in a quick museum (Haw Pha Kaew) in the afternoon before the group departure. It was a temple with Buddhas both outside and inside.

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