Vientiane

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At first glance, Laos can seem expensive until you remember that 6,500 Kip approximately equals $1 Canadian.

The government appears to be working hard to improve the lives of the people in Laos. This includes improving nutrition for children, as well as health care. The country has been polio-free for several years and is working on eradicating measles although it isn't easy to reach some of the mountain tribes for vaccination, something the mountain people aren't necessarily enthusiastic about.

The government has recently passed a new law to regulate alcoholic beverages. Venues offering these cannot be located near healthcare and education centers, state offices, religious venues, embassies, public parks, opera houses, passenger vehicle stations, petrol stations, sports complexes, and factories, which must limit possibilities. In addition, advertisements for alcoholic beverage products must not attempt to persuade members of the public into drinking alcoholic beverages and trademarks of the product must not be shown on the advertisements. Hmmm.

After the crowds of visitors in China and Thailand, sightseers are now few and far between, which is one advantage to being here in the hot, rainy season, although glasses and camera lenses fog up as soon as we step out of our air conditioned hotel room or van.

At the That Luang temple in Vientiane six rockets were lined up ready for this weekend’s Rocket Festival. Originally rockets were fired into the sky to penetrate the clouds, anger the gods, and generate much-needed rain to end the dry season so the rice would begin to grow. Now this has become a tradition and the owners of the rocket that fires the highest or farthest win a prize. At the Ventiane Festival, the rockets used to be fired over the kilometer-wide Mekong River but one year a particularly powerful rocket reached the far bank where it burned down a school in Thailand. The event was subsequently moved. The stupa at this temple, officially named the Phachedi Lokajulamani (World Precious Sacred Stone) is said to contain a piece of the Buddha’s breastbone, although no one is allowed to view it.

We climbed Patuxay, or the Victory Monument, situated along Avenue Lane Xang, the main avenue, for an excellent view of this city of one million people. The people seem tickled by the fact that it was built, in 1968, with cement donated by America to build Vientiane’s airport. The white building that can be seen through the arch was once the royal family’s residence and is now the presidential palace. Our guide said the palace was built near the Mekong so the river could be used as a fast exit in times of danger.

At Ho Phra Keo we saw a reconstructed jar from the Plain of Jars. This one is about 4 feet high but apparently they are of assorted sizes and their purpose is not really known. The two most common theories are that they were either burial jars or held alcohol, but they would have held a lot of alcohol.

It was pretty hot by the time we reached the Buddha park, about a 30 minute drive from the city. The park holds an interesting collection of Hindu and Buddhist statues that included Rahu, a large round dome with the tree of life on top. Inside were depictions of hell on the lower level and paradise on the upper level. Back in Vientiane we asked our driver to drop us off at the city museum which had some interesting displays on the history of Laos. We were hot and sticky by the time we’d finished, and had 45 minutes until we’d arranged to be picked up. Upon stepping outside, however, we saw a Swensens ice cream parlour along the street and indulged in two large and very welcome ice cream sundaes.



According to our guide, there is another reason that people catch birds, something I mentioned in an earlier blog where I presumed it was to eat them or sell them as pets. Apparently people can take a bird, or fish, or turtle, etc., to a monk who will perform a blessing. If the owner of the bird or whatever then sets it free, it will take away that person’s bad luck.

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Photos

Rocket festival
Rocket sent skyward to anger the gods and make it rain.

Patuxay
A victory monument. The Laos Arc de Triomphe

Patuxay view
Interesting wrought iron work on the openings

Plain of Jars
from the Plain of Jars; an ongoing archaeological mystery.

Budda park
Something eating the moon. To account for the fact that it slowly disappears.