Laid Back Laos

---

Geo: 17.97, 102.61

Flew into Vientiane from Hanoi onTuesday to find the weather a little cooler and the pace considerably slower. This is no more than a big country town. Our guide, Khamaire, was a gentle soul who did his best to know our names and give us heaps of information, a change from Hanoi!
We had a city tour which took us to the only noteworthy edifices in Vientiane.Our first stop was at the Sisket temple, the oldest Buddhist shrine in town. This was similar to most we havw seen but has a cloister runing around the outside in which about 6000 statues of Buddha are housed in small nbiches in the walls as well as larger statues. Inside he main temple was a mural of the life of the buddha in need of restoration but still beautiful in its faded glory. Renovations of the roof were going on so there is hope that more can be done.
Across the road was the Presidential offices housed in a magnificent French colonial villa. We then walked next door to another temple which we were told used to house the emerald Buddha which is now in Bangkok. It was aken by the Siamese during the war between then siam and Laos. It now has an interesting collection of artefacts mainly, you guessed it, old statues of Buddha. The intricate carvings around the building and on the roof were stunning though.
The next stop was at Vientiane's answer to the Arc de Triomphe. This was built in the 60s with concrete donated by the Americans which was supposed to build runways for the airport. It is a 7 storey arch under which are colourful friezes depicting Hindu mythological stories. It is dedicated to those who died in the struggle for independence from the French. We climbed to the top for great views over the city.
The final stop was at the golden Stupa which is the symbol of Laos.This was originally built i the 16th century and was supposed to cover smaller one that housed a relic of Buddha. It has been rebuilt a couple of times but is now impressive. It soars several metres high and has 4 shrines around the first level. It is painted in gold and has lotus flower petals around the edges.

Our hotel was 5 star, the Lao Plaza. Very comfortable but they tried to put us in a room which reeked of smoke at first. However, the quickly accomodated us. It is at the edge of the main shopping areas. We walked around here later int he evening but nothing impressive to be found. We did discover an excellent French Restaurant, la Cave des Chateaux at which we had a scrumptious meal for cafe prices. Got to love Indochina for great food at ridiculous prices..

---

Photos

The Golden Stupa
Symbol of Laos