A morning van ride took us from Vang Vieng to Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, and the final destination of this Intrepid tour. But I’ll stay a few extra nights, thus this will be another long post!
In addition to a couple shots from the van, and one of Vientiane’s Arc de Triomphe, this first batch is of Wat Si Saket, particularly old with some interesting features (note the niches). One cannot photograph the interior of the temple, but it’s detailed murals, destroyed by flooding, were restored with support from the German government! Also, the leaning pillars are supposed to indicate something about honesty…?
The little shrines (above and below) around the outside edge of most temple complexes are ornate little tombs or mini-mausoleums, usually with a picture and an epitaph. Sadly, maintenance is spotty (depends on the family) and some fall into disrepair (note the toppled one). Nonetheless, the freshly dead get freshly sculpted (with cement, plaster, & paint) shrines to themselves, as shown here…
Patuxai is the product of the French colonial influence in Laos. A walk to the top provides a history lesson and excellent views of the city (bad air quality notwithstanding). Met some nice Chinese tourists (one thought I looked like Trump so I had to set ’em straight!)…
Next we went to the COPE Visitors Center to learn some sad lessons. (Not unlike the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City!) During the Vietnam War, US taxpayers funded thousands of bombing runs and millions of tons of bombs over Laos and Cambodia, in addition to Vietnam.
Cluster bombs are particularly devasting, but the devastation has continued for decades as the Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) are discovered by the feet of farmers, children, animals, and equipment. Here is one of the videos we watched at COPE. PLEASE EXPERIENCE!
For starters, the facility has a hospital and gymnasium, so I had to check out the hoop tournament. Didn’t see disabled players, but the many prosthetic devices in the museum attest to the sad reality for thousands of Laotians, many children…
That evening we did a little walk around the neighborhood and had our farewell dinner as a tour group (St. Patrick’s Day and Alastair’s 78th birthday party). Note Emmy, our outstanding tour leader!
We said our goodbyes at breakfast the next morning, then I switched hotels for the rest of my extended stay in Vientiane. (Really liked the colorful fish in the decorative aquaculture pots!)
The heat has been particularly oppressive, but I managed a walkabout anyway. Unfortunately, the mighty Mekong is not the feature it should be, apparently diminished by a hydroelectric dam upstream? Consequently, you can hardly see it from the popular part of Vientiane, a huge sandbar and poor infrastructure in between.
But I wandered through a park, took in a monument or two, and went to the Ho Prah Keo Museum. Amazingly, the Emerald Buddha which I had seen in Bangkok had lived here for over two centuries before it was absconded. I found the local art and detailed wood carving more significant than that lil’ statuette…
On my own, I like meandering through the streets, hunting the obscurata. Mazes of phone/power lines, scooter scrabble, and you can’t go wrong in the food markets. Squid-cabobs, shrimp scampering, meat miscellany, baked crocodile, etc. Fun signage! And check out our attractive pool here at the New Champa Boutique Hotel…!
On my first full free day I commissioned Tungchai – a “stories man,” whose ad I saw, to take me to the Buddha Park. He was a bit late and had a Russian tourist with him, but it all worked out swimmingly.
Here’s his ad, then the Beerlao plant which he pointed out on the way, and him and her. The Buddha Park was worth the trip, but like other spots, needing more TLC than it’s getting…
A floral interlude. Not only were they around the park, there seemed to be an aspiring botanical garden just adjacent…
Another sort of interlude. I walked all the way to the end which overlooks the Mekong River. There were some good looking farm fields, and across the river, Thailand!
More of the Buddha Park, which started a year before my birth (thus the arthritis?). Delight, as I did, in the statuary…!
Yes, I crawled into the sphere and scrambled up the various steps of this three story structure to the top, where one can get the big picture. Back to Tungchai’s tuktuk and off to the Golden Stupa…
Some kinda government building, the entrance, some paintings within, and at the end of this batch a few pix of the actual Golden Stupa…
In fact, the ancient statuary here, and the rest of the Pha That Luang temple complex are much more compelling. More colorful than average, and there was also a spectacular pavillion with an ornately painted ceiling, among the many sites to see…
I lingered, looked in nooks & crannies, unhurried. Interesting roosters, monk activity (including actual sculpting), and more tombs for the faithful.
Incredibly, I walked all the way back to my hotel! It was not as hot as previously, and the predicted thunder showers didn’t arrive until evening…
As I write this, I’m lingering again, procrastinating writing, and planning a very simple day before my departure tomorrow. This post is already too long, so whatever comes next will come next…
To whomever might have come this far, thank you. Blessings…
