A big day of sightseeing today meant an early start was in order if we were to squeeze in as much as we could. With so much to see and do we were grateful to have Khamla organising everything…so what did we see and do…….

Vientiane, the capital, has a population of about 300,000 people, most of them seemingly unemployed, and a visitor could be forgiven for thinking that they must have arrived on a national holiday. The streets are virtually empty, and rush hour lasts about ten minutes, with none of the traffic snarls that characterise most Asian capitals. This has to be the most laid back capital city on the world. Most guide books say the major tourist attractions can be covered in a day or two (which we crammed into one day), but the real reason for being here is to relax, eat, have a drink by the river and watch the world slowly pass by which sounds like a damn fine idea to me!

Patuxai is one of many historic attractions and a great landmark in Vientiane. Visitors who come to this city and drive pass this monument can't resist stopping by and having a closer look at this great site. This is a Lao Gate of Triumph that is the resemblance of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. Built in 1962 (using funds provided by the United States) this monument was built to commemorate Lao soldiers who had died in battle serving their country before the revolutionary wars. As the money was meant for the construction of an airfield this monument is also known as the "vertical runway". Rather appealed to my warped sense of humour!! The monument has a mix design of French and Lao arts, and works in recent years on the monument grounds has transformed the surrounding field into the most popular park in Vientiane. It is well worth the walk to the top as you get fantastic views of the city. In the north of this park there is a small cottage that house the World Peace Gong that award to Laos as the best and peaceful country in the world.


Ho Prakeo, or "Hall of the Emerald Buddha." This building was once the private chapel of the King of Laos, and the only surviving part of the old royal palace. The chapel was built around 1535 to house the Emerald Buddha image, which was obtained from the Lanna capital of Chiang Mai, along with the Prabang image still housed in the Luang Prabang Royal Palace. The image was housed here for nearly 250 years before Chaopraya Chakri - the future King Rama I - of Siam recaptured the image a took it back to Thailand and the new capital of Bangkok.

The original Ho Prakeo was almost completely destroyed when the Siamese went to war with Laos again around 1828, and sacked the capital of Vientiane. It was restored with French help in the late 1930s, just before World War II. The building is now a museum housing some of Laos' finest examples of Buddhist art. Bronze Buddha images line the upper galleries running along either side of the hall. Many of them are missing their top-knots, along with other bits of decoration that were probably looted. A number of stele are propped up around the front portico, while inside are a wide array of images, mostly Buddhist although there are some older Hindu pieces as well.

Wat Sisaket is Vientiane's oldest surviving monastery. The temple was built between 1819 and 1824 by King Anou. According to tradition, this was where the Lao lords and nobles came to swear allegiance to the King. When the Siamese sacked Vientiane in 1828, they spared this temple, perhaps because it is built in a style similar to Thai temples. The French restored the temple in 1924, and again around 1930.

The main feature of the temple is a roughly square cloister that encloses the sim (ordination hall). This is a common feature of large Thai temples, but is less common in Lao temples. An unusual feature in any temple is the thousands of small niches in the outer wall, each of which houses a small Buddha image. On shelves in front of the wall are three rows of larger Buddha images, in various styles and materials. In a converted entrance portico west side of the cloister is a sort of "Buddha bin" holing hundreds of broken images discovered during excavations in support of one of the restorations.

At the center of the cloister is the ordination hall (sim). An outer gallery is lined with inward leaning 12-cornered columns, topped by elaborately carved wooden brackets and fretwork. Inside the hall, the walls are painted at eye level with scenes from the jataka, a series of stories about the past lives of the Buddha. The life illustrated is an unusual choice. It is the story of Prince Pookkharabat, who appointed an "honest thief" as chief minister and defeated enemy armies with the assistance of a magic fan. The murals are badly deteriorating. Above the murals are more small niches holding Buddha images.

West of the cloister, straddling the outer wall of the temple, is the former library where the palm leaf manuscripts documenting Buddhist philosophy were once held. The square building houses a massive cabinet that once held the books. Although now faded, the cabinet was once finished in black lacquer with delicate golden designs. Behind the library, between the wall of the cloister and the outer wall of the temple, is a dirt path lined with small stupa containing the ashes of cremated temple devotees. Although it is ostensibly a museum, Wat Sisaket is still a working monastery, with several monks and novices in residence.

Pha That Luang is the main attraction which gives visitors a deeper understanding of the Buddhist religion in Laos. Anyone who comes to Vientiane is likely to pay a visit to this place either to worship or have a photo shot of this great, iconic monument. According to the legend, Pha That Luang was built in the 3rd century and later in the mid 16th century was reconstructed by King Xaiyasetthathirat when he moved the capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. Since then little was known about this monument as there are no records in any publications. In 1828, Pha That Luang was destroyed by the Siamese army along with the rest of the temples and housing in Vientiane. In 1900 under the French colony, it was restored again but not until 1930 when the monument was completely built entirely to its original design. That Luang is one of the most sacred Buddhist temples in Vientiane, and Lao people believe it contains the remains of Buddha's hair.

Vientiane is sited right on the Mekong River, and the riverfront area of town is a nice place to spend an evening, along with everyone else in town. This is the one place, and the one time of day, where we saw a lot of people in Vientiane. A promenade winds its way along the river, sometimes close to the road, sometimes snaking away from it. There are many restaurants and bars ranging from simple stalls to more permanent structures. We enjoyed a quiet drink along the promenade as we watched the sunset over the Mekong River. After such a busy day it was lovely relaxing, watching the world go by and rejuvenating ourselves ready to hit the market for a final splurge……yes the shopping queen was at it again!!!!

As this was to be our final night in Laos we all went to the Kualao Restaurant where we dined on authentic Lao cuisine and enjoyed a performance of traditional Lao dancing. A fitting finale for our time in this beautiful country.