Vientiane Day 2

Another en-chanting morning. The drums started at 4.45am. 

Still a magical light with the halogen street lights adding to the glow. 

This morning the monks were accompanied by a pack of dogs.

After breakfast the team headed off to work while I decided to walk around the city.

I asked about a cab to the National Museum and it was pointed out that it 

was only a short walk away. So off I went.

Opposite the National Museum is the National Cultural Hall. A truly ugly, 

monumental building that was built by the Chinese Government as a “gift for 

the people of Laos”. It was opened in 2000 but unfortunately the Chinese 

Government didn’t include in their gift an operating budget. This means it is 

rarely opened and is only used for visiting artists and government conferences.

I feel they would have done a much better job by investing in an upgrade of 

the National Museum. I couldn’t photograph inside the museum and I’m not 

sure why. It is an interesting museum but it is very, very sad. The photographs 

are fading and are suffering water damage and insect infestation. The dioramas 

are rather dusty. The exhibition labelling is occasionally in French, occasionally

in English and occasionally in Lao, these are also fading and hard to read. 

Whenever America  is mentioned it is as “the American imperialists and their 

puppets”. The Lao story is so dramatic that money spent on making it all so 

much more engaging would be wonderful.

After the museum I walked to the Nam Phou Fountain as I had been told that

there were plenty of restaurants around a lovely fountain. I found a few cafes 

facing a walled-off, dusty construction site. I ended up at Khop Chai Deu for lunch. 

I knew it was time to leave when a group of young Australian males sat down at 

the next table and ordered a bottle of bourbon for lunch.

Before the trip I had been asked to buy a traditional silk sarong. So that was the 

next task. I went into many small shops, tourist and non-tourist and could only 

find tat. I got on the web and found Mixay, which was recommended for using local

weavers, it close to the hotel so I dropped in. I asked the owner about sarongs 

and she directed me to the local markets. I explained that I was after a traditional

sarong. She only had two and I bought one. The design was exquisite.

We had an interesting conversation that should be a lesson for tourists in

developing countries. She told me that her local products supported women’s 

groups in Laos, but that traditional weaving was expensive by Lao standards, 

and tourists were after bargains. What they were buying was brought in from 

China and Thailand. The fabrics were of a lower standard (I can attest to that), 

the profits went out of the country and local industry was not supported. So 

please when you want some object to remind you of a particular trip, find

locally produced goods. Don’t send your money to another country.

I bought a few other things that demonstrated the beautiful embroidery 

and weaving of Laos.

Another thing for travellers is the idea of having to bargain for everything. 

If you are in a high-end shop go for it and good luck. But if you are at a street 

stall or market think about it. In Laos, $Aus1.00 equals approximately Kip 8,500.

So when you spend fifteen minutes bargaining an item down from Kip 17,000 

to 8,500, you’ve wasted fifteen minutes for the bragging rights of saving $1.00, 

that you could well afford, and probably means an awful lot to the vendor. 

Remember that you are probably buying counterfeit or illegally downloaded 

material yourself. Don’t get ripped off but don’t be an ugly tourist.

I meandered back to the hotel.

That night our client took us to a charming French Restaurant that could 

have been anywhere in the world. The food was delicious, the wine wonderful

and the company entertaining.

As I retire for the night I ponder that the British left their colonies with the 

Westminster system of government and law, brass bands and cricket. 

The French left their colonies with a taste for fine wine, great cuisine and the 

ability to make melt in the mouth croissants.

Hmmm....which would I prefer?

Vientiane Day 5

Well it's the last day in Vientiane so I couldn't stay in bed while I heard the chanting outside. 

I took the last opportunity to record the rituals outside the hotel..

 Very early in the morning the real workers are out and about.

 The sun rose brilliantly to see me off.

There was still a bit of time to catch up on some of the sights that we hadn't seen, 

so we walked down to the Wat Sisaket. Wat Sisaket is a Buddhist Wat it is situated 

on Lan Xang Road, on the corner with Setthathirat Road.

When the armies of Siam (Thailand) sacked Vientiane in 1827 this was the only temple 

they didn't destroy. The theory is that it looked like a Thai temple and was spared.

The army used this compound as their headquarters. 

It is the oldest temple still standing in Vientiane.

 Wat Sisaket features a cloister with more than 2000 ceramic and silver Buddha images 

around the four walls. The variation on a single theme is well worth the visit.

 A lot of the wall paintings have given way to the ravages of time and weather but the 

wooden carvings remain intact.

 The compound itself has many different temples and homes for the monks. 

The gardens are beautifully tended to and in the surrounding area are

many interesting burial stupas.

 On the way back to the hotel we saw the Patouxay Monument in the distance.

It is also known as the Victory Gate. It was built with cement that was sent there by

the Americans to build a runway during the Vietnam War so it is also referred to 

as the vertical runway.

 Finally packed we headed off to the airport.

I think the monks followed us to be sure that I left the country with my pesky 

telephoto lens that had been recording them for the last week.

 Finally in the air again for transit in Bangkok. 

 The clouds were magnificent but I wasn't looking forward 

to flying down through them.

 After a tedious three hours at the Bangkok airport we were on our way to Singapore.

 And something completely different than the charming, sleepy town of Vientiane.

Finally checked into the Regent Singapore. We don't normally stay in large hotels because 

we don't like the lack of personality. This was a hurried trip and the hotels that we preferred 

were all booked out. We chose this one because it had free Internet. 

Why do large hotels still charge for it.? In today's electronic age the Internet is like water. 

A necessity.

We booked this on the Internet and it stated "free Internet". You can imagine our surprise 

when we were told that was for one appliance. One!!!!!!!!! Two people travelling together

means at the least two computers and two mobile phones. That's four appliances to start with.

As it was nearly mid-night time to sleep.

Vientiane Day 4

Up early to catch the monks again and then off to work.

  

 

There were also some rather odd night dwellers hanging out at 4.30 in the morning

 Today is our last day working so we will get some sight-seeing in later today.

We first decided to walk to the Morning Market. 

The day is hot so it’s a very leisurely walk.

We passed the National Library, it needs some tender loving care.

The Morning Market, or Talat Sao, is off Lane Xang Avenue, opposite the 

General Post Office. The double-story building, featuring Lao architectural motifs, 

is surrounded by a maze of smaller stalls.

Every kind of electrical goods, shoes, fabric and wigs are for sale in the labyrinth of stalls. 

Most of it tourist trap rubbish.

Then we walked down to the That Dam Stupa. The That Dam is a large stupa that

 many Laotians believe is inhabited by a seven headed nāga who tried to protect them from

the armies of Siam, who invaded in 1827. It is also known as the Black Stupa, the English 

translation of the Lao name “That Dam”. Unfortunately tourists refer to it as “that damn stupa”.

We found another traditional textile shop, The Beauty of Laos Silk. They had 

some beautiful wall hangings if you had a spare $US6, 000 or so. We didn’t.

Sweating profusely we dropped into a beer garden for something cold.

Later that night we had our last evening meal at L’adresse on Wat Ongteu, 

Ban Watchan-Chanthabouly D. It has only been open for eight months and it

serves delicious French cuisine. 

 A great way to finish our last day in Vientiane.