Vientiane

After a turbulent ferry transfer back to Bali, bus ride to Kuta for last minute shopping and a taxi to the airport, we were off to Kuala Lumpur again. We didn’t touch down until about 1am, didn’t get luggage and find a comfy place to sleep until 2am, then got woken up around 5am by the buzzing travelers. We checked in for our 7:35 flight, walked to the departure gate but were unsuccessful at attempting to squeeze in some more sleep. The flight to Vientiane was just the right length for a quick power nap before landing in the capital of Laos. Compared to the hectic, bustling capitals in other Southeast Asian countries, Vientiane’s relaxing atmosphere makes it feel like the small town it is. Easily covered by foot, we dropped off our packs and hit the streets. Right across from our guesthouse was Wat Mixay and then we randomly ended up at the Chao Anouvong statue, which was ridiculously large and decorated with offerings.

There are many temples all over town, just as I’d experienced in Luang Prabang, Northern Laos months earlier. We made our first stop at Wat Sisaket, the oldest standing temple and among the most atmospheric. Within the cloister walls are hundreds of niches housing Buddha statues large and small, made of wood, stone, silver and bronze.

In the center of the courtyard is a five-tiered ordination hall housing yet more Buddhas and beautiful but fading murals of their past lives. Across the street is Hophakaew Museum, a very stunning, elegant and majestic structure that acted as a former King’s royal temple. Just around the corner is the Black Stupa, a mythical abode of a seven-headed dragon that protects Vientiane. It has an attractive patina of age and is slowly being overgrown by lush green vegetation. Other relics within close distance are Wats Onteu, Inpang and Haisok, all unique in their own ways. The blazing sun beat down on us as we wandered to Talat Sao, the Morning Market that houses a collection of indoor stalls selling, well, pretty much everything. The first floor consists mainly of textiles, watches and electronics, which are nearly all counterfeit. The second floor is flooded with clothing and jewelry. The Talat Sao Mall next door boasts a few cafes and a Thai-style food court, as many of the vendors are from Thailand. The snack section along the outskirts of the market, however, sells some delicacies of fried insects including grasshoppers, larvae and worms. Neighbouring the shopping area is Patuxai, Victory Gate, a rendition of Paris’ Arc de Triomphe.

Besides the elaborate Buddhist embellishment, it differs from the original in having four gates instead of two and being just a bit higher, to spite the French. Reasonably impressive from afar, a surprisingly frank English sign inside the monument labels it a “monster of concrete” - donated by the US. Since it was supposed to go towards a new airport, this monster adopted the nickname ‘Vertical Runway’. But the arc itself aside, the palm tree-lined park around it complete with fountains is quite pleasant. Features nearby include a popular musical fountain as well as a World Peace Gong presented by Indonesia. Making our way back across town towards our guesthouse, we realized how long of a day it’d been. After an amazing meal we finally got a good night sleep. The next morning, before we caught the bus to Vang Vieng, we made sure we were thorough in the short amount of time we had by visiting the last few temples.

The still sleepy capital on the banks of the Mekong River was an authentic Laotian experience before hitting the wild banks of the Nam Song River in Vang Vieng!