Days 55 - 56 (Apr 29 - 30, 2013): Vientiane, Laos

Special Notes: (1) If you haven’t yet, you should check out Carrie’s blog, lots of good and different stuff from what you see here.  www.bigwanderings.tumblr.com

(2) Avid readers of this blog (aka my parents) may be wondering what happened to Apr 28….well, we flew from Chiang Mai to Bangkok for another day in the city.  BUT, I was so tired from having to get up so early for our flight, that I didn’t really take any pictures.  We went to the weekend market and then just walked around the city.  Nothing exciting in addition to my previous Bangkok post, and

(3) It has been pointed out to me that my post on Siem Reap/Angkor Wat contained a misleading statement: while it is true that Angkor Wat did not become the tourist destination that is today until the fall of the Khmer Rouge, the temples were “rediscovered” in the late 19^th century by French archaeologists (who subsequently began a long period of restoration on the sites).  My sincere apologies for the poorly written and confusing information.

The Quick Facts:

* Took the overnight train from Bangkok to Vientiane, Laos
* Spent ~1.5 days exploring the city, including the Presidential Palace, Wat Phra Keo, Wat Sisaket, Lane Xang Avenue (modeled after the Champs Elysees), the Patouxi (modeled after the Arc de Triomphe), the National Museum, and That Louang
* We rented a moto on our second day, and I managed not to kill (or even mame) either of us!
* Stayed at the Auberge Sala Inpeng, which was on a nice quiet street and very nice, I would recommend it if you are in the area

The Good:

* Vientiane is a nice small city that seems to have its act together – nice sidewalks, not a lot of trash flying around, and well cared for public spaces (particularly along the Mekong River) that the locals seem to enjoy on a daily basis

The Bad:

* Nothing bad, although Vientiane is not a city that will “blow your socks off” and leave you with lasting memories to be treasured for a lifetime

We once again took an overnight train (don’t have to pay for a hotel room!) from Bangkok to Nong Khai, which is the Thai/Laos border town in Thailand.  Here is Carrie in our carriage:

 

After arriving 2 hours late, we were able to catch the connector train into Laos which, conveniently, was also running late…

 

And then we got to deal with Laos immigration, which actually wasn’t bad at all.

 

So the highlight of Vientiane is that we took advantage of the (relatively) quiet streets and rented a moto!  Here I am on the beast.  I think the only word that describes this picture is “fierce”:

 

And this is Carrie and me on the bike.  I read in the trade rags they’re casting for a remake of ChiPs, obviously I think their search has ended.

 

Ok, on to the sites.  Vientiane has a street (Lane Xang Avenue) modeled after the Champs Elysees, which is actually quite lovely and terminates at Patouxi which is modeled after the Arc de Triomphe.  You can climb up to the top of the Patouxi for some good views of the city:

 

At the other end of Lane Xang Avenue is the Presidential Palace, which is not open to visitors but beautiful nonetheless.

 

Wat Sisaket is another good site to visit.  It is Vientiane’s oldest Wat (constructed in the early 1800s) and the only one to survive the sacking of the city by the Siamese later in the 1800s. The Wat contains a large collection of Buddha statues overlooked by diminutive Buddhas.  The visual effect is a bit mesmerizing.

 

That Louang is the Laos national symbol.  It stands 45m tall and rests on lotus petals.  The other pictures here are from other buildings on the grounds of That Louang.

 

 

 

Finally, we ended our second day with a sunset walk along the Mekong.  There were a lot of Lao people out because it was the eve of their Labor Day (which is on May 1), doing all sorts of activities, including group jazzercise (check out the video below).

 

 

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