Vientiane is a boring capital. Like the rest of Laos, it is
quiet and dusty, with a population of just 200,000. It sits of the Mekong River,
which marks the border between Laos
and Thailand.
The colonial French architecture
of the city is overshadowed by industrialisation, grey concrete buildings and dusty
traffic. We spent two nights there and it was probably too many. Compared to
the former capital, Luang Prabang, Vientiane
lacks charm and character. Even the replica Champs D'Elysées (Lane Xang) and Arc De Triomphe (Patouxai) were lacking in charm. Perhaps we've been spoiled by the beauty found in the north.
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| Patouxai, Laos' Champs D'Elysées |
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| That Louang, Laos' most important religious symbol and national monument. |
The highlight of our stay was
a visit to the Buddha
Park (Xieng Khuan). 25km
out of the city, sitting on the bank of the river, is a park full of bizarre
concrete Buddha sculptures, mythical animals and Hindu Gods. It was created in 1958
by Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, a rogue monk
who built a similar park on the other side of the river, in Thailand. The
main attraction of the park is a giant pumpkin which we entered through the
mouth of a demon and climbed up through three levels representing Earth,
Heaven and Hell. From the top of the pumpkin we had a view down over the park. It
was arty, wacky and an interesting spot.
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| Atop the concrete pumpkin. |
How To Get To…
Buddha Park: We
took the local bus number 14 from the central bus station (6,000kip), to the Laos-Thailand Friendship Bridge.
From the bridge (the border crossing) we took a tuk-tuk to Buddha park for
15,000kip ($2) each. Entrance to the park is 5,000kip ($0.50).
We Stayed At…
Soukchaleun Guest House.
Right in the centre, had a balcony. 80,000kip ($10/£6)
