Vientaine to Luang Prabang

The capital city of Vientiane is so much quieter and more subdued than any capital city I have ever visited. Certainly it is a contrast to Hanoi. One can cross streets without fear of one’s life, and people are friendly and relaxed. We stayed at the Huan Lao Guesthouse, a lovely garden spot with clean, sparse rooms, and enough cats and dogs to calm my longings for the critters at home. Our friend from Normandy, Oscar, found it in his French tour book, and then procured our rooms in this location. At $10 a night, it was a great find. Rich had a cold for much of this trip, and as a lovely gift gave it to me too. I am either feeling slightly confused and out of it due to the cold, or maybe due to some culture shock working its way into my system.

In Vientiane, we went to various markets, visited several temples, and generally absorbed the climate of the city. The first temple we visited, Wat Si Saket, was located next to the presidential palace.  It is a large wooden and stucco structure,  with galleries of Buddha sculptures along the outside of the sanctuary and several large Buddha’s inside. Across the street from the presidential palace was Wat Pha Kaew, built in the 16th century and at one time housed the Emerald Buddha, now located in Thailand. This temple had an inner courtyard circled by covered alleys housing lovely cast-bronze Buddha sculptures. Between each large Buddha, were latticework walls which encased tiny, gold painted Buddha representations.

One can observe the French influence on Indochina when one looks at this city. The presidential palace is on a broad avenue and with a large arch at the other end, imitating the Champs Elysee in Paris.

After three full Days in Vientaine, we departed early Saturday morning for Luang Prabang in Northern Laos. The 300 km bus trip took 10 hours due to the treacherous, rugged, exquisite mountains of Laos. We arrived in Luang Prabang at about 7 pm and after a rest ventured into town and the night market for a bite to eat before bed. My first impression of the market was similar to being in Taos or Santa Fe. It was filled with international travellers, and was catering to a tourist trade, including signs in English and Chinese, fairy lights, and miles of stalls selling crafts and textiles from seemingly the same producers.

It is an amazing little city on the Mekong. It is filled with temples was a spiritual center before the tourists “found” it. In some ways it reminds me of Safad in the Galilee with the coexistence between the sacred and the gawking profane. A fascinating juxtaposition which I hope to learn a bit more about over the next few days.

Pictures from Vientiane