Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Up at 5:30. Had just put on clothes and checked emails and the news when the power went out! Walked down the semi-dark stairs to our complimentary breakfast. Just wanted fruit and a croissant anyway. We were out of the hotel by 7:00 am. and on our way to the Noi Bat airport in a taxi. Ride took about 45 minutes and cost was $18.00. It is a very old and congested airport. We would be flying Vietnam Airlines to Vientiane, Laos. We should be getting used to the routine by now. Line to check in (checked 2 bags), line for immigration, then line for security and find seats to wait.
view out the taxi window at decorative architecture leaving Hanoi
Kent thought that he had about $30 of Vietnamese money that we had not spent. Since you can not exchange Vietnam money at the hotel or the airport or outside the country, we decided to look in the souvenir shops for something that we could take on the plane with us. I finally found a set of cute hand-painted stacking dolls that didn't cost very much and the sales person was willing to give U.S. dollars back to us for the remaining amount.
Noi Bat Airport, Hanoi, Vietnam
homes near the airport with typical pitched roofs and red tiles
During our 50-minute flight from Hanoi, Vietnam to Vientiane, Laos we filled out our forms for entering and leaving Laos. You would think that I would have memorized my passport number by now! At some point, Kent asked me about the stacking dolls. He realized that he had left the bag sitting on the counter at the airport souvenir shop. I guess he was distracted when doing his "high finances". Someone always has to pull out a small calculator to figure out the exchange rates. And the stacking dolls were so cute!
view out airplane window just before landing in Vientiane, Laos
probably the Mekong River
a closer look of the homes near Vientiane, Laos from airplane window
We arrived at the Wattay International Airport and quickly retrieved our bags and took a very quick trip to our hotel, the Sabaidee@Lao. It was a very nice room and fortunately we were at the back on the 6th floor so that we had a great view of some sites of the town. It was the first time that we had seen a shower without glass doors since India, which is very typical there. Even with a curtain, it is really hard to keep the water from going all over the bathroom floor! We also discovered that our wall adapter did not "fit" the outlets, although it had matched at other hotels, so we were on battery power for our computer again, or we could have chosen to use the computer stations at the lobby.
Sabaidee@Lao Hotel, Vientiane, Laos
view out windows of hotel of Patuxai, or Victory Gate
The Black Stupa
We decided to get a jump on the touristy sites since we had a good part of the day. Kent always looks at the guide book's city street map and says, "let's walk -- its so close". Fortunately the hotel receptionist gave us a map of the town and directed us to our first place of interest. And she did convince me that we could get there by a short walk.
Avenue Lanexang or Lan Xang Avenue
a beautiful wide boulevard with the Victory Gate and the Presidential Palace
on either end, facing each other
Patuxai
At first sight, the Patuxai, which means Victory Gate, brings to mind the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The monument was constructed in 1964 to commemorate the lives lost during the course of the Lao Civil War, fought between 1953 and 1975. It is made of concrete, which is rumored to have been donated by the Americans for the construction of a new airport.
The arch is adorned with the typically Lao mixture of Buddhist and Hindu iconography along with bas-reliefs of apsaras facing fierce demons from the Hindu epic, Ramayana.
A spiral staircase leads to the top of the monument.
En route visitors will pass dozens of souvenir shops.
Once at the top, visitors are rewarded with excellent views across Lan Xang Avenue toward the Mekong River.
a government building
a park-like setting, looking away from downtown
There are five towers, standing for the five principles of coexistence among nations, and the five Buddhist principles, of amiability, flexibility, honesty, honor and prosperity.
view down Lan Xang Avenue looking towards the Presidential Palace
Have you noticed that there are few people out and about?
Only tourists go out in this hot sun.
World Peace Gong
The Peace Gong at the northern end of the park, was presented to Laos by Indonesia in recognition of Laos being named the most peaceful country.
I grabbed an ice cream cone and water at a nearby stand because there was no hope of lunch at the moment. This tuk tuk driver took us to the next site; a little too far to walk.
Pha That Luang at Vientiane, Laos
This important religious monument, whose name means The Great Stupa, is also the symbol of Lao nationhood. Its image appears on the currency as well as the national seal. Excavations have indicated the existence of a Khmer site here dating from around the 12th century, long before the Pha That Luang was erected in its present form.
Statue of King Setthathirat
King Setthathirat ordered the construction of Pha That Luang when he moved the Lao capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane in the mid-16th century.
After the Siamese razed the city in 1827, the site was abandoned, and bandits seeking gold and jewels later destroyed the edifice. The French rebuilt it in the 1930's with the aid of drawings made by French explorers who had visited the abandoned site in 1867.
Today, the That Luang lies in a large compound behind a statue of King Setthathirat, and is flanked by two Buddhist temples. The main stupa reaches 148 feet above ground level, and is surrounded by three platforms of decreasing size, each of which is surrounded by rows of smaller stupas and lotus petal-shaped crenulations.
A covered cloister on the outermost wall contains both Lao and Khmer Buddha images.
looking through the outer wall at the Buddhist temple nearby
a shop on wheels!
Wat That Luang Tai at Vientiane, Laos
After viewing the Pha That Luang, we walked across the street to this Buddhist temple, which is part of the compound
outer wall of the Buddhist temple, Wat That Luang Tai
Wat That Luang Tai
ceiling artwork
To see a video showing the amazing artwork in this temple, just click:
a must see!
Reclining Buddha
on grounds of Wat That Luang Tai
man selling a small bird
Wat That Luang Neua at Vientiane, Laos
on grounds of Pha That Luang
Hor Dhammasapa on grounds next to Wat That Luang Neua, Vientiane, Laos
Hor Dhammasapa
Drum Tower
The driver of this fancy "carriage" was willing to give us a ride to our next site.
Kaysone Phomvihane Memorial Museum
A grandiose memorial to the late president and founding father of Communist Laos, Kaysone Phomvihane. The memorial is a huge, well-kept hall that includes a scale model of the late president's childhood home in Savannakhet and various revolutionary memorabilia.
detail at entrance to Memorial Museum
brand new Convention Center
just to the left of the Memorial Museum
We had asked the driver to wait for us and then he drove us to our next site:
Haw Pha Kaew
The original structure of this temple-turned-museum was destroyed by the Siamese in 1827. It was reconstructed under the supervision of the Lao prince Souvanna Phouma, a French-trained engineer and later prime minister of the country during the French Colonial period. Once the exclusive temple of Lao kings, Haw Pha Kaew is no longer a functioning Buddhist temple, but a national museum of splendid Buddhist art.
Ironically, it is named for a precious piece of religious art, the Pha Kaew (Emerald Buddha) -- which is really made of jade -- and is no longer here. It was seized by the Siamese in 1779, and has remained in Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok ever since.
No pictures are allowed inside. Artifacts include smaller Buddha images, Khmer stelae, bronze frog drums, and a large Seated Buddha image.
Today, the main attraction of this impressive museum is the magnificent collection of bronze Buddha images on a terrace surrounding the building. These have been collected from various temples in the country.
Beautifully landscaped gardens
red tiles placed in the wall surrounding the museum
the staircase to the museum
Presidential Palace
The building is not accessible but due to its size, location and function is a well-known landmark. Originally built for the French colonial governor and later used by the Lao royal family, it is now used for ceremonial government occasions. The two-story Beaux Arts mansion sets behind high walls and wrought iron gates and is surrounded by extensive manicured grounds. A red carpet is rolled down the broad front steps for visiting foreign dignitaries.
After taking a look at the Presidential Palace, we walked down the main street, Rue Setthathirath and discovered the Nam Phu Square and the lovely fountain. There were many gift shops, businesses and a variety of beautiful restaurants surrounding it; a great gathering place for tourists and the residents. We found our way back to our hotel, just a few blocks away. What a welcome relief that everything is so close. We turned on the a/c full blast, cooled off, drank water and I found those Milano cookies that had been stuffed in Kent's carry-on bag -- the one with his dirty clothes. At this point, I didn't care where I found them. It was close to dinner time, so we checked the hotel's menu. It even had pictures, but we decided to pass and headed back down the street. We stopped in at the Japanese restaurant in the lower level of the Lao Plaza Hotel, but it was not open yet. Too bad, it had great atmosphere and even had koi fish right next to the seating. We took shelter from the heat in the front entrance foyer and discovered a beautiful, wonderful, amazing buffet dinner. I didn't even ask the price! After all, look at all of the money Kent saved by not feeding me lunch!
Lao Plaza Hotel foyer
discovered the greatest buffet and wonderful gift shop
After dinner, we stopped in their gift shop and then we took a walk down Rue Pangkham and took in the shops, walked by the restaurants and enjoyed the lovely fountain which was now lit and also turned colors. Returned to hotel for hot showers, tv and news.
Nam Phu fountain at night
hotel lobby decor
