Vientiane, Laos



Patoxai - Victory Gate

  Laos' answer to the Arc de Triomph is definately asian style close up and gives a view down the main boulevard to the palace and  the river.  It was apparently built with American cement donated for the airport runway!  The view from the top is good as are the surrounding gardens.

Does this mean you shouldn't share a joint?

Mekong

The water level in the Mekong appears low, unlike the Chao Praya in Bangkok where there is still flooding.

That Luang

A few km outside the city centre is That Luang, the principal stupa in Vientiane, surrounded by cloisters.  A solid looking structure with none of the charm of Shwe Dagon, Rangoon.  Vientiane suffers greatly in that it has been razed on several occasions in the past and its treasures carted off to Thailand including the green emerald buddha.







We tried to go to the visitor centre at COPE (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Entreprise) where there is a display covering the bombing of Laos inthe 1970s.  Laos is the most heavily bombed per capita country in the world.  Over 2 million tones of ordinance was dropped on the country in 580000 missions - with a population of 6.5 million that comes out at around 300 kg for every man, woman and child! The continuing problem of making safe the estimated 8 million bomblets from cluster bombs that remain is immense and the human cost in terms of injuries and fatalities continues.  Unfortunately on the day we went - our last in Vientiane - the centre was closed, the staff having gone to a charity bazaar!

Our hotel in Vientiane, the Hotel Beau Rivage, was excellent as was the co-owned Spirit House Restaurant next door.