SE Asia Summer Pt. 3

After a nice visit to Yogyakarta, we were off to Laos.  Adan really wanted to visit here because it's off the beaten path.  Many foreigners love to go to places like Thailand and Vietnam, however Laos is not nearly as popular.  The plan was to visit the capital of Vientiane and Luang Prabang.

Our first day in Laos was ...wet.  We arrived at the airport late since we needed to go Yogyakarta to Kuala Lumpur, and then Vientiane.  It was after 6:00pm when we finally arrived to heavy rains at Wattay International Airport.  The airport was quite small and badly outdated.  However, Laos is known for its "laid back" style (taking a long time to get things done) and lack of congestion (less people needing to use facilities and resources).  Vientiane only has a population of around 850,000 people making it the second smallest capital in Southeast Asia.

After locating a taxi, we made our way to the InterCity Hotel.  The rain made it difficult to gain a good first impression of the city as we drove into city center.  The major draw of our hotel was its price at 280,000 kip ($35 bucks) and its location right across the street from the mighty Mekong River (Thailand is on the other side).  It was nothing fancy, but we did have decent beds and a buffet breakfast included.  Once we arrived it was now pushing 7:30 and we were hungry from traveling all day.

Of course eating required us to go outside and brave the rain showers.  Lucky for us we stumbled upon an awesome local restaurant hidden down an alley way just 800 meters from the InterCity.  Called Mak Phet, this establishment caught our attention by how packed it was.  In fact, they were about to turn us away when we offered to eat on the patio where rain was falling near the tables.  They finally agreed and we sat down and ordered.  As we looked at the menu we found out that this restaurant was actually a vocational center where homeless and at risk youth were trained in culinary arts by a non-profit organization.  The food choices were very exotic to us.  Finally we decided on homemade Laotian rice noodles with curry, Mekong River fish with macadamian nuts, and Pazi's new favorite--papaya salad.

Within five minutes of ordering the couple at a table better protected from the rain left and the waiters insisted we move.  We did and within another 15 minutes our food arrived.  Everything was outstanding.  The freshness coupled with bold and new flavors we weren't accustomed to created fireworks in our mouths.  We can't remember the exact prices for these meals, but they weren't too pricey, somewhere in the range of $7-9 per plate.  After enjoying our meal we stayed and relaxed for a few minutes.  Since it was getting late and the rain was not dying down much, we made our way back to the hotel in hopes that day two would bring us better weather.

Wat To Do
We woke up to better weather on our second day in Vientiane.  It was overcast with light rain off and on.  We decided to visit the many  temples located around our hotel's neighborhood.  These temples, also called wats, are scattered everywhere  in Vientiane due to the high concentrations of Buddhists.  In the vicinity of our area there are four minor wats.  Each one has its own unique qualities.  Some are on large parcels of land with tombs of those who passed away, some are jammed in tight locations, others focus on the gold and crimson paint of the exterior, while others put more emphasis on statues of Buddha or animals placed around the temple.

As the weather improved, we became more confident to explore further into the city.  Eventually we ended up at Wat Sisaket.  Built in 1818, this wat is considered to be the oldest functioning temple in all of Laos.  It is a unique temple in that it is not in traditional Laotian style, but rather Siamese (Thai) style.  It has a ornate five-tiered roof and a surrounding terrace.  This ironically saved it from being destroyed when Siam sacked Vientiane in 1828.  They used it as their base headquarters at the time.  Another interesting feature here is the nearly 2,000 Buddha images, mainly statues of silver and ceramic, were done in a cloister wall.

Once we finished, we wanted to visit Wat Ho Phakeo, however it was closed during a 2-3 hour lunch and rest period.  Seeing us confused and unsure of what to do next, a driver came to try and sell us on a deal.  This was odd for very few locals in Laos trying to push tourists into buying their goods or services (a rarity anywhere else in the world).  However, this man was persistent to make a sell.  Finally, being the bargainers that we are, we offered him over 50% less than what he offered for his services.  He said no, but as we walked away he quickly changed his mind.  We had just agreed to take his tuk-tuk to three locations that would last us the rest of the day for about $20 bucks.

Our first stop was Pa Tu Xai, also referred to as the Victory Gate.  This is a war monument built between 1957-1968 to commemorate Laos independence from France.  It's an interesting site because of the fusion of architecture.  It has many French qualities, even at times referred to as a Laotian version of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.  While at the same time, the design is decorated with many Buddhist elements as well.  Additionally, the location is a hot spot with locals.  Restaurants and snack shops are located within the lower level of the gate and people can relax here with family and friends.  For tourists, there are to staircases that take you all the way up to the top where at each floor there are souvenirs for tourists.

Next, we made our way to Pha That Luang.  This sacred Buddhist monument is said to be Laos most important national monument and such a symbol of nationalism that its golden stupa is a part of the national seal.  Built in the 16th century, King Setthathirat ordered its construction when he relocated the capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane.  Unfortunately, it has been heavily damaged through invasions of others and has needed several reconstructions.  The design of the stupa is done in three levels with a total height of 50 meters (over 147 feet).  For us the nicest part about visiting historical sites such as this in Laos is that we were not bombarded with tourists.  In fact, half of the dozen or so people at Pha That Luang were Buddhist monks.  Interestingly enough, a couple asked Adan for a photo.

Finally, our destination was Xieng Khuan, or Buddha Park.  The location for this attraction would be nearly 25 kilometers away and in the back of tuk-tuk it seemed like an eternity.  This was an especially burdensome journey when you factor in the number of potholes and unpaved roads we took to get here.  It was a rough ride.  However, after about 40 minutes we arrived at what locals call Spirit City.  It gets this name from the 200 Hindu and Buddhist statues that fill this government-run park.  The park dates back to 1958 and has a mix of human, god, animal, and demon sculptures.  The most interesting one is what appeared to be a huge pumpkin-shaped depiction of hell, earth, and heaven.  Each level has view areas and staircases.  This location was a bit odd and creepy, however according to local tourist magazines it ranks as a top ten "attraction."

After taking the bumpy ride back, we decided to have a nice Turkish dinner at a restaurant down the road from our hotel.  The food was actually pretty good.  We ordered fresh bread with hummus, doner kebab, and chicken kebab.  After we ate we noticed that the main drag was having a decent sized night market.  We strolled up and down the sidewalks checking out handicrafts and other items for a couple hours before going back to the hotel.  Adan was proud of Pazi.  She resisted the temptation to buy anything that night.         

Lazy Last Day
Our next day in Vientiane was pretty low key.  We needed to work with a travel agency to get the right plane ticket to our next destination--Luang Prabang.  We wanted to leave the following day so we made it a priority to book tickets first thing that morning.  It took us about one hour, but we got everything resolved.  We even decided to get a driver in advance because of the deal we got from the agency. 

We had been wanting to visit Talat Sao, Morning Market, to see what it had to offer.  It was a decent walk from the hotel's neighborhood, however we decided to explore a bit.  Along the way we made stops at wats and other interesting buildings.  Eventually we made it to the market.  The setup for shopping here is quite interesting.  There is a traditional outdoor area with individuals selling from stalls.  Then right next door to this area is a newer building that houses all air conditioned shops on four levels.  It seems that slowly the more traditional outdoor market here is withering away as newer generations opt for what is more or less a mall.

For the next three hours we browsed both areas.  We purchased a few shirts and small souvenirs.  The highlight for us was eating lunch at the food court.  Adan was really wanting to try Laotian pho noodles.  We enjoyed them and noticed how they shared obvious commonalities with Vietnamese pho.  In case you're wondering, the meal is basically rice noodles in a broth served with meat, basil, lime, and bean sprouts.

We still needed to see one last temple--Wat Ho Phakeo.  This temple was constructed in 1565 with the main duty of housing the Emerald Buddha for the king.  Siam in the 18th century eventually seized Vientiane and took the Buddha to present day Thailand.  A number of years later the temple was completely destroyed during the Thai sacking.  In the following years leading up to present day, the wat has been rebuilt three times.  Now, it houses a museum and no longer serves as a temple of practice.  During our visit we really liked the tranquility of its location and the beautiful upkeep of the grounds.  Definitely worth an hour of any one's time to visit.

Our last piece of business before leaving Vientiane was to have a French dinner.  Every guide book talks about the French influence in Vientiane and how there's no better example than the food.  Since French cuisine can be rather costly we decided to give it a try--at least Adan did.  At the Le Terasse, Adan ordered a steak in red wine sauce with potatoes and vegetables.  Pazi wimped out and decided to have the four seasons pizza.  The food was fairly good.  The ingredients were fresh and service was good.  For the price of $22 dollars, we were happy to give it a try, but not impressed enough to crave it again.