Vientiane is a small and lovely city seated on the edge of the Mekong River, right next to the Thai border. The French originally settled the city and you can still see the elements of their time spent here; bakeries, shuttered villas and even the locals speaking in French occasionally.
I spent a few lovely days doing nothing really! Having said that I did visit Pha That Luang, which Lonely Planet describes as :
Svelte and golden Pha That Luang is the most important national monument in Laos; a symbol of Buddhist religion and Lao sovereignty.
Lonely Planet. (2012). Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & Northern Thailand. (pp 282)
I thought it was pretty impressive; I ended up taking loads of photos of the huge golden spike and the many Buddha statues, of which there are LOADS! There were Buddha’s in every possible pose; sitting, standing, reclining, hands up, hands down, hands full!
It was nice to get out and see some more Buddhist stupas; I saw quite a few in Nepal and it was different seeing one in the heat and sunshine of Thailand compared to the cool, misty surroundings of Kathmandu.
I did also venture out to see the Mighty Mekong…which isn’t so mighty this time of year. Its full on ‘Hot’ season here at the moment, almost the wet season, but not quite…during the wet season the river swells up to twice the size I’m currently seeing it at. It looks sort of barren this time of year.
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