Laos > Still to Vientiane

At half past seven, we head to the airport again. This time, four tuk-tuks are available, giving us more space. The luggage is transported by a pick-up truck. In the departure hall (there is only one hall), we check in our luggage again. The time on the whiteboard still shows nine o’clock. Everything seems to be going smoothly. Shortly after, the plane from Vientiane lands—a good sign! Around nine, we board the propeller plane. A total of 52 passengers can travel, and the plane is completely full. The flight to Vientiane takes less than half an hour. To my surprise, we are served a sandwich and water during the flight. Just as everything is collected, the landing begins. In Vientiane, the weather is beautiful and warm. Our driver is already waiting with the bus to take us to the hotel.

Laos - Pha That Luang is the national monument of Laos

He drove the route from Phonsavan to Vientiane yesterday—a winding eleven-hour journey. Our hotel is located in the heart of the Chinese district. The hotel looks fine, which makes it all the more disappointing that we are only staying one night. While others take it easy in the morning, I wander through Vientiane. I explore the streets and soon encounter several temples in the city center. By the Mekong River, I visit the Wat Chan temple. From there, I walk back to the hotel. In the afternoon, we explore more of Vientiane. At the square near the fountain, we order a tuna sandwich. Then we walk through the center, past the palace, and on to the morning market. Contrary to its name, the market is open all day—a maze of stalls selling mostly Chinese trinkets. We continue toward Patuxai, the Victory Monument in Vientiane. The massive monument stands prominently at a road intersection. From there, it is still over a kilometer to the Pha That Luang, the national monument. We take a tuk-tuk. At exactly two o’clock, we arrive in front of the national temple of Laos.

Laos - Monks participate in prayer at Wat That Luang Neua next to Pha That Luang

At the nearby Wat That Luang Neua temple, a ceremony with monks is underway. The patriarch arrives and leads the prayer. With appropriate decorum, we kneel at the back of the temple. I take a few photos of the ceremony, especially when all the monks bow forward simultaneously—it is a beautiful sight. The Pha That Luang is a golden stupa, shining brightly in the sunlight. According to legend, it contains a bone of Buddha from 600 BCE, though this has never been proven. We want to return to the city center by tuk-tuk. The fare is suddenly 60,000 Kip (about 6 dollars), which we find too much. As we start to walk away, someone offers to take us for 20,000 Kip, much to the displeasure of his colleagues. The tuk-tuk takes us to Wat Si Saket, the oldest temple in the city. In 1827, the army of Siam (present-day Thailand) conquered Vientiane and leveled the city. They left Wat Si Saket intact because it was built in the Thai architectural style. Today, it functions as a museum. The monastery walls contain over 6,800 Buddha statues in small niches. There is also a pile of broken statues that did not survive the destruction of 1827. Across the street, we visit Wat Phra Keo, which was formerly the king’s prayer hall and is now a museum. The temple has been fully restored after the Siamese destruction. We walk back to the hotel along the main street, stopping to view Wat Mixai monastery and Wat Chan temple. In the evening, we have dinner on a rooftop terrace in the city center.