11th January: Vientiane, Laos

It was very blustery overnight, or at least our rickety top floor room made it feel that way! This hotel also has breakfast, which makes life easy. Unfortunately, toast was not the way to go as it was tepid bread with some plasticky margarine. We’ll try something else tomorrow, such as the Vietnamese noodle dish the friendly person behind the desk recommended.

Vientiane is a bit dirtier than Luang Prabang and both much more so than uber-clean and organised China, but both feel relaxed. We’ve not felt pestered like we’d been led to believe SE Asia would be like. I’m sure that’ll come, but Laos is unhurried and friendly.

Wandering out into the glorious warmth – we’ve been lucky to see wall-to-wall sunshine for more than 5 weeks straight now – the first place we stepped in to was Wat Inpeng (Wat and Vat seem to be used interchangeably). This temple’s sim had a gorgeous green and gold exterior. Monks were chanting inside, so we didn’t step in to disturb them and instead admired the beautiful temple and grounds.

Very close by was Wat Ong Teu. One of the main structures appeared to be undergoing a rebuild after a fire. However, what we believe was the main sim was still in use. Its exterior was less elaborate than Wat Inpeng’s but we were able to enter and see the red and gold stencilled interior.

Our final temple of the morning was Wat Chan, which we came across by accident when walking towards the river. This one had a row of elephant sculptures outside of the temple walls and two further either side of the entrance to the red and cream sim.

The Mekong was flowing a long way back from the bank, with a couple of hundred metres of tall grasses separating us from the water. On the far side sat our first glimpse of Thailand. Two carriageways of sparse but polluting traffic buzzed either side of the night market, which was just beginning to be set up. Young men rode motorbikes choking under the strain of towing whole stalls behind them. One lovely thing here in Laos is the lack of beeping of horns! In China it was incessant and it’s peaceful to not have that constant soundtrack.

We treated ourselves at lunch today. I had a really good oat milk latte from Laos coffee beans and a fantastically fresh and balanced Massaman curry with potatoes, carrots, and pineapple. Kaja took a seasonal mushroom soup with fresh focaccia and a deliciously sharp homemade ginger and lime soda.

The afternoon began as the morning had ended. Vats! This time, Vat Sisaket in a museum complex. 120 identical Buddhas sat all around temple in cloisters, creating a peaceful inner courtyard. The sim itself was covered in intricate carvings, especially around the windows. Inside, detailed and vibrant paintings (not strictly frescoes apparently as they were painted onto dry stucco) of holy scenes lined the walls. Outside of the inner courtyard sat dozens of Thats, also known as stupas, as burial mounds or memorials.

The final temple of this marathon was inside of the Hophrakeo Museum. One of the many plinths for Buddha’s inside sat empty. This is where the sacred emerald Buddha, now in Bangkok, was once kept.

On our way back to the hotel, we passed That Dam (Stupa). This ancient looking and overgrown concrete mound sits in the middle of what is now a roundabout on some back streets. Presumably, “That Dam Stupa” is also what city planners said when plotting traffic through this neighbourhood! Kaja wasn’t feeling so good after some food, so popped back to the room.

I didn’t want to miss out on sunset again after yesterday, so took a walk up to the Patuxay Victory Monument. This structure is somewhat reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe, although is in fact dedicated to those who fought against the French for independence and those who died in World War II. The arch is covered in Laotian motifs and sculptures and looked resplendent in the golden hour light with the close to full moon rising behind. I also caught the end of the daily musical fountain display, which was way higher than anyone expected and gave plenty of onlookers a good soaking!