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The Mekong is really the
lifeblood
of Laos. Laos is a landlocked country, yet water is omnipresent. This
is
the Mekong in Vientiane, the capital. Whereas Luang Prabang has had a
fairly
tranquil history, Vientiane has been repeatedly sacked by the Thais. |
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The temples of Vientiane are
quite
different from those in Luang Prabang. The most obvious difference is
that,
instead of gold, much is painted with a cheddar cheese color. |
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This museum, the Haw Pha
Kaew, is a
replica of an earlier temple, rebuilt with inferior materials. But
inside,
there is a large collection of interesting fragments and statues. As
you
can see, the "dry season" was coming to an end. |
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The Vat Si Muang is not the
most attractive
temple, but it is a very active one. Inside, there is a huge boulder,
the
Lak Muang, under which, it is said, is buried a pregnant girl who
sacrificed
herself for the welfare of the city. Inside the temple, the atmosphere
is a bit hectic, with people bringing in incense and food offerings
amid
twinkling "Christmas" lights. |
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The Vat Si Saket is the most
beautiful
structure in Vientiane. It is a huge temple from 1818, built in the old
Thai style. |
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The temple is surrounded by a
gallery
of great interest. |
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Inside the gallery, there are
multitudinous
statues of the Buddah. Some are tiny, in the little wall niches. The
bigger
ones allow you to compare the many styles: Thai with a pointy
headpiece,
Khmer with fatter lips, Chinese with stiff little hair tufts... |
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The Hat Dam or black Stupa is
truly
spooky. No wonder, since it is supposed to be the resting place of a
seven
headed dragon that saved the city in 1828. |
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Also haunting are the many
colonial
houses which look directly transplanted from some old fashioned French
resort. |
