8/10/2019 A Land in Limbo

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MONDAY

23 June2008

MONDAY

23 June2008

 TRAVEL TRAVEL   76

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IT IS hard to describe whatLaos is like. Essentially, it is aland in limbo. On the drive from the airport to the citycentre, one is greeted by the dusty roads of a third worldcountry. Yetthere is the sense thatthe city is trying tomove forward.

The signboards are usually bi-lingual – in Lao andFrench – but sometimes in English, a sign of progressand perhaps a nod to the increase in travelers to thearea. After all, Laos, as a tourist destination is still in itsinfancy having justonly gained independence less than30 years ago.

Buteven within the country itself, Vientiane does notseem to fit in. The city, the only one in the whole countryof 5.7 million people, is many times more advanced than

the other parts of the country. The factthat atleast 30%of its citizens live below the poverty line poses a clearcontrast.

Butit remains, withouta doubt, a truly Asian city.Even with the French influences, the many temples thatline the streetat various “villages”around town, andmonks walking about in their orange garb are testa-ments to this.

The mostmagnificenttemple is the Pha ThatLuang,believed to have been build to house the breastbone of Buddha himself. The sight of the tall stupa is captivat-ing. Still, a visitto Vientiane is not complete withoutthevisitto another temple, said to be the oldestremainingone in the city, WatSi Saket.

Builtin the early 1820s, the temple has now beenturned into a museum of sorts – ithouses a staggering

10,000-odd sculptures of the Buddha in differentformsand sizes. Little niches in the wall hold miniature stat-ues, while the larger ones have been laid out to beviewed and some, worshipped.

In a small storeroom lays hundreds of headlessBuddhas destroyed over the decades by war, collectedfrom differentareas around the city.

These are buttwo of the sights thattourists shouldnotmiss. However, one need notspend too many daysin Vientiane as the other provinces in Laos such as LuangPrabang and Van Vien holds equally exciting, if notmore, sights.

A four to five kilometre walk around the city – takingup approximately a whole day – is enough but shouldideally be splitinto two days. Other must see sightsinclude the Presidential Palace and Patuxai (Arch of 

Victory) a reminder of the colony days of the French.Then, for the shopaholics, there is the TalatSao marketwhere everything – from jewellery, clothes and evenelectronic devices – are available for sale.

If you spend between two to three days in Vientiane, you will have some extra time to explore more temples,or perhaps you would wantto pamper yourself at thevarious massage spots.

There are many to choose from butthe most luxuri-ous would have to be the Papaya Spa, justa cou ple of hundred metres away from the grand Mekong River,which may be more expensive than mostothers in thecity but still very affordable and definitely well-worth it.

And don’tyou worry about the cost, food is relativelycheap, budgetairlines have made flights very affordableand inexpensive hotels are clean and comfortable.

A Land in Limbo

The WatSi Saket in Vientiane, Laos, is home to over 10,000sculptures of the Buddha in various forms and sizes.

The Presidential Palace in Vientiane, Laos was originally builtfor the French colonial governor,butis mainly used for ceremonial occasions these days.

The magnificent gold stupa of Pha That Luang in Vientiane, Laos, is said to

house a the Buddha's breastbone butit has never been found.

 A wooden dragon trough used during the LaoNew Year is displayed at the WatSi Saket.

From afar, the Patuxai (Arch of Triumph) in Vientiane, Laos, looksEuropean butup close, the details include traditional Lao designs

and many images of the Buddha carved onto it.

Old scriptures atthemany temples inVientiane, Laos

The tuk-tuk is the transportof choice in Vientiane, Laos.