Day 24 - Vientiane, Laos

We were picked up at 9.30 for our tour of Vientiaine so had time for a swim before breakfast. 

Our first visit was to the Patuxay monument.  The lower part is based on the Arc de Triomphe and the upper part is based on the Taj Mahal. 

Patuxay Monument

Friendship Gong given by Indonesia.



We moved on to the That Luang Stupa but first visited the Central Buddhist Headquarters Building, a very grand building with beautiful ceilings.

                                                                Central Buddhist HQ 

 


 

                                                            Inside Central Buddhist HQ  


The That Luang Stupa was destroyed when fire engulfed the town in 1827 during a war with Thailand but has been reconstructed since.

The That Luang Stupa

One of 4 temples around the Stupa 



Our final stop before lunch was a visit to a charity called Cope who care for disabled people in particular those severely injured by unexploded bombs dropped by the USA during the Vietnam War.  

Laos is the most heavily bombed country in the world per capita but were not involved in the war.  It was bombed because the Vietcong army had to travel through Laos to get to South Vietnam to attack the Americans on what became known as the Ho Chi Min trail.  The USA dropped cluster bombs to stop their advancement but 30% did not detonate and are still lying in the fields today and continue to kill and maim many people.   It was very interesting and very sad to see what is happening in one of the poorest countries in South East Asia.


After lunch we visited the Sisaket Temple which is the only one not destroyed in 1828 fire.  It contains over 10000 Buddha Statues.

Sisaket Temple snd Buddha statues

Sisaket Temple

Sisaket Temple with alcoves
Containing Buddah Statues.  Renovation
Is taking place to restore the walls to their original colours.

Presidential Palace

We also visited nearby Wat Phakeo which used to house a Jade Buddah but it went to Thailand.



Wat Phakeo

Original site of Jade Buddha




Our final visit was to the Buddha Park on the banks of the Meking River.  The park had many religious Statues small and large.  Across the river is Thailand.  It was extremely hot here with 39C.
We were then taken back to the airport for our flight back to Hanoi. 




View from Tree of Life

Heaven Earth and Hell temple with Tree of Life at top



View across the Mekong to Thailand



We were not picked up at Hanoi Airport so eventually, with help from another tour rep, got a taxi to the hotel and didnt arrive until after midnight.  Quite a stressful time.


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