“I think I feel the same amount of pleasure when I see a monk on a smartphone or a programmer starting a fire with rubbing sticks.” -Old Sean
Following an extended motorcycle tour around the Plain of Jars in Phonsavan, I directed my energy to visiting Vientiane next. Vientiane was an incidental stop on my journey. Through it’s the capital of Laos, I’ve never heard much about it.
For me, it’s just a convenient city to rest at before heading into Thailand. That being said, it turned out to be a pleasant visit
Entering Vientiane
Vientiane is a mildly interesting border city.
Situated on the sweeping curve of the river, the city operates as the capital of the entire country while being on the border of northern Thai territory.
It’s an nice city to walk around, partially because the monuments that dot the urban environment are compelling. It also helps that foot traffic in the city is somewhat laid back. For a major capital to a pretty large tourism country, Vientiane is a sleepy center.
I ended up staying in a small hostel near the Chao Anouvong Park and began working outward from there. My mornings were spent munching on dry pastries for breakfast and reading books before starting my city walks.
Visiting Vientiane’s Strange Monument
The easiest structure to visit along the main road is the Patuxay (Victory Gate) Victory Monument, a massive stone arch in front of a reflecting pool.
The monument was built from funds supplied by the United States to construct an airport, but the Laos government built the monument instead.
The monument is situated in the center of a fairly traffic-heavy roundabout and operates as a de-facto park with food stalls and hawkers doing laps around the small area. Patuxay is almost impossible to miss when people are visiting Vientiane: It’s located on one of the major inroads to the city center.
Temple Tourist
It’s worth mentioning that temples are practically stacked on top of one another throughout the city.
During my walk to other landmarks in the city, I passed dozens of temples. Here, monks in bright orange robes cared for temple grounds by sweeping tiles and feeding small cats. I also saw many monks (in an amusing juxtaposition) toying around with smart phones when they weren’t working.
I didn’t catch the names of most of the temples I walked past, but I did get to see the pristine white War Deads Monument and the extremely photogenic Pha Wat Luang Temple (a gold Buddhist stupa with multiple layers and a seated figure out front (King Setthathirath).
The coolest things to note while walking through temples in the city are their steep designs and three-headed, exquisitely-painted dragons. There dragons are gilded with interesting Laotian nose-crests branching forth from pillars. Most dragons are depicted as split in three with rearing, striking or binding necks. These are called Nagas (or the Naga), which have heavy roots in the nearby Mekong River culture.
Visiting Vientiane Swiftly
I spent my last day in the city walking along the river, visiting the night market and eating at different restaurants with a two-story balcony overlooking the river. I also managed to find a massage parlor which was almost painfully rigorous, but I felt looser once I started walking again.
Overall, visiting Vientiane is nice, but slightly disconnected and odd. Most tourists and expats used it as a breathing point before going on. I saw relatively few tourists exploring the area.
After a couple of days in the area, I was pretty much finished. To be fair, my adventures in Phonsavan and Luang Prabang also wore me out.
At the end, I rolled up my laundry, aggressively laced up my boots and marched to my bus stop, where I slept my way into Thailand to enjoy Nong Khai for a scant few hours.
Anyway, until I can remain awake and aware for at least two consecutive hours,
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written February 11th, 2018
Want to see the full list of things to do when relaxing or visiting Vientiane? Check out the Leftfade Trails recommendation list
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