Hello dear friends, family, and readers!
I have just returned from my three day trip to Vientiane, the capital of the country of Laos. I loved my time exploring a corner of this new country! This post documents my time in Vientiane. I hope you enjoy experiencing Laos with me!
I began my journey to Laos from my hometown of Nong Khai, Thailand. The journey was quite a short one; I live approximately ten minutes away from the Thai/Lao border, by tuktuk!
My good tuktuk driver friend Chang gave me a ride to the bus station by the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. I was confused about where to buy the ticket and where my passport would be stamped, so he got out of the tuktuk and helped me figure it all out! Such a good friend.
On the bus, heading to the immigration office.
Once we had received our exit stamps from Thailand in our passports, the bus took us across the bridge, which goes over the Mekong River (border between Thailand and Laos). Welcome to Laos!!
The Laotian currency is called Kip. 100,000 kip equates to about 400 baht, or $12 USD.
After going through the immigration office and acquiring my Laos visa, I got a taxi to the capital, Vientiane. It took about 30 minutes to drive from the border to the main city.
Notice that in the two photos above, there are two flags flying by every storefront/restaurant. The right flag is the Laos flag, and the left flag is the communist flag. Laos has been a communist country since the 1970s and its residents appear to be very proud of this identity.
This was taken at the end of my first stop in Vientiane: a 2.5 hour stint at the Thai Embassy, in which I waited in line behind exactly 571 others who were all there for the common purpose of dropping off their applications for Thai visas.
Brief Visa Run explanation/rant:
The reason for my Vientiane trip was to acquire my Thai work visa. It is compulsory to leave the country in order to obtain this visa. The embassy is open on non-holiday weekdays, with an application drop-off period between 8:30 and 11:30 AM and pick-up period on the following day between 1:30 and 4 PM. I arrived just before 10 AM, and the embassy was PACKED. The day before had been a holiday, and I was there on the Thursday and Friday before a long weekend. This was probably one of the most popular days out of the entire year to do my visa run. The embassy stayed open for drop-offs until 12:45 PM this day, which I think is pretty unheard of, but because it was so packed, they allowed those that they had let through the gate drop off their visa applications after the normal deadline had passed. I was very lucky for this, as I did not get to the front of the line until 11:45, and did not leave the embassy until 12:30 PM. Moving a few steps every five minutes was like a Disneyland line from hell. Good times!
I snapped the above photo of my dog's toy, Blue Peep, in front of the last few visa applicants who had been behind me in line. I had been so anxious until this point, but now my visa application was dropped off and I was free to explore Vientiane!
Walking through the streets of the capital, I happened upon some pretty awesome temples.
This temple was visible from the outside, but the gates to get in were locked.
Across the street, I found Phat Tich Temple, a Vietnamese-inspired temple with clear influences from Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhist traditions.
The beautiful entryway.
I burned some incense for the Buddha and Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion.
Another statue of Buddha, meditating under the Bodhi tree.
Naga (Mekong sea serpent)-lined stairway up to the multiple story pagoda.
The base level of the pagoda, a glorious indoor temple room.
One winding stairway up, there was a golden-clad Buddha statue, with a symbol for the dharma and cycle of samsara on his chest.
Another, similar statue on the level above. There were a total of four levels like this, above the main temple. At the top...
The Buddha overlooked the city of Vientiane.
Temples stretching for miles. On the right and to the back, the concrete monument called Patouxay is visible.
Blue Peep and I were so incredibly happy to be at this spiritual place in a new country.
On I walked, observing the flags and the architecture of Vientiane.
After about an hour of walking, I arrived at my guesthouse. I booked a private room to treat myself to some space of my own for my two nights.
White elephants guard the entrance to a nearby temple.
I picked up some much needed food with a friend I met at the guesthouse and we headed to the river to eat.
The sun over the Mekong, a river I had long sat on the other side of and wondered what it would be like in the opposite country...
...and it was pretty darn beautiful.
So was this sandwich!! There were baguettes everywhere in Vientiane, as Laos was a French colony until 1954.
Watching the sun set over Thailand from Laos.
Happy traveler.
Goodnight, sun.
I saw this book in a convenience store and CRACKED up laughing. I still think it is so clever.
("A and B went out to C"... get it?)
Another round of food later, yum! Noodles, prawns, and basil with chili sauce.
Day 1 video compilation of my Vientiane trip:
Day 2 began with breakfast at a cafe down the street. Delicious drinks!
My friend and I have both been to China. When we saw scrambled egg and tomato on the menu at this restaurant, I insisted that we go inside!! This was my favorite meal in China!
It did not disappoint. Wow. One fun thing about Vientiane is the amalgam of foods available, from all over the world!
A sticker in the bathroom that I liked very much.
After breakfast, we wandered into Wat Ong Teu.
At the side of the temple, I noticed a monk giving blessings and tying Sai Sin, or "sacred threads," onto the wrists of two Laotian visitors. After they had finished, I walked up and spoke with the monk, who was very friendly and was happy to practice his English. He asked me to write a few translations for him so that he could learn (such as, "turn your palm facing up"), and then he tied this on me with a blessing of good luck. This is so special to me. I am grateful for this connection with this monk, and the tangible way to remember this experience.
Taken outside the temple, just post-blessing.
Down the street, outside Wat Sisaket.
The nineteenth century Siamese-style temple, Wat Sisaket.
A single monk walking up the sidewalk, holding an umbrella to shade himself from the midday sun.
Approaching Patouxay, the Arc de Triomphe-style victory monument built in between 1957 and 1968 to celebrate Laos becoming independent from France.
I find it mildly ironic that they modelled the victory monument for separating from France after a French monument, but there are distinctive Laotian design features and decorations that become increasingly visible as you approach.
The roof at the underside of the monument, with ornate gold detailing and motifs of elephants and mythical goddess/bird hybrid beings.
For a small fee, you can climb the seven story monument. Every level on the way up has a multitude of souvenirs for sale. I purchased flag patches to sew onto my backpack!
Two levels from the top, looking up.
The very top of the tower features windows looking out in the four cardinal directions.
Inside the very top level of the tower, with a nun enjoying the views and taking photos on her phone.
Beautiful praying Buddha figures with dharma wheel motifs in each window.
Looking out at one of the corners, from the level below.
The monument is at the center of a roundabout, making for great views from every angle.
Cheers to Patouxay!
After the victory monument, I hoped for victory as I headed back to the Thai Embassy to pick up my visa. I was unaware that they would call out numbers in the order that we had been served the day prior, so I was there for three full hours before I got my visa and passport back. In the meantime, I made friends with a very sweet family who spoke French, Thai, and a little English. Their seven year-old daughter Kim drew a picture of me on a post-it! She is the one in the red jersey sitting on the bench.
This smoothie was essential, especially because of how long I was waiting there. It was avocado and pineapple, an actually very good combination! Plus, victory was indeed achieved... I GOT MY WORK VISA !!!
The beautiful view over the river after the sun had set that night.
After a nice night spent strolling the night market by the river, I returned to my bed to find a very unfortunate reality... first, it was two of these guys, even bigger than this one, about the size of my pinky nail. I flushed them and immediately opened Google to figure out whether they had been bed bugs. I convinced myself that they were too large and too dark to be bed bugs... so I took the bed apart, determined I could find no more, put the bed back together and sat for my nighttime meditation. During the sit, I felt something crawling on my foot. I grabbed my phone and used the flashlight to see this little friend. I snapped a picture and flushed the bug, opened Google and to my chagrin, I determined this was definitely a bedbug. It was almost 2 AM by this point, and since I had already slept a night in this bed, I decided I would just sleep here again, even with the knowledge of my co-sleeping friends. I doused myself in bug repellent and went to sleep. This was the least restful sleep of my life; every dream was about bedbugs or themes of a similar nature, I woke up many times and turned on the lights/checked for bugs, and I never found another bug. In the morning I did not see any bites other than the mosquito bites I had already had, so I thought the repellent worked. I told the guesthouse owner about the bedbugs upon my checkout and she was shocked; she said that this was the first instance of bedbugs she'd had, and immediately hugged me and thanked me for actually telling her in person rather than just writing about it in a review. I really did have such a lovely time at her guesthouse, I would stay there again! I think I just got very unlucky... and as the day went on, the bites emerged, and BOY THEY ARE STILL SO ITCHY AS I WRITE THIS POST. I am so disturbed and feel so violated by these little creatures... I sincerely hope no one reading this post ever has to deal with these!! Ick!!!!!!
Day 2 in a video compilation below! (Don't worry, the bedbugs are not featured.)
Welcome to Day 3! Starting the morning looking at the most beautiful emerald-gold temple, Wat Inpeng.
Breakfast was banana, cheese, and honey baguette. Yum!
The bedbug bites began to emerge... two big ones and three little ones (harder to see) that swelled up more as they got itchier throughout the day. Frown!
Itchy itchy girl liked the reliefs of these elephants enough to take out her phone and snap a picture, even with all of the bites on her hands and knuckles.
I walked into the grounds of Wat Kao Nhot, where there were no other people except for a couple of monks having an early afternoon lounge by their quarters.
On the walls inside the temple, paintings depict scenes from the life of the Buddha.
The opposite side of the temple opens out into a beautiful setting of sculptures of Buddha.
A peaceful, meditative space.
Siddhartha images in all positions.
Buddha in final nirvana, with dharma wheels on the soles of his feet.
Buddha on a glorious snake/naga throne.
Not one of the more famed temples in Vientiane, but one of my favorites that I saw. On this trip, I walked past (without going inside) all of the temples that were charging visitors to come in, and that typically had tour buses and lots of tourists inside. I found so many temples that had very few people (if any) inside, that were free of charge, and that felt so authentic and beautiful to me. I am glad that I chose to experience the temples of Vientiane this way. It does mean, however, that if/when I go back, there is so much more to explore!
A shot of one of the more famous temples, Wat Si Muang, from over the outside gate.
Last but not least, my favorite temple experience of the trip: Wat Sok Pa Luang. This temple was pretty out of the way, and I am so glad that I made a point to go there. It is in a forested area in the outskirts of Vientiane. The entrance gate is photographed above.
The reason I went to this temple: I had learned on a travel blog that the novice monks there hold a meditation session for Westerners on Saturday afternoons. From 3-4, they hold a conversation session with the novice monks so that they can practice their English. From 4-5, the monks lead a Vipassana meditation session, broken up into two periods of sitting and one period of walking. It was a wonderful experience, and I am so grateful that I got to do this.
I snapped these photos as we were putting our cushions away after the session was over. "Vipassana" means "insight" meditation, and this session truly did provide me many insights. I have been implementing the ideas into my meditations since.
This is my friend, Monk Khoun! He has very good English, and I so enjoyed talking with him. We are now Facebook friends! I hope to meditate with him again soon.
A couple of the other monks who led the session. All very genuine, kind, and inspiring beings.
A brief prayer by the golden Buddha on the premises before I departed from the monastery.
As I walked, it began to rain. I took refuge under the awning of a restaurant and ordered some shrimp fried rice for dinner. Delicious.
After this, I walked in the rain for awhile until I found a tuktuk, who was miraculously (and thankfully) willing to take me the 12 km to the Friendship Bridge. After a quick pass through the border office, one exit stamp and a bus ticket later, I was crossing the bridge back into Thailand.
A blurry photo of the Laos flag over the Mekong as the bus took us from one country to the other. Goodbye for now, Laos! I will be back!
Two post-Laos photos...
Monk Khoun and I are Facebook friends! When he is in Nong Khai, we will meet to meditate.
I sewed the patches I bought at Patouxay onto my backpack! These are the three countries that my backpack set has visited: China, Thailand, and Laos.
Finally, the video compilation for Day 3 in Vientiane:
I so enjoyed my time in Laos. Thank you, Vientiane, and thank you to you for reading this post! May you be happy, safe, healthy, and at ease. Thanks for coming to Laos with me!
Talk with you soon...
☸
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