Indochina Day 11, to Vientiane

Tuesday June 7^th

We left our hotel by 9:00 for the three hour drive to Vientiane. The drive was not as scenic as the drive yesterday but I enjoyed it listening to tunes and reading. Always interesting to look out the window and watch what people are up to. Saw lots of people working rice paddies. Also the closer we got the city, I started to notice that there we large western style houses interspersed with the traditional wooden ones. Richard said this is a new phenomenon, as some people are becoming rich from tourism and the opening up of the countries resources and they are now showing their wealth this way, instead of traditionally wearing gold jewelry. He reckons that it's a result of the influence of TV from the west and Thailand, where everyone is trying to live the American Dream. We talked about how our lifestyle is proving unsustainable back home, but all the western companies, in order to maintain their bottom lines, are trying to explore that unsustainable lifestyle to the third world. For example, China, India, and other places like Laos. So, this is ripping apart their cultures, changing their traditional sustainable lives and raising their expectations to probably unreasonable goals. None of this is going to help the planet.

We arrived about 12:30 and after we checked in, Richard took us out for an orientation walk and then to a restaurant for lunch. This city is not that exciting and there is not much to see here. It is the capital of Laos and about 400 000 people live here. The group of headed out to visit a few places that Richard recommended. We walked past the Presidential Palace, and across the street to the oldest temple in the city. It is currently in bad repair and undergoing some renovation. That's where the photo is taken of all the Buddhas. Thenn we walked up the main road to their Arc De Triomphe (remember they were colonized by France). The Americans sent a large about of cement over to build a runaway for Laos, but they never did it. So, the Laos government build this arch Patuxay, or Victory Gate of Vientiane. But the locals refer to it as 'The Vertical Runway”. We climbed up the seven floors for the view. There are souvenirs shops inside on three of the floors. Then Patricia, James and I walked further to see a large golden Stupa. It was a long walk and we were quite sweaty by the time we got there. This an important religious site for the people of Laos. Then we walked to the museum, but it was closed, so we headed back to the hotel. On the way back we saw this World Peace Gong, presented by the Indonesian government.

Stayed there for about an hour before we met up again for a walk to a restaurant on the banks of the Mekong River for dinner. After dinner we split up and Richard and I went to a really nice bar and had a few too many drinks. Then back to the hotel about midnight. Laos has a curfew here and all establishments and shops have to close by 11:30. Not sure why, but it is dictated by the government. I keep forgetting to mention also, that in Laos they drive on the right side of the road, because they were colonized by the French and not the British. I'm not sure, but I think this is the first country that I have been in that drives on the right side, since South America! Maybe, Turkey, I can't remember. Anyway, I am surprised by the fact that most of the places I have been to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road.