Curiouser and curiouser: A Weekend in Laos

I have a friend working in Laos for a year and I had a visa that required me to leave the country and reenter sometime in the next week. So, of course, the perfect solution was to visit my friend in Laos this weekend!

From the moment I landed I was enamored with Vientiane, the capital city. There are lots of trees and very few tall buildings, giving it the feeling of a friendly town rather than an overwhelming city. There are temples seemingly on every street, monks dressed in bright orange on every corner, and various forms of traditional clothing, particularly Sinhs. And perhaps most shockingly, although the streets are shared by cars, motorbikes, tuk-tuks, and bikes, as in much of Asia, there was very little honking of horns.

There are also so many westerners. When I reached the Kunming airport I found the number of foreigners overwhelming. I'm used to knowing all the foreigners around. But Vientiane had even more! And with that came some wonderful food. I'm not usually someone who cares too much about what food I eat on vacation, but I really enjoyed eating Lao food, Indian food, pizza, pasta, ramen, and steak.

When I walked off the plane and into the airport, one of the first things I noticed was the emblem of Laos.

The emblem of Laos PDR.

The large gold monument in the background is called Pha That Luang, often considered the most important national monument in Laos. It is a very large (147.6 feet, 44 metres tall), gold-covered Buddhist stupa. Various descriptions of the monument say it looks like a cluster of missiles. Although this isn't totally spurious, it is, in fact, quite pretty and impressive.

The monument in its modern form was built in the the 16th century (although supposedly it was originally built as a Hindu temple in the 3rd century, and rebuilt in the 13th century as a Khmer temple). It was damaged repeatedly in various assaults by the Burmese, Siamese, and Chinese and often rebuilt. In the 20th century alone it was reconstructed three times.

The monument is the center of a large compound. Here are a few of the surroundings.

Then, of course, the stupa itself.

The stupa is surrounded by a covered walkway that reminds me of cloisters in a cathedral.

Inside there are some older artifacts.

The walls are punctuated by these holes. I joked when I saw one put to such use, that clearly they were meant to run hoses through to water the grass! But regardless of use, it certainly enhances the cloister effect.

A few more angles...

Proof that I was actually there!

I was fascinated by the intricate detail on an adjacent temple.

Before the Buddhas resolved for me, I thought the trees had monster faces.

Even the doors were intricate!

In front were two of these...

To the side, a Buddha tree.

And the temple itself was supported by a couple of these feathered creatures. I don't know what they're called or what they signify, but I though they were interesting!

Looking back at Pha That Luang from the temple.

And another temple! With a truly elaborate set of roofs.

Personally, I think these look like artichokes, but I think they're supposed to lotuses.

Looking back again!

Yes, it's another temple.

These line many of the streets around the temples.

Now, take a look at this interesting creature.

I thought at first that it was a dragon, but I was told it is a river snake deity of some sort, called a Naga. It's believed in Laos to protect the country, from what exactly, I'm not sure. The word Naga is originally Sanskrit and has a female form, nagi, or nagini (yes, as in Harry Potter).

Look at the tongues on these ones!

An old Naga head.

An old Naga body, including ceramic scales.

Walking between temples, we saw this rocket being driven around, with gongs and drums being played behind it. Apparently the Lao people celebrate a rocket festival called Bang Fai. Many rockets are launched into the sky, supposedly to remind the gods to send the rains, although there are multiple interpretations.