Vientiane

This it what the itinerary says:-

23SEP
Transfer from hotel to airport.
Flight from Luang Prabang to Vientiane
Proposed flight number and time QV102 depart 1310 arrive 1350
1 night SETTHA PALACE HOTEL in a executive suite.

Discover Vientiane, its most beautiful Buddhist monastery, and the striking That Luang and Patuxai monuments. This is a half day tour commencing early afternoon. This afternoon you will be met at your hotel (or at the airport) for an introduction to Laos’s capital. Located on the Mekong River and with a population of 600,000, Vientiane has a laid-back, appealing feel. Your touring will take in a sample of the city’s main sights. We first visit exquisite Wat Sisaket, Vientiane’s oldest original temple, and built in 1818 - all other temples in Vientiane were re-built after the Siamese invasion of 1828. We then explore the city’s most famous landmark, the golden-spired Phra That Luang. This national monument is symbolic of both the monarchy and the Buddhist religion. At the end of the day we ascend the stairs of the Patuxai Monument, reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, then conclude with brief visit to the banks of the Mekong, to take in the sunset.

You'll notice there's only one night in Vientiane, then I head for Bangkok on the way home, so it won't be quite as relaxed as the three nights in Luang Prabang.

I'm up at five, because Mr. Somphet is picking me up at 6.30 a.m. to fly to the capital of Laos, Vientiane. The airport is only a short drive away and security and check-in is quick so there's time to relax in the small terminal. Most of my fellow passengers were on the Luang Say boat a couple of days ago. Just before eight, we walk out onto the apron and join the aircraft, an ATR-42 turboprop operated by Air Laos. Its only a 35 minute flight by air (considerably longer by road) so, very soon, we're walking across the tarmac at Vientiane, which has the luxury of a single baggage conveyor in the luggage fall. My bag arrives promptly and in the arrivals hall, my smiling guide is waiting.

Outside, the driver is waiting with a 'Kia' people carrier. It's hot - about 34 degrees. It's only a short drive to my hotel but the roads have a 'big city' feel which comes as a bit of a shock after the last few days. With migrant workers and transients, there are more like a million people in Vientiane. In this part of the city, buildings are modern and fairly nondescript. At first sight, this could be any city in South East Asia. Suddenly, we stop in the shadow of a massive microwave transmission tower - we're here. The Settha Palace Hotel is only two storey (good), modern concrete construction but in a very traditional style inside with high ceilings and wide, wooden-floors. In fact, it reminds me of the 'Raffles' in Singapore. Check-in is brief and painless and my guide arranges to pick me up at 2.0 p.m. in the afternoon for a city tour. Although it's only just after nine, my suite is ready and I'm very happy with it. There's a large sitting room, large bedroom and bathroom with bath and shower. I switch off the air conditioning (as I usually do) but, in a concession to the heat, switch on the ceiling fan. A large bowl of complimentary fruit is delivered and I'm feeling quite mellow. I have a shower and make a quick tour of the hotel. Everything seems in order. Internet is available by using a pre-paid card from 'Planet on Line'. Although Internet is cheaper in town, I purchase a pre-paid card for the convience of working in my room at funny times (I'm writing this at four o'clock in the morning).

Then, it's time for a walk to orientate myself. Armed with my 'Lonely Planet' guide (they really are good but, in a place like this, can get out-of-date quite quickly), I set off in the direction of the Mekong. I'm still suffering 'culture shock' by being back in the city and find all the people and the traffic quite odd. There seem to be plenty of tourists about but, from the hotels and restaurants I'm passing, it's clear this is the tourist part of town. I walk along the road parallel to the Mekong and briefly look at a (modern) monastery. Then I cross the road to look at the river. A few weeks ago, the river was in flood and there's a row of sandbags a couple of feet high running all along the shore. Apparently, the Government has just decreed that they must stay in place for a while. The open air restaurants spread along the shoreline with lots of little bamboo huts on stilts for the diners. It's quiet now, but this is clearly going to be a focus for the nightlife of Vientiane. At the next Monastery I visit, I'm engaged in conversation by a young monk. After being a novice for ten years, he's recently become a monk. His ambition is to study English at University but the costs are daunting. His English is pretty good and I think he wanted to practice his English rather than solicit a contribution so I make a small offering. I'm slightly uneasy, because there are all sorts of protocols in dealing with monks which I'm unaware of, and I don't want to cause offence.

I continue my walk around the town, fascinated by a small Department Store selling a bewildering range of things. Then I come to the Hall of Culture used for concerts and important meetings. It looks as dreadful as it sounds and must have been built with Chinese money. Nearby, the Lao National Museum is less offensive but a sign advises "Apologized Museum closed, Improving the exhibition room". The completion date has been altered in manuscript to read '15/10/2008', so I won't be going there. But I'm intrigued because the concrete fountain (not working) is of a design I've seen in a number of Russian-aided countries. Eminently possible, because the Soviet Union is one of many states that's provided aid to Laos over the years. Returning to the hotel, there are a couple of 'FX4' London Taxis outside, but I don't find out the story there.

We start our afternoon tour by going to Wat Si Saket, now a museum. Built around 1820 this hasn't been rebuilt and is looking distinctly tired but I'm enchanted by it. The main building (the 'Sim') is surrounded by rectangular cloisters crammed with preserved Buddha images of all shapes and styles. Although it's a museum, local people make offerings at the more important pieces, just as at active temple sites. The cloister wall is perforated with niches, all containing pairs of small, usually clay, Buddha images. Some multi-lingual signs discuss the problems of conserving the original materials used in construction.

Next, we look at the Emerald Buddha at Haw Pha Kaeo. This is now the National Museum of Religious Art but, for me, lacks the spirituality of Wat Si Sacket. Although the site is old, the present building was constructed, with French help, between 1936 and 1942 and it does nothing for me, although it holds a wide range of important artefacts. I can't illustrate the artefacts as photography is not permitted. Outside, there's one of the famous clay Jars, about four feet tall. In the South, the Plain of Jars is a famous site. The jars are thought to be funerary artefacts.

We then go to the Pha That Luang, regarded as the most important monument in Laos, it has the form of a large central Stupa surrounded by smaller ones on a tiered base and all painted gold. It was badly damaged during the invasion from what is now Thailand in 1828. The French restored it in 1900 and again in the 1930s. I don't doubt its religious significance (it reputedly holds the breastbone or pelvis of Lord Buddha) but aesthetically I find it disappointing.

Late afternoon, we visit the Patuxai. This wasn't built until the 1960s, allegedly using cement donated by the Americans intended for a new airport runway. The Lao people proudly call their triumphal arch the 'Arc de Triomphe'. There's some interesting painted relief detailing but most of the surface is untreated concrete which I find harsh. There's a hundred-odd steps to reach the top which I easily take. Inside is also bare concrete and badly lit by fluorescent tubes, giving a rather depressing appearance. Above the level of the four arches, there are two sales floors for tatty souvenirs. Because it's low season, the stall holders have barricaded off their stalls and gone home. It all produces a distinctly Laotion feel, but the Arc de Triomphe, it ain't. However, the view from the top is well worth the climb.

We drive to the Wat Si Muang, steeped in stories and said to hold the guardian spirit of Vientiane. The original structure was destroyed by invaders and rebuilt in 1915, but there's no doubting the energy of this place. Lots of people are coming and going all the time, at least two monks are carrying out separate ceremonies in different parts of the building and people are making personal devotions at various shrines. A strong smell of incense hangs over the place. My guide suggests I make a contribution, which I'm happy to do for a place that's so obviously dear to the local people. My donation earns me three strikes on a large gong, to make sure my subsequent prayer is heard. It's louder than I expect, but everyone just carries on doing their own thing.

Finally, we drive to the 'beach' - the shore of the Mekong where people are drinking at the numerous bamboo-constructed beer gardens. There's a relaxed atmosphere and we stay to watch the sunset. A racing boat with around 20 oarsmen and a cox appears and starts to practise for the forthcoming Vientiane races. I'm afraid they're rubbish. I'm happy to be dropped of at my hotel and, too tired to go down for dinner, I have fish and chips and chocolate cake in my room and am in bed by 9.0 p.m.

(More later)

More from Louang Phrabang

Monday is a 'Free Day'. I eshewed the blandishments of the hotel's various Spa treatments and decided to see more of the town. I considered doing an out-of-town trip, but decided I'd be happier just walking out of the hotel on my own two feet. The morning started cool but quickly warmed up. The hotel has a guard house and a lifting barrier. As I approached, the barrier went up (the guard releases a cord in the guardhouse and a counterweight lifts the barrier) and I was given a salute, just as he does for each vehicle which enters or leaves.

Being on foot gives you time to notice the oddities, the methods of electrical distribution (yeah, right), the concrete postbox stencilled 'Boites aux Lettres' (and with what looked like a very low security lock on the metal plate at the back to allow the letters to be collected), the man exercising his two goats, each on a piece of string, the fact that around 90% of traffic is motor bikes and it's possible to cross even main roads without too much trouble, the amount of new building, all of 'classic' reinforced concrete pattern, using remarkable amounts of bamboo or wooden props to support the floors whilst the concrete is hardening.

Take a side road, and the relative sophistication of the main tourist areas falls away and you can see evidence of much simpler life-styles, side by side with better properties, often the ones including shops and, as I commented earlier, with the incongruity of a smattering of satellite dishes.

The first temple I looked at was Wat Mahathat. Just one tourist followed me onto the site. A tiny cat was fast asleep in the sun on the temple steps. Next, I looked at Wat Ho Sian, the entrance steps from the road protected by fearful looking Naga Snakes - a seven-headed mythical snake present at a number of temples. There were plenty of tourists waiting outside the site, but I only saw young novices around the temple grounds. Just opposite was the Post Office, so I had a quick look inside. It's a fairly modest affair, so it did not detain me long.

I continued along the main street which had held the Night Market, noticing the frequent triple 2-pin sockets set low on the wall to power the lighting. The non-weatherproof fittings were charred and burnt from the heavy use. A quick glance again at Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham and a nicely-proportioned colonial building opposite (now tourist shops). At the foot of Phou Si Hill, Wat Pa Huak offers free admission (the more popular monasteries charge 20,000 Kip entry fee). Built 1860, it features some interesting wall paintings internally and a 'Trust Box' for the purchase of various items intended to support the restoration project.

We're now in 'Tourist Town', where most of the faces you see are European and the services offered are exclusively offered to appeal to tourists. I suppose it's inevitable when a country embraces tourism as a way of improving the lot of the indiginous population, but when I passed restaurant 'Tat Mor' I couldn't help feeling the name was somehow symbolic. I passed the old French school, echoing to shouting children and topped by a rusting corrugated iron roof.

Eventually, when the the guest houses and restaurants and travel agents petered out, I came to Wat Sensoukaraham, a tray of rice cakes drying on the wall. I noticed the skin at one end of the big ceremonial drum was torn - I bet the drummer got a ticking-off for that.

Then I came upon the blissful tranqility of Wat Khili. In addition to the usual monastic buildings, there is a doll's-house of a building, half-timbered, currently housing a temporary exhibition of photographs regarding the Manuscript Preservation Programme of the National Library of Laos. I'm reluctant to move on.

I've now reached the end of the peninsula, with the Mekong on my left and its tributary, the Nam Khan, flowing in from my right. A single fisherman is at the water's edge, checking his lines or nets. Another fisherman in a small boat is working near the confluence of the two rivers. Now the flood levels have gone down, the foreshore is rich in nutrients amd a number of vegetable patches are being prepared in the fertile ground. I decline various offers to charter a boat (although I'm tempted).

I make a second, brief visit to Wat Xieng Thong. This time, the main temple is crowded with novices eating their lunch and local worshippers. Then I come to Wat Nong Sikhounmuang. In addition to the Monks' quarters and the highly-decorated main temple, a second temple is being built (reinforced concrete, naturally.

More walking takes me to Big Brother Mouse's first shop in Luang Prabang. They tell me that the American volunteer adviser (whom I met a few days ago) is at their newer shop, a couple of blocks away. My increasingly weary steps take me to the newer, larger Big Brother Mouse shop and I chat to Sasha for a few minutes before starting to retrace my steps along the main street. This time, I do a deal with one of the 'Tuk-Tuk' drivers and return to the hotel.

I spend the afternoon writing in the hotel and indulge in Afternoon Tea on my own balcony. At 5.40 p.m., along with two youngish couples, I take the hotel 'Tuk-Tuk' down to the Night Market, walking round the as-yet quiet handicraft stalls, then exploring some of the stalls for locals. Near the main crossroads there's something of a 'bike jam' as a number of people make 'drive-through' purchases from the roadside vendors. There's a small group of stalls selling DVDs. They all appear to be popular music, appealing to the young people milling about.

There's a shuttle bus back to the hotel at 7.00 p.m. and I'm the only passenger. Having enjoyed Afternoon Tea, I've only space for a plate of the hotel's wonderful watercress soup. Tonight, I must pack because I'm being picked up at 6.30 a.m. to go to the airport.