There was an area where people set up to serve breakfast to the workers in downtown. There was a variety of food available including cooked meats, vegetables, and soups with rice or noodles.
We talked with a couple of the vendors to learn more about their daily routines. They have to pay $2.50 per day to rent their space and hope to earn $25 per day.
I didn't try these "fish sticks" but loved seeing them. Sean said this was the Lao version of fast food.
Making sticky rice.
We stopped to sample the fruit from this man. The mango plum (brownish fruit in front) was really delicious.
These are called water apples. We didn't have a chance to try them.
We talked with this lady who was selling herbs and roots for homeopathic remedies. She said on a good day she would make $20.
We then went to the golden domed Phra That Luang (Great Sacred Stupa). Unfortunately, the stupa was closed to the public as they were preparing for the huge 40th anniversary celebration of when the current regime took over the monarchy. We had a brief history lesson on the stupa from outside. The original stupa was built on the site in the 1300's. The stupa has undergone several reconstructions as recently as the 1930s due to foreign invasions of the area. It is generally regarded as the most important national monument in Laos and a national symbol.
Oh well! Maybe the next time I visit I can go inside. HaHa
These flag decorations are all around town for the celebration.
Our next stop was the Pataxay Victory Gate Monument. A war monument in the center of town. It was built between 1957 and 1968 and is dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France.
I climbed to the top for a great view of the city. This was the ceiling inside the arch.
Stairs going to most upper level.
There were shopping opportunities on the upper levels. Never let good space go to waste!
At the end of the park there was the World Peace Gong.
We then proceeded to the Haw Phra Kaew (House of the Emerald Buddha) built in 1565. This is where the jade Buddha I saw in Bangkok was stolen from when Siam (Thailand) invaded Laos in 1779. The building was going through renovation so we couldn't go inside. Okay, that's 2 no-gos today.
On the grounds though is one of the large jars from the Plains of Jars. The age of the jars date back as far as 500 B.C. and are thought to be burial urns.
These intricately carved tree trunks were also on the grounds.
Garden area
Across the street is Wat Sisaket Temple built in 1818. The temple grounds has over 6,000 Buddha statues in varying sizes and poses.
Stupas (burial receptacles for cremation ashes) located on the grounds.
The bell tower.
A couple was having their pre-wedding photos taken in traditional clothing.
After lunch we went to the COPE Visitors center. COPE is an organization that helps victims of UXOs (unexploded ordinances - bombs) left behind by the US from the Vietnam war. Between 1964 and 1973 the US army dropped over 2 million tons of ordinance on Laos, making it the most heavily bombed country per capita in history. There are still millions of unexploded bombs throughout the country and on average at least one person is injured or killed every day. COPE helps with artificial limbs and other devices to help victims try and maintain a living.
The visit was a sobering experience. The US and other nations are now trying to help locate the UXOs and clear them.
We then visited an art center where students are taught the techniques of painting and other art mediums. There were some beautiful paintings.
A man painting the small papers for sale in the market.
That concludes our visit to Vientiane and Laos. We fly to Phnom Penh, Cambodia tomorrow.
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