Day two in the capital of Laos and another day of walking around soaking up the atmosphere. It was already pretty hot when we set out on our walk so we stopped off for a deliciously cold and strong iced coffee to keep our energies up. We started by walking out of old town and down towards the Patuxai which is the Laos equivalent of the Arc de Triumph in Paris.
It was pretty impressive to see and there were a few people milling around but it certainly couldn’t be described as being overly busy. Although nice to see there wasn’t really a lot to see so we took our photos and continued on towards Pha That Lang another top Vientiane sight to see.
It was about 2km further on down the road and by the time we got there it was seriously hot and humid and we were both needing some water. Having said that the strong sun really lit up the golden exterior of the temple quite fantastically and even though we were sweltering we were both quite impressed.
Next door was a temple complex which contained an elegant lying Buddha and an assortment of ornately designed buildings. It was lovely walking around them and interesting to see all the different designs but unfortunately while all these sites claimed to be museums and charged entry there was absolutely no information at all about what we were looking at which was a bit of a shame. Still it was lovely to see.
The walk home seemed to go on for an eternity and by the time we had walked the 4 km back we were suffering seriously from the heat. We had a quick lunch and downed plenty of water before escaping back to the air conditioning. It is the one problem with visiting SE Asia at this time of year, the humidity is so high that it absolutely drains you.
Determined to discover the areas of Old Town which people wax lyrical about we set off in a different direction for our evening stroll and found a lovely restaurant which served us up some absolutely delicious Laos food. Bonus!
It’s true that Vientiane is the most relaxed capital city in the world but we didn’t necessarily fall in love with the place. Maybe if the heat hadn’t been quite so oppressive we might have been able to wander around more and appreciate the place, but while we enjoyed the place it didn’t seem to have the “wow factor.” T
The Patuxai in all its glory.
A little bit optimistic!
The startling golden Pha That Luang.
The reclining Buddha.
A fabulously decorated hall near the reclining Buddha.
Finishing off Vientiane by watching the ladies doing their workout by the Mekong.