Laos; Day 1

We finally arrived!  I can’t quite sort, well I guess I’ve just not done so, but we arrived in Laos around 9 AM on December 5th (local time) after leaving Santa Fe for the hotel/airport at 9 PM on December 2nd.  Always a loooooooong haul to Asia. Thus, it requires a long trip!

A Buddha happy of our arrival

First impressions:  people are friendly, even those who speak English really only know a few words, not sufficient to carry on a conversation, even at the hotel.  (is the water purified in the tap, safe to drink; yes the bottles of water in the room are free….  a 5 minute conversation to get to no, don’t drink the water in the tap); the texture of Vientiane (the capital and largest city) reminds me of Mexico in the late 90’s. Bustling, people working, living their lives and getting along, but not totally prosperous.  On the verge.  There does appear to be lots of construction in Vientiane which is a good sign, and the pollution is not bad as Mexico was, at least in the cities.

A sacred cow at the Buddha Park

Upon arrival, our hotel was not ready yet so we took a (very expensive by Laos standards) cab ride to the Buddha Park; a spot created in 1958 with lots of Buddha’s.  I think this will not be a unique fixture of SE Asia, but we enjoyed it none the less.

This Monk was building a little shrine right outside the Buddha Park. He stopped and played his flute for me. He was busy painting a big mount of rocks gold at his shrine. After a can of paint was empty, he just tossed the can into the distance. Respect takes on lots of different forms.

The the building where the pic was take of us (below). This was the staircase we came down into this “chamber”, with Jim in the background looking at…. Buddha’s.  There were about 4 stories of rooms, all with stairs much like this.

A few Buddha’s in the background from a building (it probably has a name) that you can climb up. Safety standards have not made it to Laos!

We really do need to understand more about Buddhism….

Had a lovely French/Lao lunch (lots of French influence left here) and then spent the afternoon wandering near our hotel.

There are lots of Wats (I think a Wat is a temple with a place where Monk’s live) around Vientiane.  This Wat we can see from our hotel room.  I do live the architecture, carvings and vibrants.

Lovely carving at the Wat next door to our hotel. Cows, serpents, elephants,…. We need to begin to understand the significance of the figures.

And that Christmas thing?  The entire way here, through  airports in Japan (Shinto),k Malaysia (Muslim) and Laos (Buddhist) and here in Vientiene, we hear Christmas music and see Christmas decorations.  It goes to show that the Christ in Christmas is not the thing for much of the world.  But, if the goodwill and peace of Christmas can transcend the specific religion, that is a good thing.

A “family” Buddhist shrine (they remind me of Our Lady of Guadalupe shrines in the Southwest) in front of a large store panel for Christmas. Cultural mixing.

Today, off to visit Wats and temples and then a visit to a war museum.