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