I wanted to drive from Luang Prabang to Vientiane
to see the countryside but found that I had to take an overnight halt and the
cost was prohibitive. So, I thought I’d go via Phonsovan after seeing the Plain
of Jars. But here again, my detour, via the Eastern part, did not reduce the journey.
Either way, its 7 hours per stretch. If I took a cab (travelling in public
transport or general taxis was a strict No as one can’t stop when one wants to
and bus drivers are reckless), I’d have to pay for the return fare and
overnight. So, the answer was drive to Phonsovan and then fly from there to
Vientiane – cost was US$ 260 by land/air vs. US$ 700+ by land only!! So arrived from the airport to my cute B&B
– Lani’s.
The name of the city is derived from Pali,
the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism. Although the original
meaning of the name is "city of sandalwood", as shown by ancient Lao
inscription which wrote according to etymology, unlike modern Lao which is
written phonetically; in modern Lao,
the meaning of the name Vientiane is ambiguous. Lao claim that the city's name
means "city of the moon", while many also claim correctly that the
city's name means "city of sandalwood" because the words for
"moon" and "sandalwood" are written and pronounced identically as
"chan" in modern Lao. Most academic and historic Lao sources claim
that the city's name does in fact mean "city of sandalwood",
reinforced by the city's Thai and
Khmer names both retain the etymological spelling, which indicates "city
of sandalwood".
 |
| Food seller on promenade preparing her order |
It’s a well spread out city with broad streets and
avenues. The square outside the famous Phat That Luang is humungously vast. Reminded
me of Red Square, a bit smaller but on the same concept for parades etc. Getting
around Vientiane is easy, as the traffic is far less dangerous than in other
Asian cities like Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh.
The city map given to tourists is very clear and all monuments / sights are
pictorially given. Street signage is lacking generally but in the centre more
and more signs are displaying street names which are bilingual Lao and French.
The Lao word "thanon" on these signs is translated by
"rue", "avenue" or "boulevard".
On 2 December 1975, the communist party
of the Pathet Lao took over Vientiane, defeated
the Kingdom of Laos, and renamed the country the Lao People's Democratic Republic, which
ended the Laotian Civil War. Laos remains communist even today.
Having given you the history lesson, the first
thing I did was to go and see the River and the Promenade. It was just 5
minutes from my hotel. Amazing. It was around 5.00 pm, the sun was still up and
it was slightly warm. The first thing you see is the night market which starts
at 5.00 pm and stays on till 10.30 pm ?? Anyway, then comes the road and across
that is this huge promenade stretching either side of me – I think I was at the
centre point as that’s where there is an amphitheatre built downwards. Hordes of
people. Tons of kids. Lao love children and babies – I think they are making up
for the war years and loss of lives!! I stood
and inhaled the fresh air. Then I walked up and down just absorbing the ambience. It was fun. Seeing people from a different culture – especially the love they have for their kids and families and food. Then coming across the lovers and further up, the exercisers doing aerobics. Evening was coming along so naturally the food stalls were being set up along the road. You name the local food and it was there but essentially it was the fast food type. Many varieties of ice-cream were on offer. I saw 3 or 4 guys on these parachutes with huge fans as I saw in the airboats in the Everglades except here they were powering the parachutes into various fancy aerial displays.
The setting sun in fiery orange with a para glider
above and exercisers below made an interesting sight. I walked thru the night
market which was the most organised I have ever seen – lights, well laid out,
tents and no overcrowding. Items well displayed. Orderly crowds. Impressive.
Having a list of good restaurants does not mean
that it’s easy to find them. I was totally angry and hungry as most seemed to
be away from where I was. So I started walking back towards my hotel and found,
just by the main road, right next door to me, and this bar with four Koreans drinking,
I walked in. Cautiously I ordered a beer and luckily for me, I was given
complimentary snacks which I just loved –hummus on brioche and something with olives.
If these were good, the starters should be as good?
After perusing the menu,
which had some really interesting dishes, I ordered a Camembert starter. I was
hooked. This place became my main restaurant for the 36 hours I was in
Vientiane! Read the menu and enjoy the pics. It was only because I had to try out something new that I went to a nearby pizza place which was quite good. But I-Beam – its good is outstanding. If in Vientiane, go there. 
When you get hungry
try the nation’s signature dish, tam mak-hung (spicy
green papaya salad). laap (spicy minced meat
salad) and ping kai (fried chicken). For its
size, Vientiane is surprisingly multicultural and has excellent French, Indian,
Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants that serve both Lao and specialty
dishes. Quench your thirst with a refreshing Beer Lao or fresh fruit shake from
one of the many small restaurants found along almost every street in town. At
dusk, find a spot along the Mekong promenade to enjoy an amazing view of the
sunset over the river.
Walking down my street, I suddenly saw something so familiar – a sight from the past. Just look at these electrical connections. My God, high tension cable wires stretched quite happily across the streets. What happens in a rain storm if they fall?
There are many wats in Laos and I rather liked this small wat nearby. As you see the novice monks do all sorts of labour. We had already seen them building a new structure in LP and here they were tearing down a building.
As an artist in my retirement i always appreciate
a struggling fellow artist.
The sad part is that there were no longer any
tourists for this person to sell his artwork
Relying on the fickle tourist who today has his iPhone or iPad and is selfie obsessed, the public photographer’s business is running at a low point.
I saw many of these guys touting for business without much luck. What fascinated me was that they had their processing lab in the trunks of their cars!!
Text and photographs copyright of the author. No part of this article or photographs maybe transmitted or reproduced by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission. Do contact the author on email -- helpthesun@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment
Text and photographs are copyright of the author. No part of any article or photographs maybe transmitted or reproduced by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission. Do contact the author on email -- helpthesun@gmail.com