July 24, 2004
A Buddah in Vientiane.
Journal and photo by Justin Mounts
Sawasdee khrap! Parlez vous Francais?
Welcome to day 267 of the LONGITUDE Expedition. Today we are in the capital of Laos, Vientiane. Now, just a walk down the street will leave you somewhat confused. Glancing around at the buildings, you will see several different styles of architecture presented, which may leave you wondering exactly where you’re standing. First, there are the traditional simply styled buildings and elaborate temples that one associates with Southeast Asian cities. A twist of the neck in one direction will present you with visions of grand French architecture, and a turn in the other direction with put you face-to-face with the cold, hard lines of communist-style bomb-shelter-like buildings.
Vientiane is completely different than what I expected. Here in the middle of Laos, you can find some of the best French food outside of Paris. Plus, they have a Scandinavian bakery that is out of this world. Who knew that in the capital city of Laos, I would find some of the world’s best cuisines? I mean, sure you usually expect to find great food in a capital city, but this is only a city of 133,000 people.
I spent the day wondering around the city past many different types of shops and restaurants, and after adopting a dog (Chauncey—who later ran away), I got caught in a rainstorm. After the rain passed, I continued through a myriad of temples and wound up face-to-face with an arch that sits in the middle of the main thoroughfare. This arch, styled similarly to the Arc de’ Triumph in Paris, is an impressive cap on top of the other buildings in Vientiane.
After a final stop past the local souvenir market, I decided to call it a day. After all, tomorrow we’re back on the road heading north, and I need some rest.
Until next time, I wish you well from the far side of the world.
| Logbook for July 24th, Day 264 | ||
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Start: Vientiene, Laos Time: N/A N: E: |
Finish Vientiene, Laos Time: N/A N: E: | Mileage: |
| Notes: We spent the day enjoying Laos. We went to an interesting place called the Buddha Garden, where they have zillions of statues of Buddha and friends. It was neat-o and eerie at the same time...maybe because it was sort of dark and overcast. We also found a really good sandwich shop. People here are way friendly. We like it. It is a quiet capital city; everything shuts down at 11 p.m. (N.O.) | ||
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