The Second Most French-Like Capital in the World
Vientiane, 30th April 2002
The dorm room was stifling hot so I didn't sleep much last night.
The fan, which felt like a sick kitten breathing on me from a
distance of 5km away, didn't help.
At about 9am, I thought I'd better get up and have a proper look
round town. So, after grabbing breakfast, I strolled the streets
looking at the architecture, temples and shops. The French colonial
style housing is still evident in many places and there are some
interesting buildings. The Presidential Palace looks like a nice
place to stay!
I was quite impressed by the temples in Vientiane. I've seen so many
in Asia, I'm becoming a bit indifferent to them, but I really liked
the style of the very old ones here. I've taken a few photos that
I'll add later.
I took the short walk out to the famous Patuxai monument, the Lao
version of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. An unforgettable testament
to the time of French rule.
It actually looks quite odd. Right in the middle of one of the only
roundabouts in the area (actually a collection of dust tracks
converging in a mess) the lone structure stands, looking miserably
out over the city. It can't help feel a bit out of place. Still, I
was relieved to reach it and stand underneath it. The wind that
rushes through creates a lovely cool area to hide from the intense
heat of the day. Once I'd gathered the energy, I took the walk to
the top to survey the view of the city. It was nice, nothing more
nothing less. After grabbing a few photos, I examined some of the
carvings.
I spent a few hours walking around the morning market, an impressive
collection of bits & bobs, but nothing really fancied. I did,
however, see a very funky fridge that would be nice for my house,
when I get one. Oh dear! Fridge spotting in Lao?! What am I doing!
The rest of the day passed uneventfully until I found a great little
souveneir shop. The main thing of interest was a great collection of
(copied) CDs for sale at about the same prices as the ones in
Thailand. The only difference is that this shop had a much more
diverse collection of music. In Thailand, they mainly sell
mainstream pop, rock & other such stuff, however this shop had a
great collection of jazz, cuban, classical, acid jazz and other more
interesting styles of music. I spent a few hours in the shop
listening to new & different stlyes of music. A great chance to
obtain some `cultured' music.
By the time I left the CD shop, it was getting late, so I headed
back to my guesthouse, and after a bit of TV, I went to bed.
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