[Travel] Part 2 of 6, Laos – The Forgotten Land

This is a continuation for the travel log to Laos, if you missed the first part, read it here.

To travel into this place during the month of April – May really needs a lot of courage, unless you are those kind that have no problem in sleeping beyond the temperature of 35 degrees at night. It wasn’t really fun. really. It seemed the heat only start to wore off around 5 AM in the morning where the air conditioner starts to be effective during that time.

A look from the second floor balcony of the guest house.

A late afternoon overseeing the Mekong river.

There were 4 main places that we went during the second day of trip namely:

Apparently there is English newspaper here known as the Vientiane Times.

You should worry less on transport as there should always be a tuk-tuk near to the guest house.

Or you can choose to buy one :)

You can stroll around the town for USD1 – 3 per day on a full tank.

And if you are not tight on budget you might want to opt for these more elegant choice of accomodation.

The neighborhood in the morning.

It is not really surprising to see monks around the town.

As Buddhism is a predominant religion in this country, you are bound to see a lot of worshiping objects all around you.

Though I really wanted to see their traditional performance art, but it seems that there is no clear indication when they will be reopened again.

The brochure that I took from the guesthouse tickled my interest to watch the show though. :(

Breakfast?

There’s a lot of variety inside the basket.

And it does gets a little bit dusty on the afternoon.

Though fans are common in Asia, but it is one of the first time I have seen a combination of a tripod with these fan. Apparently it’s really famous and really sturdy under extreme condition?

A look at the junction of a road that has traffic lights. Note the wires that runs around.

A mini-road sign that I have no idea what it is all about.

Students.

Filling up petrol/gasoline

You would never want to end up like this, so it is always to get prepared before going out on a trip with the motorcycle you have rented.

Though not plenty, it is best to pin-point the exact location of these gas station so you know when to head to this place when necessary.

It doesn’t really matter if you do not converse in their local language, they should know what you want (I think).

That’s like 10,000 kip there (Equivalent of USD1).

Breakfast in Vientiane, Laos

Though there are a lot of variety in food to choose from at the morning, this shop particularly interest me, due to it’s furnishing that resembles a restaurant from Malaysia/Singapore.

Located next to Namphou Coffee, this place serves Rice noodle and roasted pork rice that is really hard to resist. The best way to find this place, is to locate Lao Hotel Plaza, which is just opposite the building.

The shop’s main entrance, too bad the wires are blocking the signage.

Opens as early as 8AM.

The owner.

They serve fresh juice as well, but mind you, it takes “slightly” long for them to prepare. I have no idea why.

A look at the Lao roasted pork, I had no idea how they made this as it’s texture felt entirely different to what we usually have back in Malaysia.

Roasted pork rice, ala Laos.

Rice noodle, resembles the Pho from Vietnam (pronounced as FUR).

Heading to Pha That Luang


Click on the map above for the exact location of this tourist attraction

It would take approximately 15 minutes to reach Pha That Luang from the town center on a motorcycle. Probably would be faster at night.

The main entrance.

It would take a long distance to walk to the main entrance as there is this vast space in between. It is known this space is used during festival celebration in Laos. There is a video depicting a festival held here. So it is not surprising that with this much space, it can still get really crowded.

You might notice during this period of time, naturally, a lot of the locals would operate their stalls below this humongous tree. Why? Reason being the weather is to inhuman to stand below it.

No it’s not book, it’s supposed to be DVDs.

This two monuments are apparently near to each other. Probably you will need around 10 minutes to each place.

It really helps a lot with a hat or cap.

Or even an umbrella.

The Pha That Luang is right behind the statue.

It seems there are some locals that sells these cages birds, assuming that it is for good will, where you buy one of those and free the birds inside.

The Pha That Luang

Pha That Luang is a national symbol for Laos as many of other countries has their symbolic representation, such as the Merlion for Singapore etc. Unfortunately, the original construction of this building was badly damaged and the one you are looking at is a reconstruction based on the drawings/prints obtained from the past. Rumors saying that the material that is used to build this place is made of real gold, hence it is unavoidable during the war, greed overthrown this place into chaos, as everyone wants a piece of it. You should pay a visit to the National Museum to get a closer look at its history. Please take note that you will need to pay a small little entrance fee of 20,000 kip as a foreigner (if I’m not mistaken) and it would take a lunch break from 12 noon to 1 p.m.

Though there might not be a drastic difference between the Lao and Thais, you get to see a lot of Northern Thais visiting Laos pretty often, goes by the saying that Laos would be a better listener compared to their neighbor. And they really are, although they might not reply/talk in the same language as you did.

This is not a surprising phenomena as the short travel distance is possible through the Friendship bridge that connects this two country via the Mekong river.

At this point of time, it is best to have adequate amount of water to avoid dehydration.

I’m pretty sure they agree hanging out under a shade is a good idea.

As you walk past the entrance, the locals would normally pay their offerings to the altar near the entrance.

And would normally take off their shoe as a sign of respect.

Besides incense, they would purchase this flower as offerings as well.

What you can really do is to actually observe and admire the building from the outside and around the Pha That Luang because the center of the building is gated on normal days.

The entire are are gated by walls like this.

And in any case you need quick air blowing to your face on these really hot day, put your face near to these magical holes.

Seems like the tools that is used during the festival.

There is no limit on how long you can stay inside.

But it is best to treat yourself to a cool drink after a walk inside.

Strolling around Pha That Luang

Do not worry if you are worried that there is not much to see except the main monument here. You can stroll around the nearby temples as there is much to explore, visually.

Though it is not open to public, you can still walk on the outside of these building to admire it’s carvings.

Can you notice the difference between Lao and Thai buildings?

There are even designs on the ceilings.

And if I’m not wrong, you are seeing Nagas from their ancient mythical beliefs. (Dragon?)

Religious ceremony in Pha That Luang

What does these bands have to do with a religious ceremony in Laos?

Apparently there is someone undergoing a ritual here nearby Pha That Luang.

Most probably these people are relatives or friends from the same village.


The video of the ritual in YouTube

The Patuxay Monument

The Patuxay (pronounced as Pa-Too-Sai) is located few minutes away from the Pha That Luang. Apparently from wiki, this is the musical fountain and a lot of the locals can be spotted dating here.

Patuxay is also known as The Victory Monument

And it seems the business of instant photo is pretty thriving here.

By instant, they really bring a photo printer around their body.

And again, it is REALLY a HOT weather here!

This would the center of the monument, right below.

And if you tilt your head up towards the ceiling, you can see these paintings above. However If I may ask, how the hell do they climb up there and draw? It’s like 4-storey high.

An entrance fee around 20,000 kip is needed for tourist.

There are few floors that you need to climb before reaching the top.

This is what you can at least except to see at first sight.

But there is one small stair that leads you towards the root or highest peak of Patuxay.

But besides from sightseeing, you can choose to go for shopping inside the building.

I’m amazed that such a big building has stalls operating.

Though you will end up seeing the same thing all over the place.

This grabbed our attention the most, but it was far too expensive for a metal number plate. 50, 000 kip!

Is this reminds you, the iconic bowl that creates the extra spicy salad from Thailand? Yes, it’s the thing that creates Som-Tum from Thailand, but it is arguable that it originates from Laos. And yes, they local would be really happy if you order this dish with it’s original name that Lao known, Tam-Mak-Hung. There isn’t a specific correct translation yet, but you can either find it in the menu as Dham-Mak-Hoong.

Try to avoid saying “extra spicy” as only one of those little chillies will send you flying.

Getting the best rate in town

Though there are aplenty of money exchanger shops in the town center of Vientiane, I found the international airport offers the best rate so far (yes, surprising?)

We rode the motorcycle, and it took approximately around 20 minutes.

But soon as we reached, I’m surprised that there isn’t anyone on the parking counter to attend to our bike. Why? Apparently the one in charge is sleeping, somewhere hidden inside.

It seems that is is not recommended to lock your ride in here.

The bike we rented.

Traditional Lao Massage, Papaya Spa

So where can you head to relax and rejuvenate in Vientiane after a long day? Found from the internet, Papaya Spa really lives to the expectation. Though a bit on the pricey side, but it is worth the trip to this place and experience the authentic Lao massage.

An approximate location of where the shop is located, it is operating inside a terrace house.

But to give you a clear idea on where it is located, just go slow after you have get pass this temple.

And go along the Mekong river where you will pass by this hotel.

Eventually, you will come across this “small” road sign.

The price list. The result? Satisfactory. However this shop close at 7 PM. So if you are expecting a 2-hour traditional massage, it is best to reach this place before 4:30 PM.

Mixay Massage

What about some other more affordable alternative? Along the Mixay temple? There’s this one running at 30,000 kip. But it is really on a different level in comparison to what Papaya Spa offers.

First time seeing a one-dollar note.

But the good thing about this place? You can have breakfast and other foods right below the massage parlor.

Dinner & night market in Vientiane

What can you have besides rice noodle in Vientiane, or Laos particularly? On a meal, you can spend as low as 8,000 kip for a bowl of chicken noodle. Note the “fried rice” shown above. If you having a dinner for 2-person, one plate of that is adequate, as it is not the fried rice that would expect, and the portion is really huge. What does it tastes like? Weird, at least to me. It’s a mixture of crackers (had no idea what it is made of inside), sourness from lime and some rice noodle.

Seasonings. Note the size of the super spicy chillies.

Located somewhere around Rue Chao Anou, right behind Thong Khan Kham market, you will find this small lane that leads to interesting night market.

Too bad that is was raining heavily at that point of time.

Operating almost every night, you can get snacks, or even dinner from here.

Pre-packaged dinner-sets.

The fried rice that we had earlier.

Meats like chicken, lamb and beef.

And the locals like to pair it with glutinous rice, known as Khao Niao.

Even under these cold rainy weather, the basket shown above amazingly retains the warmth of the rice.

Grilling the chicken drumstick the old way.

And before ending the post for this part, it amazes me how they can not worry during the rain pouring down. Look at the electrical output and how it is exposed to rain.

Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy this part as well. Rest of the story will be coming up as I will be editing the photos. Laos is really a great place to visit for the adventurous ones. And I would definitely visit here again.

In case you missed it :