Vientiane - is this really the capital?

We are now nearing the end of our Laos journey (Part 1) and we find it hard to believe how quickly the 30 days has passed. We've travelled into the far north west of the country (near the Chinese and Burmese boarders), across into the north of central Laos (not too far from the Vietnamese boarder) and then followed the rivers through the middle of the country till we hit the capital - Vientiane.

This is a funny sort of capital. Perched on the banks of the Mekhong River (which in December is nearly bone dry and you could literally walk across the river floor into Thailand) its a strange mix of old French colonial, Lao and modern architecture. Mind you... there's not too much of the "modern".... just the odd shopping mall or office building. The city (or big country town) has many Vat's (sort of like a Wat in Thailand) dotted throughout the city.

We've seen Vat Sisa Ket that has thousands, and I mean literally thousand (6,481) Buddha's in its walls. Little ones, medium sized ones and huge ones! When we can we'll upload the photos - it truly is an amazing sight to behold! It was built in 1818 and is the oldest temple in Vientiane.

We've also visited the "Victory Monument" (built in the late 60's) which is Lao's version of the "Arch de Triumph" and walked onwards to That Luang. That Luang, the grand stupa, was built by one of the King's in 1566 and is believed to contain a relic of Buddha himself. The structure is some 45m high and has been restored several times after being damaged by "foreign invaders". It is now the symbol of the Lao Nation and is even on their Coat of Arms. Out the front is a statue of King Saysetthathalad (well... we think that's how you spell it) and it's flanked by several monasteries.

That Dum, or The Black Stupa, is also a prominent landmark that we've visited. Legend says that it is actually a shrine to the Naga (mighty water dragons) who are protectors of the city. Around the stupa are some of the most amazing 9and dilapidated) French colonial houses, all in various states of disrepair.

We've been trying to book flights into Siem Reap (Cambodia) but have been encountering a few "language" barriers at the travel agencies. Or maybe its just us??? We've tried small. boutique agencies, large ones and even the national carrier's Head Office - Lao Airlines. We just can't seem to get a straight answer out of anyone and cannot seem to purchase the Bangkok Air "Discover Pass", of which Lao Airlines is a partner. Oh well... at least we discovered the Scandinavian Bakery! This little respite from "day to day" Laos is full of every conceivable sweet treat you could imagine - cakes, pastries, chocolate and great coffee!