PRESIDENTIAL PALACE, VIENTIANE
SISITEK TEMPLE
BROKEN BUDDHAS
Smashed by Thai soldiers in war between Lao kingdom and what was then Siam in late 18th-early 19th century. Apparently there is more ill will between Thai and Lao people than between them and us. The Thai army used this temple as it's HQ during that war.
Celebrating independence from France. Cement was donated by the US. In an odd sort of twist it appears as an Asian version of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
For the US equivalent of 37 cents and a climb of a couple hundred stairs you get these views of the city (plus a good sweat!).
Wonder how they repair a power outage?
Not sure who the guy was, but I liked his hat.
We bid adieu to Laos and fly to Hanoi. Roughly half the trip is complete. We'll be joined by a new tour guide and eight passengers (sadly saying "travel well" to three friends). I consider this first fortnight (all my life I've been trying to work that word into a sentence) a warmup. Vietnam awaits me. Better now than forty-five years ago!
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