VIENTIANE
To be honest, I can’t tell you much about Laos. I can tell you the Americans bombed the s**t out of the country 50 years ago. In fact, Laos’s claim to ‘fame’ is that it is probably the most bombed country in history. 270 million cluster bombs were dropped on the country. That’s about all I know about Laos.
Well, until today that is. I arrived in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, today to join some colleagues from the Crop Trust who are here to review the national genebank. I hope to learn more about the country in the week I’ll be here.
Vientiane lies on the left bank of the Mekong with Thailand across the river. October is the tail end of the rainy season but there was a lull in the rain so I went out for an afternoon stroll along the river. The hustle and bustle of other Southeast Asian cities is missing in Vientiane. It’s unbelievably quiet here. I enjoyed the peace and calm and sat by the river and watched the locals who also came out to see a hint of colour in the sky as the day ended.
WAT SI SAKET
My colleagues and I needed a break from work so we took a stroll to a nearby temple. The Wat Si Saket is the oldest temple in Laos … but it really isn’t that old. Built in 1818, it is the oldest perhaps due to its architecture. It was built in the Siamese style rather than the Lao style of architecture. The armies of Siam ransacked Vientiane in the early 1800s and perhaps spared the Si Saket as it reminded them of home.
The French restored the temple which now provides shelter for up to 2000 Buddhas statues.
DRAGON FRUIT
One of the joys of travel is to experience different foods … or foods that are excessively expensive in your own country. Dragon fruit is abundant now in Laos so I’ve been enjoying it while I can. It’s a cactus with origins in Mexico and Central America. But the French brought it to Southeast Asia where it is growing happily. Now it’s growing in popularity and available worldwide but perhaps at a premium price. Normally dragon fruit has white flesh but here in Laos we were offered a beautiful purple dragon fruit which was quite delectable.
THE WORLD’S FRIENDLIEST PEOPLE
Before I travelled to Laos, I did a bit of research on the landlocked country. Google pointed me to several top 10 reports of the world’s friendliest people, which listed Laos.
I can concur … those lists were spot on. The Lao people I have met have been truly lovely and humble. They rarely raise their voice, always speak positively and put my needs and interests before their own. The Lao people practice Theravada Buddhism which guides them in their moral conduct, which they define as right speech, right action, and right livelihood.
