Intouch Guesthouse, Vientiane, Day 2

Our first morning in Laos starts slowly. It has been a long, stressful few days and it is lovely to rest for a morning knowing we don't have to travel anywhere. Saying that, our first stop today is the bus station.
After a quick breakfast at a lovely cafe, we try and catch a bus that will take us to Buddha park. It is surprisingly a park full of Buddhas, and it looks pretty cool. Public buses in Laos are surprisingly nice, and when we finally find the right one after many friendly people pointing us in the correct direction. The walk to the station is nice and it is great to see some of the Laos culture, but it really hits home that we aren't in Thailand anymore as we leave the capital and drive through the less busy districts. We take a brief stop at the border we crossed yesterday, before the road turns into more of a dirt track. We bump along slowly, and it is noticeably less commercialised and built up then anywhere we have been for a while. This adds a certain charm to the place though, and the people all seem very friendly.
The bus stops directly outside Buddha Park, and we walk in not really knowing what to expect (apart from Buddhas and a park). It exceeds our expectations though, as we walk around the many statues. Some are big, especially one in particular where you walk through a giant mouth and work your way to the top, which gives a great view of the whole park. There are animals, and many different incarnations of the many God's of Buddhism. It would be great to know the stories behind some of the statues but unfortunately all the descriptions are in Laos. Some of the sights are downright bizarre, including a man (or God) fighting a giant cockroach, and seemingly winning as he rips one of it's legs off, and a giant serpent with multiple heads. It is a serene, peaceful place, and it is lovely to sit in the slight breeze and admire the work. All in all it is well worth the trip out of town and a great way to start our tour of Laos.
We leave Buddha Park and a bus pulls up straight away heading back to town. After the half an hour ride we stop for a sandwich. Despite saying 'no meat' in many different ways, Amy still ends up with a pork sandwich, but at 50p a pop we can't really complain (and it's great news for me as I have two). We then head to the COPE visitors centre. It is a small walk and Amy grabs a giant plate of fried veg on the way.
It seems to be a hidden secret that Laos is actually the most bombed country in the World per capital (which google tells me means each person). Between the years 1964 to 1973, a planeload of bombs was dropped on Laos on average every 8 minutes, 24/7. The centre is an incredibly informative and inspiring place. A large display of the many times of bombs that were dropped, including mostly the commonly used cluster bombs, that are made to cause as much destruction as possible. The centre raises money for the many people still affected by the bombs today. As so many were dropped, plenty are still in the ground unexploded. Starting a small fire on land, tending to your field, or a child mistaking a bomb for a ball are all ways in which these devices are triggered far too often. It is definitely an eye opener, and involves an amazing display of the many homemade legs that people who couldn't afford anything else were forced to create for themselves, sometimes out of old bomb casings! We spend around an hour walking around the place, before walking back along the Mekong river and heading back to our hotel for a rest.
The market was just being set up when we walked back, and it is there we head. Amy has her eye on many things, and we now have cash. As everything only costs a couple of quid, we both buy a lot of stuff for a tiny amount of money. It is a busy place though, and I am very glad when we leave.
There was a rumour that the doner kebabs on sale at the stalls near the market were amazing. I had to test this, for investigational reasons only of course, and can confirm this was true. It was made with turkey, and tasted like heaven in a wrap. Amy watched on very sadly as i indulged in this lovely food, and then I had to watch as she ate some noodles at the food market.
A tiring day, but a very good one. We are very excited by what Laos has shown us so far and can't wait to see what else it has to offer.Lue lisää