Vientiane

Vientiane is the bustling capital of Laos PDR. We had arrived at the start of the Boun Ok Phansa Boat Racing Festival which celebrates the end of Buddhist lent and the wet season. We found ourselves amongst huge local crowds swept along the streets with the noise of extreme product selling techniques (think lines of loudspeakers!) to the edge of the Mekong where stages showcased some of the best Laos had to offer. This included Lao pop stars grinding provocatively on stage, an odd sight in a very conservative country where tourists are notified that public displays of affection are frowned upon. We joined the masses to cheer on Muay Lao fighters in an outdoor ring framed by fireworks and rising lanterns. The local people were particularly festive and we were invited to join them for Beerlao on the street sounding repeated "dam jook" (cheers in Lao) throughout the evening. 

Muay Lao Fighters, Vientiane 

We spent some time at the COPE Visitor Centre, at the Vientiane Centre of Medical Rehabilitation, where free rehab services are provided for UXO survivors (as well as treatment for other congenital problems such as clubfoot). Sadly volunteering was not an option due to current government regulations, but there is hope this will change in the future. Therapists work in conjunction with orthotists and wheelchair specialists to create suitable ambulatory options for amputee patients, no small challenge! A standard wheelchair is not much use in a country where roads are littered with potholes and living spaces are difficult to access. The teams at COPE are doing wonderful work to help people get back to their lives, often as sole providers for large families. We read an amazing tribute to a lady who had lost all fingers but one and had relearnt to sew intricate traditional textiles for a living. A carpenter who had lost his arm to a UXO (unexploded ordnance) learnt how to make a mirror box for himself so he could gain relief from his terrible phantom limb pain.

Examples of Modified Wheelchairs at COPE Visitor Centre, Vientiane 

Old Prosthetic Limbs Hang at COPE Visitor Centre, Vientiane 

Inspired by the Arc de Triomphe, Patuxai (Victory Arch) is a dominant Vientiane landmark. Made with cement  and funds provided by the USA and intended for a new airport, it is appropriately nicknamed "The Vertical Runway".  You can climb to the top for sweeping views of the city and the Presidential Palace.  We chose just to sit on the park benches in the shade below.     

Patuxai (Victory Arch), Vientiane

We escaped the noise of the city to Xieng Khouan (Buddha Park) for a relaxing afternoon in a lush green park filled with huge stone Buddhas and Hindu sculptures.  Just across the Mekong River from the park is Thailand.  

Xieng Khouan (Buddha Park)

The morning we left Vientiane we felt like we had joined the Amazing Race. We were at the central bus stop at 5am to try catch a bus 9km to reach the bigger intercity terminal. An entrepreneurial tuk tuk driver negotiated a ride as the first bus didn't seem to be leaving on time. He took us 38km in the wrong direction until we corrected him. He seemed apologetic and started driving in the right direction but things got fishy when he kept stopping and trying to renegotiate a price more than ten times what we had initially agreed on. We were racing against the clock to reach the right terminal and the only bus that day that could get us to our next town. An hour later we ended up back at our starting point, the tuk tuk driver still demanding an exorbitant fee to take us to where we actually wanted to go. We quickly got off the tuk tuk without paying and boarded the bus which now seemed to be running. We got to the right terminal with only 5 minutes to spare before our next bus left! A pressure cooker morning.