Laos Pictures
Vientiane Photos

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Pha That Luang stupa, Vientiane.

Many people pass straight through Vientiane, the capital of Laos, without giving it much of a chance. This is a shame as it's an extremely relaxed town with a real colonial feel, some lovely walks - especially along the Mekong river front - a fine selection of accommodation and masses of great restaurants and cafés.

The best sights in Vientiane involve temples, with the Pha That Luang stupa and its surrounding temples not only the pick of the Vientiane bunch, but also the most important religious totem in the country.
The design of the 45m high Pha That Luang - the name in full translates as 'World Precious Sacred Stupa' - represents many aspects of Buddhist scriptures, though the primary artistic inspiration is the lotus flower. The stupa is 4km from Vientiane's centre.

Apart from Pha That Luang there are several sother hapely temples on offer, variously adorned with ornate roofs, carvings, paintings, gold, Buddha images and other more unusual sculptures.
Then there's another stupa charmingly named That Dam stupa, an improving National Museum, a bizarre Buddha Park, scenic river views, colourful friendly locals, professional and effective massages, places to swim and plenty of superb cafés around to keep a walker or biker lubricated. That's worth a couple of days of any traveller's time.

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Photos © Watson