Unique Artwork in Vientiane, Laos

During our visit to Vientiane, we saw a piece of art near the country’s version of the Arc de Triomphe called Patuxai or Victory Gate. The elephants and temple are almost completely made of colorful cups and saucers that are arranged to make the various shapes. When seen from the distance, it is hard to tell what the piece is made from, similar to an impressionist painting. As you get up close, the details become readily apparent as the cups and saucers are tied together to create shapes like the curved trunks of the elephants or the tiers of the temple. There are a few features, like the tusks, that aren’t made from cups and saucers, but there are very few. We aren’t sure, but it seems like the temple and elephants are made to actually move, but it wasn’t in motion while we were there.

As Seen from the Top of Victory Gate
Saucers and Cups Up Close
One of the Four Elephants
Notice that the Temple is Leaning
Base of the Temple
Reflecting the Sun
Symmetrical View

 

The Food of Vientiane

Although we were only in Vientiane for a few days, we wanted to make sure that we tried as many local Laotian dishes as we could. The food of Laos is influenced greatly by its neighboring countries as well as the French who occupied it. With that said, there are a few dishes that are unique to Laos. With Vientiane sitting on the Mekong River, fish from the river can be found on most of the local menus.

Fried Noodles with Beef
Mekong Fish in Coconut Sauce Served with Sticky Rice
Nothing Like a Good Cup of Coffee

One of the first meals that we ate in Vientiane was Laab, which is considered to be national dish of Laos. We had the choice of chicken, pork, duck, or fried fish, but chose to have it with pork. Laab, which means “good fortune” in the Lao language, is a mix of meat, banana flowers, fish sauce, lime juice, chili, and herbs. We also ate fish from the Mekong River that was in a coconut sauce. Another common item that we ate several times was sticky rice. We had a couple of different versions of sticky rice, some more flavorful than others. Fried noodles with beef, chicken, or pork is a local favorite throughout the region and we enjoyed having it as well.

Pork Laab
Sticky Rice
Spicy Noodles with Seafood

We also ate a local chicken soup that was cooked and served with the bones in for even more flavor. Spicy noodles is common throughout the region and we chose to have it with seafood. The wide noodles were different than most of the other noodles that we ate during our time in Southeast Asia. We also had some crab dim sum that was light and refreshing. There are plenty of options for street food and coffee and beer are definitely popular as well. On our last day, we stopped in at an Indian/Pakistani restaurant where we had vegetable and chicken samosas.

Street Food
Chicken Soup
Crab Dim Sum

No matter where you travel, it is important to taste the local cuisine as it is a window into the culture. The food in Vientiane, Laos was certainly true of that as well. The food was very flavorful and had just the right amount of spice for our tastes. We would certainly recommend trying the Laab, Mekong Fish, and Sticky Rice if you have the opportunity to visit Laos.

Vegetable and Chicken Samosas
National Lao Beer

 

Wat Si Saket in Vientiane, Laos

Wat Si Saket is a Buddhist temple and museum in Vientiane, Laos. There are many wats, or temples, in Vientiane and Wat Si Saket was the first that we visited during our day-long tour of Vientiane’s inner city. Built in 1818, it might be the oldest wat as many of the wats have been destroyed and rebuilt due to the many wars and invasions of Laos. Because it is a museum as well as a temple, there are many ancient Buddhist statues on display within the temple grounds.

Reclining Buddha
Ancient Buddha Statues on Display
Drum Tower
Temple Prayer Building
Offerings and Golden Statues
Details on the Roof

The Wat Si Saket was built in the Siamese style of Buddhist architecture, making it different than a lot of the other wats that we visited during our tour. The architecture and artwork were definitely fascinating with so many different details on the various buildings. As with most wats, there were stupas all around the exterior wall of the temple where important Buddhist priests and other citizens are entombed. There is also a typical drum tower, which the priests use to call people to the temple for prayer.

Walking the Grounds of Wat Si Saket
Stupas in the Garden
Entrance to the Wat
Buddha Statue
More Ornate Statues
Gong at the Main Temple

Because the inner city of Vientiane is so walkable, it is easy to visit multiple wats in a single day. Starting with Wat Si Saket is a perfect starting point since it is open to the public from 8:00 to 17:00 seven days a week. It might seem strange to have so many temples in a country that is communist, but as it was explained to us, the political system is communist, the economy is capitalist, and the majority of the people are Buddhist.

Colorful Artwork of Naga
Different Style of Statue
More Stupas in the Garden
Temple Grounds
More Buddha Statues
Temple Roof
Golden Buddha Statues
More of the Courtyard
Colorful Flowers