Vientiane

Two days in the capital city have been interesting but not remarkable. A large city of 800,000 it still has a long way to go in terms of its infrastructure.   The Lao people only got their independence in the late 20th century and were dragged into the Vietnam Nam war only because of their location.  There are still many u exploded bombs in the country

We saw the presidential palace which resembles the White House, and a beautiful park along the Mekong River, Across the river is Thailand.  At one of the temples we were able to spend time asking questions of a novice monk.

On our way to another Temple we stopped to make bees wax flowers to give as an offering. At the Temple there was a monk who we sat in front of and offered our flower. He then chanted a blessing sprinkled us with water and tied a braided thread bracelet on our wrist. Then we each hit the gong 3 times insure peace and prosperity.

There is an arch in the center of town that resembles the Arc d triumph in Paris. It was started by the French but never finished when they left Laos. So the top is very Laotian. 198 steps to the top. 5 floors of souvenirs along the way. Nice view of the city from the top.

Yesterday afternoon was free so Barry and I headed to the spa for 2hour massages. Heaven.

In the evening I went with other travelers to a local restaurant to eat more Lao food and watch traditional Lao dancing. Barry and others headed to an Italian restaurant.

Packing and leaving this morning for Cambodia.

Wifi spotty. I'll post pictures later