Viang Chan was the locale for our explorations the last day and a half. We checked out a neat old Buddhist temple, the Phat That Luang, a giant golden monument dedicated to Lao Buddhism, a huge arch over a traffic circle similar to the Arc d’Triomphe, and a really neat/far out Buddhi
st/Hindu park. The giant arch, which has mostly Buddhist decorations, is especially thought provoking, as it was built with American money. The U.S. gave Laos the money in the 60s for a new runway at the airport, but the Lao government used it instead for the arch. I’m not sure which is greater, the money from the arch or the potential revenue from more visitors which a better airport would attract. Nonetheless, the views from the top were pretty cool, so I guess the money wasn’t put to total waste. Dave and I also took in a delightful sauna and massage at a bungalow in the woods near the ground of a Buddhist temple (yes, there are more than a few Buddhist temples in Viang Chan). While at the massage, we ran into the Canadian guys we met on the bus, and a guy and a girl who were traveling separately, but both lived in Beijing. He was from Chicago and she from Toronto, and they joined us and Danthemanstan for a delightful dinner at a very good Japanese restaurant. We then enjoyed some good Beerlao at a rooftop bar
on the Mekong River. Viang Chan was a really cool city and well worth visiting. It is very touristy, but also has lots of good restaurants, and provides a good look into what a growing city is like in a truly developing nation. Its infrastructure is less developed than Vietnam’s and well behind that of China, but there are plenty of tuk-tuk drivers, so it was never hard to get around. Dave and I are now setting off for our-possibly awesome or possibly horrible (time will tell)-24 hour bus ride to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Danthemanstan opted to take a flight tomorrow afternoon and should still beat us there.
st/Hindu park. The giant arch, which has mostly Buddhist decorations, is especially thought provoking, as it was built with American money. The U.S. gave Laos the money in the 60s for a new runway at the airport, but the Lao government used it instead for the arch. I’m not sure which is greater, the money from the arch or the potential revenue from more visitors which a better airport would attract. Nonetheless, the views from the top were pretty cool, so I guess the money wasn’t put to total waste. Dave and I also took in a delightful sauna and massage at a bungalow in the woods near the ground of a Buddhist temple (yes, there are more than a few Buddhist temples in Viang Chan). While at the massage, we ran into the Canadian guys we met on the bus, and a guy and a girl who were traveling separately, but both lived in Beijing. He was from Chicago and she from Toronto, and they joined us and Danthemanstan for a delightful dinner at a very good Japanese restaurant. We then enjoyed some good Beerlao at a rooftop bar 
on the Mekong River. Viang Chan was a really cool city and well worth visiting. It is very touristy, but also has lots of good restaurants, and provides a good look into what a growing city is like in a truly developing nation. Its infrastructure is less developed than Vietnam’s and well behind that of China, but there are plenty of tuk-tuk drivers, so it was never hard to get around. Dave and I are now setting off for our-possibly awesome or possibly horrible (time will tell)-24 hour bus ride to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Danthemanstan opted to take a flight tomorrow afternoon and should still beat us there.
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