My four day stay in the Laos capital of Vientine was entirely unworthy of my time, except for a visit to the Australian Embassy and the Buddha Park.
Back in Australia, where the sun shines, our kind-of great nation was debating and voting on something that should have been passed into law in the sixties. But I’ll get off my soapbox, shall I? It did give me a valid reason to visit an Australian Embassy, for the first time ever. The embassy is conveniently located five kilometres away from the centre, along the coast and nestled around other embassies, company HQs and NGO offices with image-conscience PR departments. I got a motorbike taxi to the embassy, and while holding on for dear life I noticed a building labelled Aussie Mart, and knew I must be getting close.
I showed my passport and signed in, passed through a metal detector and was issued with a snazzy visitor lanyard. I then stepped onto what by treaties and convention is considered Australian rather than Laotian soil, which made me feel wonderful after months of travel.
I walked through a well-maintained garden but was mildly disappointed I didn’t see any gum trees, complete with koalas munching on leaves. I stepped into a building that smelt and felt like the lobby of a hospital. As soon as I sat down I was ushered into a smaller room, where a flawlessly polite lady checked my credentials again and I filled out a declaration, then the voting form. I was offered some Anzac cookies, which were baked by the consulate’s spouse, which I am pleased to report, were delicious and just about made me cry. I asked the lady to thank the consulate’s spouse for me and I departed Australian soil, and reluctantly handed back my lanyard.
The Aussie Mart was two buildings over from my embassy, next to the Singapore Embassy, and was a treasure trove of Tim-Tams, Vegemite, Dawn Dish Soap and other Australian staples. I managed to restrain myself and only buy some TNCC jelly babies, and on the walk back to town I munched on Anzac biscuits and jelly babies, and was a happy and content Vegemite.
The next day, having baulked at paying a whole day’s budget on a one way taxi to the Buddha Park, I hiked to the local bus station and took the Number 14 bus for the twenty five kilometre trip out of town. It was slow, uncomfortable and tedious, but was worth it just for the expression on the locals when they saw me board the bus, exact change in hand.
The Buddha Park commenced contruction in 1958 by a priest-Sharman Bunleva Swilat. The statues are of gods, animals, and demons.
The focal point of the park is a sculpture that has been described as a pumpkin, and has three levels, representing Heaven, Earth and hell, which you can enter climb through.
I found the park to be a delightfully ramshackle affair, the statues have been allowed to become dirty and in some cases broken, the iron rebar showing and rusting away. I found this to be perfectly symbolic of the nature of Laos, so much faded glory lined by good intention.
If you liked this post, please check out the rest of the posts from this trip here!
Adrian's Got The Moose 