Wat,Wat,Wat!

What is there to see and do in Vientiane? Take a tuk-tuk or hire a bike for 14 000 kip a day ($1.80 Aus) and get around to a couple of the historical temples. This should keep you busy for a couple of hours…

WAT SI SAKET
A mystical temple housing thousands of small Buddha images (6840). Seated and standing Buddha’s of varying size and materials (wood, stone, silver and bronze) rest on shelves, most of them are sculpted in the characteristic Laos style.
Damaged images from days of war are also housed here; some have or are being restored.
Around the grounds you will find many coconut, banana and mango trees.

WAT SI MUANG
Is the site of the cities pillar and considered the home of the guardian spirit. Worth a look at the ‘jataka’, figures associated with stories of Buddha’s past.

Get blessed for your travels by a monk for a small donation. He showers you with holy water while chanting, he then ties coloured woven string around your wrist to warn off bad spirits. The tie must remain on your wrist a minimum of 3 days, for best results most people wait until the string falls off of its own accord.

WAT ONG TEL MAHAWIHAN
One of the most important in Laos originally built in the mid 16th century.
A school for visiting monks from all over Laos to study Dhamma (Buddha’s teachings).
The temple houses a large 16th century bronze Buddha weighing several tones. There is also a wooden façade over the front terrace that is considered a masterpiece of Laos carving.

WAT SOK PA LUANG
Famous for herbal saunas. “You are not supposed to wash away built up perspiration for 2 to 3 hours after a sauna. This supposedly allows the herbs to soak into your pores.

PHA THAT LUANG
(Great Stupa)
The most important monument in Laos. A symbol of both Buddhist religion and Laos sovereignty.
“Legend has it that Askoken missionaries from India erected the stupa to enclose a piece of breastbone of Buddha as early as the 3rd century BC.”
The top of the stupa resembles an elongated lotus bud and is said to symbolize the growth of a lotus from a seed in a muddy bottom to a bloom over the lakes surface. A metaphor for human advancement from ignorance to enlightenment in Buddhism.