11/13 Vientiane: Giant Pumpkin at Buddha Park

We had hoped to go on a day trip to Water Buffalo Mountain, a pine forested plateau surrounded by 2,000 m peaks outside Vientiane, where I had read that we could see butterflies as big as an open hand, but unfortunately we couldn’t find anyway to get there. I had also heard about a day trip to the waterfall at Taat Leuk but, since the tourist infrastructure in Laos is still in its infancy, we were out of luck there too. There were scads of small tourist agencies located very close to our hotel but they all catered to people wanting to take long distance buses to Thailand, Cambodia and elsewhere in Laos. 

The only option we could find to while away a few hours in the city was to visit with a small group of other tourists Buddha Park, a bizarre collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures, which was located a few miles out of the capital.

Driving through downtown Vientiane on the way to Buddha Park, I saw this building called the 'Sanitary Model Village' and wondered what was inside!

Was sure glad we didn't need to hitch a ride on the back of the tuk tuk like these guys did!

Photos from Buddha Park:

Buddha Park, which has more than 200 religious statues, was built in 1958 by Bunleua Sulilat, a monk who studied both Buddhism and Hinduism. That explains why the park is full not only of Buddha images but also Hindu gods as well as demons and animals from both beliefs.

It was both intriguing and weird seeing a giant concrete pumpkin structure standing about three stories high almost as soon as we entered the park. 

After the revolution in 1975, anxious about the repercussions of the Pathet Lao or Communist rule, Suliat, the park’s sculptor fled from Laos to Thailand where he built another sculpture park, Sala Keoku. Both parks are located right next to the Thai-Lao border only a few kilometers apart from each other The tallest structures at Buddha Park can actually be seen from the Thai side of the Mekong River that separates Laos from Thailand at Vientiane .  

The 40-meter high reclining Buddha image.

When we entered the park, there were lots of people having their pictures taken by the giant pumpkin and scrambling all over it so we decided to give it a miss til later. Its entrance was crafted to look like a demon’s mouth and had a stone ladder inside leading to a bird's eye view of the entire park. The 3 levels in the pumpkin represent heaven, hell and earth. I decided to give it a pass but Steven climbed around inside and took the following photos.

As you can tell, the best spot for photography at Buddha Park is from on top of the giant pumpkin. 

Back down on the ground together, we wandered around the park some more.

Neither of us had ever seen anything like Buddha Park before and were certainly struck by its enormity and the dedication and endless patience the sculptor had building it. I would have loved to have found out how long it took him and presumably a team of fellow sculptors to design and construct the many pieces.

On the way back, the van driver pointed out the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, the first bridge to link the 2 countries across the Mekong. Completed in 1994 and funded by the Australian government, the 1,240m long bridge is symbolic of the opening of Laos to outside influences.

Have gotten used to having to take off our shoes when entering wats, i.e. temples, but having to do when entering this restaurant was a new one for us!

I mentioned in a previous post that the country Laos is actually pronounced as 'Lao' so it was interesting to see this bumper sticker.

We had discovered that Vientiane’s Le Banneton, a combination bakery cum restaurant, was just a block away from our hotel, so I made sure to pick up more of their delicious croissants there for us for breakfast. You may recall I also ate a croissant at their sister location in Luang Prabang a week or so previously. Even if Vientiane didn’t have much in the way of sights, at least it redeemed itself by having good French bakeries like the one above too!

After a rather forgettable dinner, we strolled around the city's Night Market again as it was so close to our hotel and I wanted to pick up some last minute souvenirs before flying to Myanmar the next day.

I promise: This is the last reference to bombs in Laos.

Natalie: We thought of you when we saw this 'Michigan State University' sweatshirt! 

Saw these billboards  and signs in many places around Laos.

Since American Thanksgiving will be celebrated in a just a few hours all over the US, Steven and I wish our family and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. We will be thinking of and missing you. Annie

 Posted on 11/25 from Nyaung Shwe/Inle Lake, Myanmar.