Kingdom of a Million Elephants - my trip to the Incredible Laos
Kingdom of a Million Elephants Under the White Parasol, that's how Laos used to be called just a few centuries ago. That time it was a powerful kingdom, well known in South East Asia. I would like to share my journey to this wonderful country with you:)
I traveled to Vientiane to get my Thai visa, you have to get it somewhere outside Thailand, so most tourist travel to Vientiane, Laos or Penang, Malaysia to get one.
Due to its central location in South East Asia, Lao Kingdom was quite a powerful and wealthy country, it used to be a big overland trading hub. Unfortunately, in 1893 Laos became a French colony and stayed one until 1953 when it got independence. After 20 years the communist party came to power. so now the country is still called Lao People's Democratic Republic( which is not democratic at all btw :)
The capital of Laos is Vientiane, which was settled in 9century and got the population of around 800 thousand people. I've spent couple days in Vientiane and visited some places of interest. The name Vientiane originally means "City of sandalwood" from Pali language (it's a sacred language used for Buddhist texts). Vientiane got many beautiful temples. Only 65% of Laotian are Buddhist and around 30% fo people still believe in so called Laotian Folk Religion, which I couldn't find much information about in English, but it is based on believing in spirits of nature and spirits of those, who have passed. Laotian people believe, that objects, places, and creatures possess a distant spiritual essence, so they are animated and alive.
In the center of Vientiane, one can find a magnificent monument called Patuxai. It was built in 1957-1968 to commemorate Laotian people, who struggled for the freedom and independence. People also call it Patuxai Arch or the Arc de Triomphe of Vientiane. It has stairs inside, so I could get to the top and get excited from the spectacular view!
There is a small shop in the middle of the arch, where you can buy some souvenirs. There are many small windows on your way up, so you can check the views from a different height. People of Vientiane are not rich, you can see mostly old cars on its streets and not many new buildings, but still one can feel some very special atmosphere of the Kingdom of a Million Elephants!
Patuxai literally means Victory Gate or Gate of Triumph in the Sanskrit language. Even though the idea of the Arch was taken from France, the design and decoration is 100% Laotian style. One can find mythological creatures, such as the Kinnari (half-female, half-bird) on the Arch. Patuxai got 5 towers, which shows the idea of coexistence of the nations of the world and 5 principes of Buddhism -thoughtful amiability, flexibility, honesty, honor and prosperity. I like this architecture style a lot, it got all the best from European and South East Asian architecture and it looks very authentic.
Unfortunately, my visit to this amazing country was very short and I only visited Vientiane. I loved quiet and sleepy Laos with its vintage cars and beautiful temples. Hopefully, I will explore other regions of the Kingdom of a Million Elephants very soon!
Thank you for reading! I hope you have a magnificent day :)
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Laos also has some interesting colonial inheritances compared to Thailand, such as cheaper wine and they know how to bake bread :-) great pate' baguettes!
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I wouldn't say Lao wine is good, but the bread is all right:) Lao beer is not so bad though, especially dark one!:)
Awesome and breathe taking! I hope i get to visit here someday! It's culture is so vibrant and alive! Would you happen to have a budget on getting there? Or basically your trip?
Thank you, @aace234! Vientiane got same prices as Phuket, but other parts of the country should be much cheaper!
I see, we are actually scheduled for a trip to vietnam and then to bangkok next year. Would you say it's a cheaper trip or more expensive?
I guess it might be a bit cheaper:) But Laos doesn't have access to the sea, so no beaches:)
Vientiane looks beautiful. I like how you researched the community you were exploring. Hopefully one day I'll get to do some exploring of my own.
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What a beautiful place but I wonder looking at the flag is Laos a communist country??
Thank you, yes, I mentioned it in my post here "After 20 years the communist party came to power. so now the country is still called Lao People's Democratic Republic( which is not democratic at all btw :) ".
They are officially communist and believe in Marxism–Leninism:)
Wow! What a beautiful views! You have my attention! :)
Thank you!
Some beautiful bright colors in VIentiene. I remember visiting laos a few years back and was amazed at how friendly and hospitable the people were for how poor the country was. When traveling outside of the capital it is easy to see a lot of poverty A beautiful country though. good write up
Thank you, mate! They don't have much economy, unfortunately, and I don't see anything coming soon!:( Cambodia and Myanmar are the same, even in 20 years they will be the same!
I agree, they need all the foreign tourist money they can get
Your photographs do such a great job of capturing the colors. They're brilliant. I'm sure your visit was fantastic. Maybe you'll get to go back, and it won't get cut short next time!
Thank you, Ethan! I am happy to share them:)
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Your photographs clearly shows how beautiful is Laos. Loved it.
If you could bother yourself with reading at least the name, you would know, that these photos are not taken in Thailand:) It's Laos.
Yeah sorry, it is just that I was thinking about Thailand on that moment after seeing that you are from Thailand. My mistake. Corrected it
It's all right:)