Gazing At Wat That Luang Tai

A rainy day didn't dampen the lovely experience of seeing fun and colorful sights at Wat That Luang Tai. 

One of the complex's courtyards, looking shiny in the wet weather. And empty.

A lineup of Buddha statues. Monkey man deity, paying homage to yet another Buddha statue.

Altar inside one of the temple buildings, color and paintings of scenes covering everything.

High relief wall carving. Extreme yoga? Buddha is too chill to do that type of twisting. Let him continue reclining.

Heavy patina on the little tombs. And old banana stalks and a cherry drink.

Seeing the Great Work Of COPE

COPE is an NGO in Vientiane, Laos, that specializes in providing prosthetics to disabled people. While they work with anyone with any need, they also concentrate on assisting victims of landmine explosions. There's a little museum dedicated to the work they do and the conditions that make COPE so needed.

The museum.

The hell that keeps giving. Landmines left over from the Vietnam war, still being found.

Array of prosthetics, running the gamut from commercial to custom to homemade.

A map of hell raining down. Spinning good from bad, using landmine metal to make dishes, utensils.

Hanging onto a better life. Just a small sample of the prosthetics provided by COPE over the years.

Golden Pha That Luang

Pha That Luang, a 44-meter tall golden pyramid, is considered the most important attraction in Vientiane and a symbol of the country. It's easy to see why, as the Buddhist stupa is a jarring sight. Take a look:

Gold, imposing, graphic, surrounded by a lush green lawn, what's not to like? Ready for paperweights, sno-globes, magnets, on money.

Other details. Nice Buddha work on a metal gate and some Big Important Rocks.

Intimate altar. The altars are placed along each side of the stupa.

A painting depicting construction. Love that elephant power. Lucky Buddha. Rub something for good luck, not hard to figure out where.

Another view of the golden gift, looking good framed.

Wat Haysoke In Vientiane

Great sculptures, great graphics. Wat complexes in Vientiane seem to follow the same basic design. It's the details that make each place unique. Bring your best art direction.

The main temple, looking good in white.

Fierce. A sitting Buddha sculpture with a posse of Naga-like dragon heads as protection. Pray, don't pounce. Hello docile elephant.

Inside, sharpen your eyeballs and try to use your red filter.

A section of several panels with intricate depictions of Buddha's teachings. Kind of a graphic novel for the devout. Back to reality, monk portrait.

Shell shocked. Intricate dragon railings, all gold and a sea of seashells.

Night At The Amusement Park, Part two

Time to make another wander through the night amusement park, so much good stuff for the senses.

Just follow the arrows down for all the action.

Good mess. Rides scattered about, food destroyed and left. All satisfying.

Fixing stuff and bears crushing a foe. Busy.

Various transportation options. Bumping in the night or slow on the rails.

Back on the flood plain, an eerie, beautiful sight.

Night At The Amusement Park, Part One

Vientiane is a hot, tropical city and getting out and around during the day is tough. Once the sun sets, people emerge for a night of food and fun. There's a local amusement park right next to the Mekong river and it's a great place to go. And photograph.

It's there, just over the berm and in the flood plain.

Light and color, a natural attraction. Riders, human and otherwise, are welcome.

A world of sea.

Amusement or sly vocational training? Little digger attraction. Sink a ball, claim a beer. Tough town, tough game.

Romper balloon city.

Details Of Vientiane

Time to cast a close eye on what's to be seen in Vientiane.

National Assembly building of Lao. Slow day.

Wired up. Shoe repair, all done by hand. Including the painted sign. Nice.

For some reason, the thing to do is to leave a not so tiny statue of a horse or other beast of burden at the base of the King Anouvong statue. Golden.

Airline flight attendant. Flattened. Construction site. 

Lonely relic, leftover from a religious celebration. Bringing a little temporary bling to a dour, empty lot.

Wandering Wat Ong Teu

Things are busy around Wat Ong Teu. Buildings to restore, offerings to assemble. Pictures to take.

The main temple. Don't let the fierce dragon railings take a bite out of you on your way in.

Quiet places, quiet moments. A monk's study desk and an event storage area.

Inside the main temple, a massive sitting Buddha. "I'm the largest Buddha sculpture in Vientiane!"

Rubble and improvement. Dragons in need of a face lift and stacks of concrete decorative pieces.

Flower power. Monks sitting on the floor, assembly line is on.