Wat Sisaket

We were too late to tour Wat Sisaket during our first day in Vientiane, which is lucky because it deserves its own post. The wat was constructed in the Thai style in 1818. As the only wat to escape destruction during the the last Thai invasion, it is the oldest in Vientiane.

The wall surrounding the wat is filled with niches, each of which contains a small Buddha. There are two steps containing larger buddhas. The higher step is original to the wat. The second was constructed later to hold images brought from around the countryside.

The wall also contains a storeroom filled with broken buddha images. It is a stunning site.

Pictures are not allowed inside of the temple because it is an active place of worship. Unfortunately, the once brilliant paintings that cover the interior walls are fading away from neglect and water damage. There are plans to improve the drainage in the temple and then restore the paintings but nothing has been done yet. This temple was renovated by the French in the late 1920's. Their documentation can be used to restore the paintings again.

On our walk back from the Wat, Joey saw Vientiane's version of the Arc de Triomphe, the Pataxai, in the distance. He asked if I wanted to go check it out. I said no. Once again exhibiting signs of deafness, he said okay and started to walk towards the concrete monstrosity. It was hot and dusty. We finally made it to the Pataxai, built with concrete donated by the US for a runway, and snapped a couple of pictures. We then turned left down a road which looked like it would take us to our guesthouse. It didn't. The hour we spent wandering through back Vientiane streets during the heat of the day felt like hours of wandering through a desert. Our marriage was more at risk during that walk than when I lost my wedding ring or when Joey lost his wallet. Luckily, an icy bottle of water, a cold shower, and a well chilled bottle of Beer Lao put everything right shortly after our return to our hotel.