Praying for Rain

The heat is rising, the river is dropping, the city is shrouded in dense smog. The only way to live comfortably in Vientiane at this time of year is to go out early and late and forget the middle part of the day.

So at first light Heather and I made our way to the Ho Pha Kaew museum opposite Wat Sisaket to wend our way around the centuries old curiosities now housed in this dusty building which was once a royal temple built to house the famed Emerald Buddha. There is a faded charm to this famed collection of religious art; we had no idea what was what though as signs in English are non existent in Laos.

There is a particular Buddha pose significant to Vientiane called ‘praying for rain’. Not apt for England, I realise, hence my not being able to resist posing with it!

Buddha - Praying for Rain

And then I had to pose with the guardian dragon just because Heather is a photographer and thought it would make a good pose!

Guardian Dragons

We set off on our bikes to follow what is left of the river, but by 11 am the smog was so bad it was hard to see, we had scarves as masks over our mouths and had to retreat to a shady café for refreshing fruit shakes; my dragon fruit one followed by an orange, apple, carrot and ginger revived me no end.

Vientiane is an odd place, full of bizarre sights. I’ve attached a photo of a parked beetle car with onions on the top and one of  the diverse modes of transport highlighting the ‘haves and have nots’-the London taxi cab is used by the posh Settha Palace hotel opposite the guest house and was picking up businessmen just alongside where we had parked our two bikes. Talk about them and us-though the driver gave me a cheery wave as he set off, he sees me every day from his lush gardens over the street.

VW Beetle with Onions

London Cab?

Fuelled by a deep fried yellow bean paste doughnut, sweet potato chips and dried tamarind (my comfort padding is returning, not a moment too soon, this country has never heard of cushions!) I left Heather to her massage and set off for the cheaper option to cool off in the heat, the public swimming pool.

Quiet in the week, the resemblance to the Pells pool is disconcerting, even more so when I found myself falling into conversation with a sprightly 70 something English lady who hails from Hastings and whose nephew lives in Swanborough.  Hearing an English voice is rare so we tend to turn towards the sound and yet again the accent was not only English but Sussex. A pleasant hour or so passed comparing notes about travelling-Valerie was off on the night bus, her energy put me to shame.

Fortunately my hair/missing eyebrow are returning, for this evening wandering down to the night markets I found myself chatting to a couple from Hove who are close friends with the owners of Lewes Emporium!!  Rather spooky to say the least as statistically this must be way over the odds?

The day ended on a high; in a ‘sundry shop’ covered in dust-as is everything, including me, I found a tub of Nivea! Yippee.  The local stuff does not do the job for my elephant hide skin. ..There are expensive products available at a massive premium in the pharmacies which are not in my budget plans, nivea hits the ‘dry’ spot perfectly.