A Gentle Sway: Vientiane, Laos

Accommodation: Youth Inn 2, $10 a night private room

Bus: South Terminal, $10 for A/C bus, 12 hours

Places to Visit:

• Phat That Luang
• Wat Si Saket
• Buddha Park

Well, Vientiane, Laos was a rather different affair from the mad drinking and partying of Luang Prabang. For one, I had my own room, wow such a luxury to be indecent in the privacy of your own space. Two, it consisted of wandering about, able to appreciate the sites in my own spiritual company. So when I decided to take a tuk tuk 25km out the city, to go to what had been described as a 'nutty' park, I had to pay homage to my fellow weirdos. It really was quite a sight. Giant Hindu and Buddhist stone sculptures dotted around the park. Now when I mean 'giant,' I mean the Great Wall of China 'giant.' Picturise being able to enter the mouth of a colossal Buddha, and stand on top of its head. Exactly, nutty.

It was such a strange mixture of Buddhas, and millions of Hindu Gods, including Brahma (The Creator with 3 heads) Kali (the war goddess, with a black face, holding a head of a man and various weapons in her 6 hands- yeesh is she unhappy) and the monkey god Hanuman, all in the same vicinity. It was a party. The night was a slightly random affair; over dinner, a young Dutch man introduces himself- he looks like a stoner surfer just with dark hair and a bandanna. Since nightlife is scarce in Vientiane, we roamed around talking and walking through the night. There seems to be a lot of Engineers flitting about S E Asia, it seems, I am not really surprised.