The Buddha Park in Vientiane
So, the options consisted of heading towards the river bank and enjoying the passage of the boats from its terraces, never too fast; either stroll through its three or four small "rues" French name and enjoy a coffee and croissant while practicing the art of doing nothing. Even their temples, like Ho Phra Kaew or Wat Si Saket, seemed to come out of the way between the mansions of French colonial architecture as if camouflaged with palm trees and tropical vegetation, without ever being too imposing. And in this, precisely, lay for many the charm of Vientiane, known as “the quietest capital in the world”.
He hadn't been back for two years and I find myself before a city that changes by leaps and bounds . I go down to the river in search of the terraces where I can enjoy a cold Beerlao and a plate of fried noodles, but they are gone. In its place is a newly completed modern park with an asphalt riverside promenade, a large statue of King Anouvong after whom the park is named, and exercise equipment to keep Laotians in shape, even though their small bodies don't they seem to need to lose a lot of fat.
A T-shirt flea market with red awnings fills the space previously occupied by restaurants. I'm looking for the Sala Sunset, a small wooden bar hanging over the Mekong and an institution in Vientiane , from where some of the best sunsets in Southeast Asia were contemplated, but I can't find it either. “Closed a few months ago” , some locals tell me that I ask. In its place, some workers are busy paving the old dirt road.
The temple of Wat Sisaket
Walking through the center, I ran into many cranes that lift towers up to seven stories , and mammoth convention and congress hotels dominate the skyline of a city that was previously dominated by small houses with French colonial architecture. At night, I look for my favorite French restaurant, "La Cave des Chateaux", in a small square in the half light. I don't want to believe what my eyes see. Light cannons have been installed around the fountain, and the square is filled with tables, music by Shakira thundering from the speakers and banners of imported beer, which give the place the same air as any cheap terrace on our coast. I walk through the square and talk with the owners of the small craft shops that remain after the new construction. The shopkeepers sadly agree with me, Vientiane is being modernized and not in the best way.
The small country sandwiched between Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and China has one of the least buoyant economies in the area, and has not been able to resist the call of the Big Brother of the north, China , which according to the Blomberg agency, has invested 1.6 billion dollars in the area around Lake That Luang in Vientiane to build a commercial and business center. A new airline, privately owned Lao Central, has just been launched, while Laos Airlines has doubled its capacity and recent news reports that China Eastern has increased the number of direct flights to Vientiane.
The Makphet Restaurant
The increase in tourists I could easily see when leaving the Ho Phra Kaew temple , which used to house the Emerald Buddha for a time before the Thais forcibly took it back, I passed more than fifty Chinese visitors entering as I was leaving, much to my relief. At the end of the day I manage to reconcile with Vientiane discovering **some narrow streets in the center that are still intact, with small restaurants like Makphet **, which trains and employs children picked up from the streets, which reminds me that in Laos you can still find Asia more authentic. from my little hotel Mandala , a beautiful colonial mansion far from the center, you do not hear the noises of the new Vientiane.
One of the rooms at the Mandala Hotel
That the rest of the world has a right to enjoy Laos is undeniable. But the combination of the great natural beauty of this country together with its vulnerability make it easy prey for unscrupulous tourism entrepreneurs that are already beginning to make their mark in Vientiane.
A monk in the park of the buddhas