Holiday snaps - Day 1. Wat Phu & 4000 Islands

Wat Phu Champasak

Kaysone - Man of Many Monuments

A Monument to a Revolutionary Rebel, Party Leader, First President of Laos, Communist Idealist.

 

I visited the museum and monument to Kaysone Phomvihane. It’s big, it’s five minutes from my office, I knew it would be interesting and there was sure to be lot of gold and glory and a lot of blurry old black and white pictures. Maybe some old guns. I was right.

Chao Anou - Hero

Looking across the Mekong towards Eastern Thailand, a giant statue of King Anouvong stands with one hand on his sword and other pointing across the river. Perhaps it’s a welcoming handshake but it looks like he is about to karate chop a block of concrete. Most Lao people I have asked think he is saying “that's mine, give it back”.

Tai, not Thai

I've long been fascinated by the Tai people. No, not Thai, Tai. The Thais are Tai but so are most Laos and the Shan in Burma and lots of people in Assam (India) and some in Nagaland and the Dai and Black Tai and White Tai in Vietnam and of course there are still lots in China and some still around the foothills of the Himalayas.



Some Lao boys with Tai blood in their veins