That Luang Festival

That Luang festival marks the end of rainy season. The festivities start in Simuang temple and proceed from there to That Luang stupa after three nights. This year I skipped the actual party on That Luang square, but observed and participated in the procession at Simuang. I took about 100 pictures that night. They all turned out bad. In the darkness with candle light, electric lights, smoke and lots of moving people, you need to be equipped with something more powerful than just a little pocket camera. Never mind the bad pictures, the magic of Simuang is about lights, smells, drumming and music and you cannot capture that on a picture anyway.

Secret Garden

My treat in Vientiane is a cup of freshly roasted coffee with scones in my favourite cafe.

Morning After

Boat race is long gone and even That Luang festival has passed, but never mind, I can still post pictures of those two events retroactively. This picture was taken the morning after the boat race was over this year.

Just a Restaurant

You know the menu of a restaurant from the plastic chairs.

Ice Cream Van a la Vientiane

Before I came to Lao PDR, I did not know that the icecream vans/motorbikes always play the same tune regardless of the country. (I accept that this might be a jumpy conclusion. I have not visited every icecream van tune playing country on the planet, but base my statement on the fact that I have heard the same tune in three different countries in three different continents)

Boat Race Festival

I feel guilty for posting old pictures now that I am a semi-permanent residendent of VTE again. I have barely taken the camera out of my bag since I arrived two weeks ago, but I promise to start to stroll around town again to take new pictures.

Today's picture commemorates my most recent arrival to Vientiane two weeks ago in the middle of the Boat Race Festival. The city looked and sounded the same as it did in 2005 same time. Very noisy and very colourful.

Spirit House Shop

In Laos every house has a house for spirits. Most commonly the spirit houses are made of concrete, painted pretty and sold in specialised shops.

FC Mekong

The water level in Mekong goes up and down by several meters depending on the season. Similarily the islands in the river change shapes and sizes until they disappear during the rainy season. The little Beckhams turned this island into a sandy football field. The

opposite bank in the back is Thailand.

Digging a Ditch Makes a Difference

This unnamed street in Ban Fai used to get flooded at every rain. It got a drainage during one dry season couple years ago. Today it looks exactly the same as it used to look before the drainage work, but it is totally different. It is still unpaved, uneven and only a narrow path rather than a street, but it does not turn into a river during the rain and into a deep mud field for the duration of the rainy season. The fruit of the work of these men makes a world of a diffrence to the people living along the street.

There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

Do you remember the old nursery rhyme "There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe"? I think she used to live in this building on Fa Ngum road. Today the shoe is a host to a Tex Mex restaurant.

Venice Like Street in Vientane

To me this picture looks like it was taken in Italy, but this blog is not called Vte Daily Photos for nothing. The picture was taken on Pangkham Rd, Vientiane.

House of Antennas

The owner of this house must be a true TV addict or something.

Still Atomic

Atomic of Vientiane once more.

More Atomic

Yet another picture of my mysteriously named, favourite building on Pangkham rd. This picture is maybe five years old already. It was taken before the letters ATOMIC on top of the building, window frames, balcony doors and railings were painted in Greek blue.

Sunset Bar Revisited

Tom left a comment telling that the old Sunset Bar fell to the Mekong during the flood in August 2008, but was rebuilt since. I visited the place few days ago to see how the new bar looks like. It was pretty much the same, but smaller. Some of the old bar furniture survived the crash, as the same weather beaten hardwood stools and chairs were still there. I tried to find table no. 11 by which I once had a Sunday afternoon drink with a friend, but it was not to be found. I could find tables no. 1, 3 and 10, but not 11. Maybe the swelling river flushed it away last year.

View Recovered

Here you see how the street signs in Vientiane look like, although that was not the point of this picture. I was actually picturing the changed view in the back, as you can now see Mekong river from the corner of Pangkham and Fa Ngum roads. It was not possible earlier, as there was a thick vegetation blocking the view. The city's administration recently started the river front renovation. The plan seems massive and speculations are circulating on the final outcome. I am hoping for nice parks and quiet lanes for peaceful strolls and bike rides. Let's see.