Sights around Viang Chan

I've just spent the last day or so wandering around viang chan. here are some sights from around the sandalwood city

a colorful tuk tuk


this is that dam. there are two legends associated with it. one is that it was coated in gold, that was then carried off by siamese in 1828. the second says that it is the home of a dormant seven headed dragon that came to life in 1828 to protect local citizens in the siamese-lao war.


this is the lao national culture hall, built by the chinese in the late 1990s... i think it's pretty wild looking.


i also went to the lao national museum. we weren't allowed to take cameras inside. it was a small but interesting museum that had everything from dinosaur bones to the traditional dress for some of the tribes in lao


this is what is called patuxai, the victory gate, or also it is called the vertical runway (it was built with cement that was supposed to be used to build an airport). it looks a lot like the arc de triomphe, but it has 4 archways. the picture to the right is looking up from underneath

you can climb to the top, and from there the area does look rather european....


right now i am staying at a great guest house! it is the goldilocks guesthouse (not too expensive, but clean enough) right across from the wat mixai. this morning i woke up to monks chanting, i could hear them from my bedroom... not a bad way to wake up!
now i am thinking of heading to a restaurant for lunch where they have amazing coconut ginger chicken soup! it has been a laid back couple of days, although i have done a lot of walking around. i've also met a few random people, and it is always neat to hear their stories. hope you are all doing well at home, i am thinking of you!