Laos - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 353

FESTIVALS
All major festivals , whether Buddhist or
animist, feature parades, music and
dancing, not to mention the copious
consumption of lào-láo . Because the Lao
calendar is dictated by both solar and
lunar rhythms, the dates of festivals
change from year to year. Tourists are
usually welcome to participate in the
more public Buddhist festivals, but at
hill-tribe festivals you should only watch
from a distance.
Festivals of most interest to tourists
include:
February The Makkha Busa Buddhist holy day, observed
under a full moon in February, commemorates a legendary
sermon given by the Buddha.
April Lao New Year, or Pi Mai Lao, is celebrated all over Laos
in mid-April, most stunningly in Luang Prabang, where the
town's namesake Buddha image is ritually bathed.
May During Bun Bang Fai, also known as the rocket
festival, crude projectiles are made from stout bamboo
poles stuffed with gunpowder and fired skywards. It's
hoped the thunderous noise will encourage the spirits to
make it rain after months of dry weather.
October Lai Heau Fai, on the full moon in October, is a
festival of lights most magically celebrated in Luang
Prabang. Residents build large floats and festoon them
with lights.
November That Luang Festival, which takes place in
Vientiane in the days leading up to the full moon, kicks
off with a colourful procession around the country's most
famous stupa as locals seek to make merit.
December-January Bun Pha Wet, which commemo-
rates the Jataka tale of the Buddha's second-to-last
incarnation as Pha Wet, or Prince Vessantara, takes place at
local monasteries on various dates throughout December
or January. In larger towns, expect live bands and dancing.

5

reopened its doors to foreign visitors,
Vientiane has changed with dizzying
rapidity. Today, with foreign investment
continuing to pour in, the city is growing
fast, and swish black Range Rovers easily
outnumber rusting tuk-tuks. Along with
new shopping malls and luxurious
high-rise developments, the city has a
thriving tourist economy and some
excellent places to stay. hat said, it
remains one of Southeast Asia's quietest
and easily navigable capital cities, and the
people have managed to retain their
hospitality and sense of humour.
A few hours north of the capital is
Vang Vieng , a notorious backpacker
hangout set amid spectacular scenery on
the road to Luang Prabang. Despite
attempts to reinvent the town as an
outdoor destination, it remains a
favourite stop on the backpacker route
through Laos, and for many, tubing (and
drinking) on the scenic Nam Song River
is still the biggest draw.

VIENTIANE
Two days is su cient to see Vientiane's
main sights, though those who stick
around longer will find plenty to keep
them occupied. he impressive collection
of Lao art at Haw Pha Kaew should be
high on any visitor's list, as should the
placid Buddhist monastery known as
Wat Sisaket . At sunset, it's worth taking a
ride out to That Luang , Laos's most
important religious building, to admire
the shimmer of warm sunrays across its
golden surface. he city's most
eye-opening attraction is the COPE Visitor
Centre , which highlights some of the
challenges faced by ordinary Lao people
whose lives continue to be affected by
ordnance dropped during the Second
Indochina War. A more light-hearted
day-trip destination is Xieng Khuan or
the “ Buddha Park ”, a Hindu-Buddhist
fantasy in ferro-concrete on the banks
of the Mekong.

Vientiane and
around
Hugging a bend of the Mekong River,
the low-rise capital of Laos is a quaint
and easy-going place. Arriving in
VIENTIANE from other cities in the region,
your first impression is likely to be of a
small, fairly quiet, dusty town; arriving
from elsewhere in Laos, however, the city
feels very much like a buzzing metropolis.
In the twenty-odd years since Laos

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
he plaza surrounding Nam Phou
Fountain marks the heart of tourist-
friendly Vientiane, near which you'll