Day5

Yueliangdao Hotel

In fact, we had expectations for this hotel from the beginning of the trip. Lao Haipi's guide told us on the first day that we would stay at a hotel in Vientiane that had received leaders from many countries. When we arrived in the evening, we felt the hotel's extraordinary demeanor. Although the hotel has a sense of history, the details show its honor.

The annex building on the side of the main building.

There is a magnificent square on the front of the hotel, which is really suitable for large-scale ceremonial receptions. The location of the hotel is also very good. The back is the Mekong River. Our room has a river view room.

Breakfast is super abundant. From the breakfast guests, you can also find that the occupancy rate of this hotel is really high. Most of the guests are Korean and Japanese.

The day before, Lao Haipi's guide told us that we could go to the Mekong River or the temple opposite the hotel when we get up in the morning. I seemed to be the only one who chose to come to the temple. I came a little early in the morning. The main hall of the temple was closed. The door was closed. There was no one in the entire temple. I walked alone in the magical and bright morning light, and my mind was as calm as the spring breeze.

I worshipped the main hall and walked around the hall. There were thousands of years old ancient trees in the temple. I actually picked up a beautiful and intact frangipani on the road. I put it in my bun.

Simon Temple

Simon Temple is one of the temples with the strongest incense in Vientiane, also known as Shencheng Temple. Many locals and tourists come here to pray every day, and it is especially loved by Thai tourists.

Simon Temple was built in 1536. Legend has it that when the temple was built, a pregnant woman named Si Meuang volunteered to lay the foundation and jumped into the pit where the core stone pillar (City Pillar) was placed. Si Meuang has always protected local believers, and Simon Temple has also become Vientiane's "mother temple".

So what I would like to remind you here is that locals think it is very effective to pray at Simon Temple, but you cannot pray for children and grandchildren at Simon Temple. Any other wish is okay.

The gate of Simon Temple is guarded by two huge Vajra statues on both sides. After entering, you can see many Buddha statues, Vajra statues and legendary figures in the temple. On the temple CityPillar, there lives an old vulture and never leaves the Stone-sitting Buddha. It is very magical; next to the Stone-sitting Buddha, there is a statue of Si Meuang, blessing the local people. Next to City Pillar is the main hall of the temple. The main hall is uniquely divided into two rooms. The outside room is for people to exorcise evil spirits and pray for blessings. There is a monk who helps you recite scriptures and tie ropes. Tying ropes is a local custom and can be removed after three days to ensure peace; there is also an emerald jade Buddha and a wish stone enshrined here. You can also ask for lots here. If you are lucky, you can see married newlyweds coming out here, and monks will tie them up and recite gold. Also, in Laos, motorcycles are the most important means of transportation for a family. When they buy a new motorcycle, they will also come here to ask monks to tie up and recite gold. We just saw this scene.

There is a very gorgeous shrine placed in one room inside, with many Buddha statues enshrined on it. People can also offer incense and pray here. On the square outside Simon Temple, there is also a statue of King Sisavangvong.

Taluan Temple-National Symbol

The Thaluan Temple, which appears on Lao currency, is also a symbol of Lao Buddhism and the country. The Thaluan is translated as "Grand Tower" or "Royal Tower". The Thaluan Square, about 3 kilometers northeast of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, is located in Buddhist culture. The crystallization of art is regarded as a national treasure of Laos. Of course, Laos still has many ups and downs in its history, so temples across the country have been damaged many times. The current Pagoda Luan has also been renovated. It is a Buddhist complex with masonry structures and a group of tower buildings. It enjoys a high reputation in architectural art. Covering an area of more than 8400 square meters, the entire building has a square shape, gray brick structure, and a unique architectural style. The bottom of the main tower is composed of a three-story huge square seat, with worship pavilions in the middle of the four sides; it is divided into three floors, meaning that Buddha talks about the Three Realms.

Outside the west gate of Taluan there is a bronze statue of King Satatira, and outside the south and north gates are the South Taluan Temple and the North Taluan Temple, where monks often live. The Taluan Festival is held here every November. It is the largest folk temple fair and the most solemn and grand religious festival in the country. In addition to worshipping, people will also buy small cages of birds at the door to release them in front of the Buddha statue to pray.

The surrounding verandah has exhibitions of sculptures, stone tablets, and pictures and texts.

In fact, I especially want to recommend the small market at the exit of Taluan. The handicrafts inside are not expensive, and the embroidery skills are really excellent. On the contrary, the zippers and other accessories imported from our country are dwarfed. Also, the durian popsicle sold by the vendor at the door has a super strong durian flavor and feels like durian pulp inside. It's delicious, 5000 coins.

Lao Redwood Museum

The Lao Mahogany Museum is now also known as the Shenmu Museum. Frankly speaking, when I saw the itinerary plan, I was a little disdainful of this kind of wood museum. It was probably all carvings, and only after I went there did I discover a unique place. First of all, the Mahogany Museum is a private museum. It belongs to Mr. Pisi, the richest man in Vientiane. However, it can also be said that now he has nothing but wood, because he used all his property to collect wood. He loves wood like his life, and he is also a person who saves wood. Ordinary tourists visiting here are not allowed to take photos in the inner pavilion, and above the second floor are not open to ordinary tourists.

These woods were abandoned by others in the virgin forest, left over after being cut or burned by fire, and buried in the soil and left over wood fished out of the water. After clever carving and design, display it in front of people. And every work embodies the story of the collection and creation.

I was very fortunate to visit the entire museum, and I actually filled it with a camera memory card. Every work here is a rare treasure, and there is also the legend of agarwood in the town hall. I will slowly sort it out and share it with everyone.

Last lunch and afternoon tea

Time flies, and at the end of the journey, Lao Haipi said he would take us to a super famous meat and bone shop. However, when we arrived at the store after meal time, the clerk said that the meat and bones were sold out. Hahaha ~ Leave some regrets. There will be more reasons to come next time!

So I ordered a beef platter and rice noodles, which were delicious. We each ate two large bowls of rice noodles. Some teachers wanted to add rice noodles separately, but Laos are not so flexible in doing business. They don't add rice noodles, so just add the whole serving. Teacher Jin Dan and I are perfect. He only wants rice noodles, and I just want soup and ingredients. It hit it off! There is a vegetable basket in the center of the store. There are various washed fresh vegetables in it, which you can soak into the rice noodles yourself. Unfortunately, I discovered it late, and it was too late to put it when the soup cooled.

After dinner, I also drank Internet celebrity coffee in the store. Lao coffee is really delicious, but I also want to talk about an interesting thing here. If you buy a drink in Laos without ice, the clerk will give it to you. Half a cup of pure drink, haha, people are so honest!

Lao Airlines

All round-trip flights are Lao Airlines. Shanghai Pudong Airport and Vientiane Airport fly directly. The meals on the way out are prepared by Pudong Airport, while the return trip is prepared by Vientiane Airport in Laos. Don't forget the last opportunity to experience Laos. Drink you can choose old beer and ask for ice cubes!

Day6

The flight landed at Shanghai Pudong Airport at 23:05. I booked an express hotel near the airport. The hotel has a pick-up service. The hotel's pick-up bus was already waiting for me when I got to the airport at night. This is actually a common shuttle bus for several hotels around the airport. It runs between each hotel and the two terminals of Pudong Airport every half an hour. The next morning, I still took this bus to Terminal T1, took Line 2 to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, took the high-speed train at 9:40, and returned to Hangzhou at 10:00 a.m., making it perfect for my noon appointment that day!

(Starting from Hangzhou, the New Year's trip to Laos Thailand and Beauty Wonderland lasts 6 days and 5 nights. This is the fifth-6th day of the trip. Thank you for reading! Photo/text: @ Tianxi lucklily)

Laos Thailand Wonderland Tour [Laos + Thailand 5 Days 4 Nights Group Tour (4 Diamonds)]

Ctrip booking link: vacations.ctrip.com/tour/detail/p25292399s2.html