Philippine Travel Notes

New Year's Eve Party waiting in Bangkok. Let's go! But and well, as usual, let's do this blow-by-blow, starting from when I left Ibis Hotel in Vientiane, all the way to when I arrived at Holiday Inn Silom in Bangkok . Blog series uli! Bye Nam Phou! I left the hotel at 1156H going to the airport. Eyes wide open and alert for the views, because I didn't have much time to roam this city, being here for less than 24 hours! My flight was 1430H, was I early or late? Just enough! Besides, hotel check-out time nowadays is 1200H right? Aw, Ibis gave me a free hotel-to-airport transfer at 1200H. Go! Black Stupa Historical attraction spotted - that's the Black Stupa or T h at Dam. Unfortuantely, we were turning left (westward direction) at this corner, for this is the way to the airport. Mind you, that's only about 2 blocks away (around ~500 meters) from Ibis Hotel, but my early morning walk wasn't in that (northward) direction. I went happily ...

Across the Vientiane City Pillar , there's a Ministry of Public Health Kindergarten. Office and school hours already caught up with me, as I started my walk back to the hotel. Aw nice, for I saw this kinder class, probably still on their first hour - playtime! Aliw watching the little tykes romp & play around. But many, (I think) , seemed to feel like they should still be at home and in bed heheh! Teacher is that girl in the middle. I sought her permission to take that photo. She even asked the kids to say hi to me! Oh yes, they do speak English - at least hi, hello, I'm fine, thank you, and wave at me! Actually, my real palaisipan wasn't those kids, but the public health ministry having a school! Kung mala- 'daycare' yan, di ba dapat sa 'social work' or 'education' ministry? Curious lang (kaya nag-atrevir nanaman) . I knew though, this isn't a topic for the dear teacher to answer, so I didn't ask her na. Mataas na antas na an...

This was the end-marker of my morning walk, from where I should walk back to the hotel. I didn't know about what this is. It just happened to be exactly 1km from Ibis. By the way, aside from the Honda store and service center (2 buildings beside each other), it was only here that I saw commercial-residential buildings in my entire walk. Anyway... Hor Lak Muang or Vientiane City Pillar - a geographical and spiritual marker. This isn't a Wat nor place of worship, but people come to visit and pray. To what? Sa true lang, nalito talaga ako kung unsa ba gayud ni! Napa-research ako ng todo-todo! The big black slab with a wordy dedication helped (a bit) for me to know a city pillar . So it's a physical, geographical, civil and spiritual marker of a city's existence. If you include the last paragraph in that black granite slab, political ideology marker na rin. It's like this: There is literally a pillar. But in Laos (or Thailand, Cambodia, etc.) it is ...

After the Mahosot Hospital , I reached another temple (madami yata silang ganito) ! This is Wat Kao Nhot, viewed from the Honda store across Setthathirat Road! This one is a real Wat (Buddhist temple). It is not a "tourist spot" that is marketed or advertised as such. There is no 'ticket counter' for tourists to pay to be able to enter. It's just there, for locals / visitors / whoever, to pray-at or admire if they want to. Not sure if it is even in tour-group itineraries, but it is really old, so probably historic. No one around to tell me anything about this little temple. Maybe I was too early. It didn't seem closed, but was eerily quiet, I somehow didn't feel like moving around. My thinking was: eh kung biglang me lumabas na aso at sinakmal nilapa ako? Kuyaw! Main entrance is at Sakarine Road, that side with a parked car, facing the hospital. I peeped from an open side-gate at Setthathirat Road, as this was my walking route. I have yet...

Let's continue with my eastward walk , still on Setthathirat Road. Back of the Ho Phra Keo Museum , across Mahosot Road, a hospital. Or is this? Too big for a medical clinic , kinda old for a hospital , yet that logo on the wall says all. I walked on anyway, going left on that picture. Ho Phra Keo is the white wall at right. Hmn, this medical place has many buildings (these below, at right) all at just 2 levels. Intermission muna: that tall fence (at left) is a side of the French Embassy grounds. Entrance to that ultra-expansive embassy grounds is way up ahead after turning left. Anyway... Left or right, all I could see were very wide, fenced, and tree-lined compounds. But, I was not at all complaining. This was such a nice walk - me manang metro aide pa o! Reaching the waiting shed behind manang.., confirmed, it's Mahosot Hospital pala! Not sure if this shed is a standard in Vientiane, but just a glance, I immediately said taob lahat ang waiting shed sa Pilipina...

This one is not a temple but sacred too, even considered 'holiest' by the Lao people - probably because it weighs big in the Lao cultural identity and spiritual well-being. Makasaysayan at me masalimuot na intriga ang museo na ito. At aba, international! Like Wat Sisaket across the road, this museum also opens at 8AM for us tourists. This was the first I came back to on my return walk, before going to Sisaket Temple. And like at Wat Sisaket, I also did not pay and enter to see this museum. I knew I had not much time to spare. I needed to be back at the hotel and expect my associates for a meeting. But as I said earlier where there's a will, there will be a way ! Ako pa! At that counter, you could clearly see the chapel/museum building (talikod ka) . This: You leave your footwear on the ground (at the foot of the stairs), then you go up, and around that loggia (external hallway) since many of the museum's displays are there. Once you enter that main doo...

Still eastward, diagonally across the Presidential Palace , I saw Wat Sisaket . Ayii, I was too early, they open to the public at 8AM, so I said I will see it later, on my way back. I went on with my walk (this road goes southeastward) noting that I'd come back this way anyway (that would probably be already past 8AM) , so I would then enter to visit. Make the long stort short, I came back! Oh eh, anupangaba, ituloy na natin ang kwento noong nakabalik na ako. This: And I discovered... nge, andami nang tao nakapila going inside the temple/musem. And that's already the 2nd pila. You first have to pay at the ticket counter - pila rin! Discouraged, pressed for time, I only shot pics at this garden near the ticket booth. And even outside, by the curbside, where there is this concrete marker (mohon) ! And the vehicles that brought those groups of tourists "upon opening of the gates "! Aw, I must tell you, behind me as I took that photo, were many more buses...

Walking eastward from the Brunei Darussalam Embassy on Setthathirat Road, this place is still on the right side, after crossing the alley connecting to the World Bank. That alley has a tongue-twister name - Rue Chanthakoummane! From there , I kept walking (excited) - it's already probably some 50 meters to this: Walking direction right-to-left, that is the same big building at right, as in the last pic of the previous story, and I think that gate is the side entrance (for employees/staff). Or maybe the 'real' gate - for workers, non-official and non-royal visitors like us! Walk pa more and I saw this majestic, pang-dugong bughaw na entrance gate hehe! Good it was still early morning, wala pang mga turistang nag-aagawan mag-posing! Well, ahem.., not really good that there were no people. No one to take my picture! Honestly, while I already know how to, most of the time I don't like my selfie photos. But here's one clever shot that I like - wit...