Philippine Travel Notes

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...

In the previous story , I said I stood in front of the police station for some moments, as I was appreciating something that looked imposing. This was it across the road. A cluster of lovely-looking colonial-style buildings in a security-gated compound. While appreciating it (from across the road), that gate opened to let a car out. I ran to cross the street, and that startled the 2 guards (at left). One shouted "hey hey, why"? I was too late, that gate was already closing fast. So I stopped to answer that guard with " take picture, inside ". He smilingly said " come back opening time, 8AM, go inside "! I realized only now as I write this, that what I did (running towards a closing gate with armed guards) , was a dangerous thing to do. Eh kung nabaril ako dahil nabigla sila? Ayay my gash abelgash ! Kung nagkataon goodbye earth ako! Iskandalo na, damay pa ang ating inang bayan! Lesson learned: dapat cool lang palagi, huwag pabigla-bigla! Eh...

I was at Ibis Hotel's little foyer when I took this picture. There's the police building at left. Behind it is the masjid, which is also just at the back of my hotel (yellow arrow). If you cannot read the corner street signage (green), it says Vientiane Jamia Masjid , Muslim Association Vientiane Capital . And, it also has an arrow pointing to the left. My guesstimate , the masjid is probably 50 meters or a bit more, from that corner. Oh yes there are Muslims in Laos - many are in Vientiane. This masjid is their center of worship. I think that's what "jamia" means - a main congregational mosque (yata). Ah I was already across the road (red arrow) when I realized it's a sizeable mosque. Piniktyuran ko muna the hotel , tawid pabalik to check that masjid out and..., sarado ! How about the mosque, where's the picture? None! Because.., on the street outside its fence and gate there are streetside eateries - kanang pungko-pungko style gud. If I aim...

Let's start the walk with this park where the country's KM0 marker is located. Its as if I started my walk here since this was just beside my hotel. Well, I glanced at it when I went out this morning. But photos you'll see were my takes from last night. Anyway.., It is a 'circular park' with a fountain in the middle. It is not big, probably just as wide as Remedios Circle along Adriatico St. in Malate (sakaling alam nyo pa yun hehehe) . This isn't mala- Luneta or ala- Rizal Monument, but as you can see in this picture, it is the country's " Kilometer Zero Marker ", established by French colonizers of long ago. The area is a 'central square' (na bilog hehe) ringed by restaurants, bars, hotels, etc., Ideally middle-of-town. In two of these many photos, you'll even be able to spot, that where I stayed for the night (Ibis Hotel) is a few steps away from this 'public plaza'. And by the way, it's not all 'est...

" Where there's a will, there must be a way " - that was my theme-of-the-day! Hectic! I arrived yesterday evening, party dayon. Meetings, meetups, eyeballs all day today until I left for Bangkok at 1430H. I didn't even clock 24 hours in Vientiane, Laos ! I wanted to see this city , at least part of it. That was even unacceptable said my itchy feet. But what can we do, yearend, kasosyalan (social responsibility ba!) ang theme! I schemed! First, the hotel. I said 'let me choose my own'. I looked for those that would be near the party venue and at least some of the must-sees in Vientiane - that I can walk to. Second, just like I did in Hanoi (and other cities on this trip), explore as many places as possible during early-morning and evening walks, lunch or other meeting breaks. Third, considering the conditions above, plus my usually-slow walking pace, plus the places I expected to see, limit the exploration area to just about a kilometer - radiu...