Vientiane -- last day in Laos (May 23)

Harold went on a walk with our guide in the area of the hotel.  They saw the old American embassy and various other things, including a train station.  OAT does this orientation walks first thing in every new city we visit.  Harold goes; I write in the blog.

Then we went to learn about the art of meditation from a monk who teaches meditation all over the world.  We did this on a visit to Wat Sisaket, the oldest Buddhist monastery in Laos, featuring more than 6800 images of the seated Buddha in wood, stone, and bronze. Built in 1818, it is more Siamese in style and features an ornate five-tiered roof.

The monk who led us in the art of meditation also has a meditation radio program.  We were able to ask questions, and we tried meditation, concentrating only on our breathing for 5 minutes.  I could mostly shut off my mind, but body sensations kept intruding -- like my nose itched, then I felt as if I had a piece of fluff on my neck, then I felt hot and clammy. . . .   Then he showed us how to wrap the 14 feet of the Buddhist monk robe.  Quite a process, and he said the novice monks had a lot of trouble learning how to do it correctly so that it didn't fall apart.

After Wat Sisaket, we went to Phra That Luang, the Great Sacred Stupa, a national symbol of Laos built in the 16th century. The golden stupa is 45 meters tall and is believed to contain a relic of the Lord Buddha (an immense number of "relics" of the Buddha in these countries. . . .)  The gold centerpiece of the stupa is reminiscent of the curve of an elongated lotus bud which, in Buddhism, is symbolic of purity of the body, speech, and mind.  This stupa is perhaps the most important national cultural monument in Laos.

Last thing for the day -- we went to see the old Tomb of the Unknown Soldier called the Victory Gate (Patuxay).  Harold walked to the top and enjoyed the view of the city while Julie bought a sun umbrella.

This guard was so fun.  He saw me taking pictures of him in his white hat with the blue ruffled trim (very feminine).  He loved my taking a picture of him and happily waved and laughed.  

After lunch, we went to COPE, an NGO (largely British funded it seemed) which helped victims of the war who had become handicapped.  We watched a film about how the governemnt was searching for landmines and getting rid of them.  The US government under Obama has given 1/3 of a financial committment to help get rid of the old landmines, and Sean was worried that our new administration would not continue the funding.  Grrrr.

We loafed in the afternoon, then listened to a survivor of a bombing attack who was helped by COPE (given prosthetics, etc).  He lost both of his legs below the knee and all of his comrades were killed as they were helping Americans.  He has largely been an outcast in Laotian society, but has been helped by some people.  Happily, he did get married in 2000 to a woman who was also handicapped, and they now have a 16-year-old daughter.  We are working on various ways to help the family, and it seems we are in the process of starting a non-profit and will fund her last two years of high school and hopefully her medical university education.  Six members of our group are involved in this endeavor (Margaret, Greg, Elyse, Dan, Oren, and Harold/I).

Namfon, center, is the daughter of Tim Keokiew and Phouma Keokiew.  He is a disabled veteran who fought with American forces during the Vietnam War.  She will begin her 11th years of high school in Vientiane and hope to attend the National Medical University.

Post cocktail hour, we went to a traditional Lao restaruant for a traditional Lao meal and to listen to traditional music and see traditional dancers.  Seven of us went to this restaurant.  Excellent to hear the music and watch the dancers perform.