The Best of Cambodia & Laos

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VIENTIANE
11
VIENTIANE ATTRACTIONS
Wat Mixay, Wat Impaeng, and Wat Haysoke.
Take the time to admire them; each
one has its own distinctive features.
Head south down Khum Bulom Road arriving, once
again, at the Mekong. Pull up a plastic chair, order
something cold and if it’s evening, wait for the sunset.
Swimming
There are a number of places to cool off and get wet in Vientiane, ranging from the
luxurious to the municipal.
The beautiful pool at the Settha Palace (p. 214) charges $9 a day. It is pleasantly surrounded
by French colonial architecture and landscaped gardens. The Tai Pan (p. 216)
swimming pool and fitness center is open to the public for a slightly cheaper $7.50 a day
and the excellent Novotel (p. 214) charges $8 a day.
The large municipal pool on Ky Houng Road (btw. the National Museum and the Lao
Plaza Hotel) is open daily from 8am to 7pm. At $1, it is satisfyingly cheap for doing laps,
but it’s less good for lounging. There is also the newly opened Nong Chan Water Park
with huge slides for the kids. It is situated on Khouvieng Boulevard, near the central bus
station.
Massage/Sauna
There are excellent massage places all over town ranging from small shop fronts to luxury
hotels. The quality is very good indeed.
There is traditional massage and herbal sauna at Wat Sok Pa Luang (Sok Pa Luang
Rd.; open daily 1–7pm; sauna 10,000 kip; massage 20,000 kip).
Meditation
There are meditation classes every Saturday led by monks at Wat Sok Pa Luang. They
take place between 4 and 5:30pm in the gardens of the wat. The instruction is free and
there is a translator to answer your questions.
Golf
The 18-hole Youth Garden Golf Course (Km 14 on Rte. 13 heading south) was the first
one in Vientiane. It is not far from the Friendship Bridge. Nonmembers pay $16 on
weekdays and slightly more on weekends. This gets you a caddy but not clubs. You have
to either bring your own set or arrange a rental. There is also the quiet 9-hole course (Km
6 on Rte. 13 heading south), which hosts expat tournaments although on the weekend
it’s very quiet.
Bowling
Ten-pin bowling is now a very popular activity in Vientiane and there is a good choice
of places to try and clatter the pins.
Lao Bowling Centre On the corner of Ky Houng Road and Khou Boulom Road
just past the swimming pool is the Lao Bowling Centre near the Novotel. One game costs
10,000 kip per person up until 7pm, and 12,000 kip after that. Shoes are supplied, and
socks available for 8,000 kip. The bowling center is open from Monday to Saturday from
9am until midnight. Khun Bulom Rd. & 021/218-661.
Vientiane Bowling Centre This is at the Lao-ITECC shopping center (about
4km/21 ⁄2 miles out of town on the northern ring road toward the Friendship Bridge). It’s
a bit smarter than the one in town, and costs only 6,000 kip a game till 6pm and 10,000
kip after that. Daily 9am–11pm. Chanthaburi District. & 021/218-66.