Thursday 6 December 2012

Climbing the Patuxay, Vientiane



It was on Laos National Day that I visited the Patuxay Monument, which is at the end (or start) of Lang Xang Avenue Surprisingly, there were not many visitors at the monument.    



















Patuxay resembles the Arc de Trimphe of Paris.  "Patu" means gate and "xay" means "victory".  It was built to commemorate those who fought for Laos independence from the French.  It was built in 1962. 

 








This time, I decided to climb the Patuxay.  It costs around US$0.50 to enter the building.    You have a good view of the interior decorations.






It is not a difficult climb as the steps are  not steep for the initial stages.  There are various levels of view points so visitors could stop ascending if they wish to.  The views do not differ much.

And there are of course souvenir shops along the way.














There is a spiralling staircase at the end, it is manageable climbing the steps.








You have such views.
















How it looks like at the top level.





A good view of the Patuxay Park.



At the base of the Patuxay, there is a water fountain.





So, is it worth the effort for the climb?  Except for the Patuxay Park view, it is not really that spectacular.  I would say optional if you have time and the energy.

For more pages on Laos: http://clumsycompass.blogspot.sg/p/laos-travels_22.html

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