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A longer than usual walk today - off to see the Patuxai "Victory Monument" in the commercial part of town. (We walked past an ANZ Bank Building on the way).
I am lazy so here is another extract from the Lonely Planet:-
Vientiane's Arc de Triomphe replica is a slightly incongruous sight, dominating the commercial district around Th Lan Xang.
Officially called 'Victory Monument" and commemorating the Lao who died in prerevolutionary wars.
It was built in 1969 with cement donated by the USA intended for construction of a new Airport; hence expats refer to it as 'the vertical runway'. Climb to the summit for panoramic views over Vientiane.
The structure is about seven stories high, with most levels containing shops selling tourist type stuff.
An interesting place that's for sure, notwithstanding the shops.
On a completely different tack, we saw a 220 gram jar of vegemite in a shop today (Yay!). It was 78,000 Kip, or (AUD $12.20 (Boo!).
Lucky we brought our own hey?
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Ali My cousin worked for ANZ and was instrumental in setting up in Cambodia. They lived in Phnom Penh for a few years.