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Hi all.
We visited two quite different locations today, this being our last day in Vientiane before setting off for Cambodia.
Pha That Luang is an important national icon, seen as a symbol of both Buddhism and Lao sovereignty. There are a number of buildings on-site but the most significant is the 45 metre high Stupa.
As I understand it - meaning this is likely wrong - every Stupa contains a relic of the Buddha. In this instance, a piece of his breastbone.
Legend has it that the relic was brought here by Ashokan missionaries from India in or around the 3rd Century BC.
On the way back to our Hotel we stopped in at the COPE Centre - the Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise.
Around one third of Laos is contaminated by unexploded munitions and COPE play an important part in the creation and distribution of artificial limbs & wheelchairs. They do wonderful work in an area that the world seems to want to forget.
Cheers
- comments
Philip Matthew Langworthy Unexploded landmines? Wow. That's unnerving. I'm sure you're staying along the "beaten path" ..