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This time in Vientiane was not scheduled to be anything but relaxation from a whirlwind holiday. I was good at not being a tourist for the first couple of days, but then I buckled and set off with my brother to see a nearby attraction. The Buddha Park, also known as Xieng Khuan (=Spirit City) is not an ancient temple or an historic piece of land. It’s simply a field located 25km. outside of the capital city that has a very unique display of Hindu and Buddhist statues. Over 200 in fact.

Back in 1958 a man named Bunleua Sulilat decided to create a religious theme park. He was considered a Thai/Lao mystic, myth-maker and spiritual cult leader. And more since his passing, a recognized sculpture artist. Sulilat’s eccentric and captivating personality and the blend of Buddhism and Hinduism he professed, proved to hold great appeal to some of the locals (others thought he was a lunatic!) He arranged donations for vast amounts of concrete and gathered unskilled enthusiasts that volunteered and followed his sketches-the rest is history. The park is now run by the government, so there was nobody present to fill in the blanks. Google came to the rescue after the fact.

After walking past the ticket office I was faced with a three story windowed globe that had a tree growing out of the top. Well, a sculpted tree. The open mouth of a demon head at the base was the entry point to explore the interior. I proceeded with great caution. A dusty corridor wrapped around the edge while a central storage area housed what looked like a religious mannequin graveyard. Solitary arms reached through the beams of light while cement corpses piled up around door frames. Even though I felt pretty spooked, I made my way across to a narrow staircase resembling a twisting spine. I called out for my brother Derek, but heard nothing back.

The final step led me to another level of abandoned statues, though they didn’t give me shivers like the ground floor. I examined the Buddha heads and treasure chests, all covered in a green lichen making me think the statues really were ancient treasures. Another 3 inch wide ladder led me up to the third story. There were no more sculptures. Square windows allowed in more light and I saw an oval shaped openingthat looked like I might fit through. I hoisted myself up and shielded my eyes to the sunlight. I had made it to the ‘roof’ of the structure where others sat and enjoyed the view over the entire park.

“Where did you come from?” Derek seemed surprised to see me.

I looked back to the oval window and pointed to the gaping chimney. Above it the tree sprung up another 25 feet.

“There is a normal staircase on the other side you know, ” he laughed as if I had sought the most difficult route on purpose.

“I like to make an entrance,” I responded with a grin. We stretched our legs and looked past the sculptures and trees towards the Mekong River. Its muddy waters were slow moving, but I could make out a bustle of activity on the other side. The development in Thailand is still double that of Laos.

I have since learned that the pumpkin like globe I was sitting on, represented Hell, Earth and Heaven. So I had made it through hell, meandered through earth and rested on heaven’s rooftop. Pretty good for a day of being a tourist.

As I walked through the maze of statues, peering into pig faces and alligator chops, there were just a couple of other people doing the same. A monk dressed in the traditional saffron coloured robe rested at the toes of the 50 foot long reclining Buddha. It was a peaceful atmosphere despite the slightly bizarre mix of aging monuments. I saw skulls, soldiers, snakes and scorpions all lining the pathways. At the end of the grassy area, stood a small temple or wat. I climbed the first set of steps, enough to have a look at the enclosed area where a stick of intense had been left to burn. I was reminded of climbing the temples in Angkor Wat, as the steep approach required use of all four limbs. The ledges up to the upper half were so narrow that I opted to return to ground level.

After filling up my memory card documenting every statue, it was time to return to town and hang out in one of the glorious coffee shops. I gathered some information about the sights I had just seen, and then decided it was time to have a nap. After all, I’m on holiday from being a tourist.