Patuxai

One of Vientiane's most recognizable tourist "attractions" (bless the poor soul who travels all the way to Vientiane to see this monument) is Patuxai. It looks a lot like the "Arc de Triomphe" in Paris, probably on purpose. "Patuxai" literally means the "Gate of Victory" (Patu = door or gateway, xai = victory). It's made out of concrete donated by the American government, which was supposed to be used to built a runway in Vientiane. (read more on Wikipedia) The Lao government chose to built Patuxai instead. It is, to this day, unfinished. 

Family standing outside (Christmas day tourism!)

Love Lao signs/ translations. This one includes: "From a closer distance, it appears even less impressive, like a monster of concrete."

The entrance to the stairwell to climb Patuxai has a ticket booth. Tickets are 3,000kip ($.40) a person, and to get to the top is 7 flights of fairly easy stairs. 

The view from the top is pretty neat- it would probably be better without so much smog. It's December and we need rain. 

This is the view going downtown (along Lan Xang, one of the biggest streets in Vientiane, designed a bit like the Champs Elysee in Paris) (lot of Paris imitating going on...)

Nick didn't get the Zoolander face memo

Overall it's a quick and cheap trip. There aren't a lot of tourist destinations in Vientiane, but this one was pretty fun.