On our first day in town, we decided to do the usual and check out some wats. We found this one - kind of old and rundown. Unlike in Thailand where all but the biggest temples are free (donations accepted), all the temples in Laos cost money. They range from 10,000 kip ($1.25) to 20,000 kip ($2.50). This one was 20K kip. We went in and it was kind of sad. The next one we went to right next to this one (we thought we were getting access to both) was one of the bigger ones in the area. We weren't up for spending a ton of bucks so only I went in. It was OK. The wats in Laos are much more... humble. Laos is poorer than Thailand so it's no surprise. We didn't visit any more temples except for one at the top of a hill where people watch the sunset. But that was only for the view. Didn't even go into the temple proper at that one. It's interesting how different the Buddhism feels in the different countries. The temples in Laos just don't feel as sacred and I've not really seen anyone praying in them unlike in Thailand where there's nearly always at least one person praying. But it's all good.
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