Of the many different temples that we visited in Vientiane, Wat Ho Phra Keo (also known as Haw Phra Kaew) was unique and different for a variety of reasons. Although several of the temples have gardens, the garden that leads to the entrance of the temple was very well groomed and colorful. It was also the one temple where we saw the most tourists during our visit to Vientiane. There is a nominal entrance fee in order get into the temple grounds, but it was included with our tour.
Built in 1565, the temple is quite beautiful. Wat Ho Phra Keo is located just down the street from Wat Si Saket, which is a Buddhist museum as well as a temple, so it is worth visiting both. There is also a museum and gift shop on the temple grounds and one of the most interesting exhibits during our visit were some ancient carvings made on petrified tree trunks. There were also some ancient, stone pots on display in the garden.
As with many of the temples, the inside of the main temple in Wat Ho Phra Keo is adorned with colorful images depicting the life of Buddha. There are also plenty of ancient statues of Buddha as well as other historical artifacts. We spent about thirty minutes walking the grounds and enjoying the garden and seeing the beautiful artwork.
An actual cluster bomb is a large bomb shell that opens up as it nears the ground and disperses hundreds of tiny bombs that are about the shape and size of a baseball. Many of them are buried in the ground and farmers come across them when plowing their fields. Sometimes they are above ground and children pick them up and play with them. When you first enter the center, you are directed to a room to view a movie on how the millions of bombs came to litter the entire country. After watching the movie, we walked through the exhibits, which can be quite sobering and somber.
