Xieng Khuan is the weird and wonderful Buddha Park of Laos. It's located about 25 km from the capital city of Vientiane. Set along the mystical Mekong River, Buddha Park is home to several eyebrow-raising sculptures. Xieng Khuan was founded in 1958 by Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, a priest-shaman who practiced his very own self-improvised mix of Hinduism and Buddhism. His belief system is reflected superbly in the bizarre sculptures scattered around the site.

Starting with a dome structure made up of three floors representing the three stages of the evolution of life: Hell, Earth and Heaven. The entrance is an open mouth of a demon inviting you in. Once inside, you find yourself surrounded by scenes of bliss (Earth) to then be taken aback by evil-doers depicting barbaric scenes of torture and death (Hell). Up a narrow, spiral staircase takes you to the top (Heaven) of the dome where you can see the entirety of Buddha Park splayed out in all its crazy glory.

XIENG KHUAN - THE WEIRD & WONDERFUL BUDDHA PARK OF LAOS

The park isn't very big but it still manages to entice you. You'll be taken on a journey through its collection of weird and wonderful sculptures of demons and deities. You'll be left wondering "Wtf?"  is this all about. From googly-eyed giants to serpent-wrapped goddesses to multi-headed ghouls, I was in awe the whole time. This was definitely my kind of place. Not to mention, it was basically empty.

Among all the weirdness was a much more familiar image: a huge, beautiful lying Buddha. It, obviously, represented the founding priest-shaman's Buddhist faith. There aren't any descriptions on any of the sculptures; your imagination is your only guide.

Xieng Khuan Buddha Park was most definitely weird and wonderful. I highly recommend a visit if ever you're in Vientiane.