Built on the banks of the Mekong, Vientiane still has chickens running around the streets and children playing, oblivious to the traffic. Despite its standing, there is not a lot to see and it is better used as a staging post than a place to visit. Several of the temples (or wats as they are locally known) now house small interesting museums, while That Luang, the most revered of all the religious sites, is the focus of a major festival held each February when the local people dress in their finest clothes and pilgrims come from miles around to worship. Vientiane is easily accessible by road from Bangkok across the Friendship Bridge.