This is my last morning in this awesome quiet town. I started with a run around both rivers one last time. Of course I snapped more pictures.
I caught a tail end of one street of alms giving. It is advised that Monks eat once a day: As per the rules ofmonks(Vinaya) amonkcaneatfrom Sunrise till Solar Noon. Thus amonkcaneatany number of times within the stipulated time period. … Buddha encouragedmonksto haveonemeal perdayas that is good for health and helps in the meditation practice.
There is a definite French influence that has remained since it was occupied by the French for some time.
This picture is in front of the guest house I am staying at. A family runs it and they sleep on the premises.
Yes I think I missed a few temples.
And last night I did get a little bit of the evening prayer :
Rather than just be driven to the falls, I booked a tour that started in a village and walked up to the top of the falls (and then back down to the lagoon pools you can swim in). Note to self: don’t be so organized and book the tour ahead of time on tripadvisor. You pay more money than just buying when you get there. They use what is called the single supplement. You pay more for a single ticket because if you are the only one on the tour, it is still guaranteed. When 2 book at the same time, the price for each is almost half!
We started out in the Khmu village which is one of the three predominate tribes in this area of Laos. Our guide was Thong (pronounced tung).
We passed through a school yard.
We then passed through the Hmong village, which is another tribe.
This woman is weaving a roof for the house which needs replaced every 2 years. To make it last that long she bunches 7 pieces together to tie.
A picture of their house.
From this tree they get rubber. It is trapped much like we do for maple syrup.
This is my friend Adrienne. We calle this the birthday rock in her honor, because it is her birthday!
They do slash and burn portions of the jungle to expand their farmland.
Along the way we tried various roots and shoots. This one is tasty and almost a hint of ginger. For stomachache.
This one is bitter and is used to cook with.
We saw coffee plants and their fruit.
Mango tree
We came to another village that was moved here from further up in 1996 in order to promote tourism to the falls. It has increased their livelihood and helped tourism in the area.
Here we had a snack and could pay to go to the Phawesi cave. This cave was used during the Vietnam War for people to hide during the bombing of Laos. Thong’s grandparents talked about many who died during that time. The statue on the right is the mountain spirit. These tribes do not worship in temples and use a local shamian for healing and religion.
We ate lunch near the spring that was constructed for the village to move here.
After a wonderful lunch, we continued on.
Soon we were at the top of the falls. Straight ahead is the edge.
Looking down at the lagoons below. Each is a different shade od turquoise.
Side view of the falls.
More of the top and the edge of the waterfall.
From here we had to climb down a path the entire height of the waterfall.
But the view from the bottom was spectacular.
A ficus tree.
We had over an hour to ourselves and decided to visit the Asian bears and the organization to save them.
They had an enclosure for little bears.
They had a separate one for the adults. Their face had a unique shape.
After purchasing a t-shirt for their organization to save the bears, we changed to go swimming in one of the lagoons. It is winter here so it was cool but worth it. There are fish in the lagoon that nibble on your feet. It actually is a spa treatment you can have here. They eat the dead skin cells off of your feet. It felt interesting.
After returning to town, we quickly changed and went to L’Etranger Books and tea to watch the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
Dinner was a Lao spicy eggplant dip (Tam Mak Kua) with sticky rice.
Rather than just be driven to the falls, I booked a tour that started in a village and walked up to the top of the falls (and then back down to the lagoon pools you can swim in). Note to self: don’t be so organized and book the tour ahead of time on tripadvisor. You pay more money than just buying when you get there. They use what is called the single supplement. You pay more for a single ticket because if you are the only one on the tour, it is still guaranteed. When 2 book at the same time, the price for each is almost half!
We started out in the Khmu village which is one of the three predominate tribes in this area of Laos. Our guide was Thong (pronounced tung).
We passed through a school yard.
We then passed through the Hmong village, which is another tribe.
This woman is weaving a roof for the house which needs replaced every 2 years. To make it last that long she bunches 7 pieces together to tie.
From this tree they get rubber. It is trapped much like we do for maple syrup.
This is my friend Adrienne. We call this the birthday rock, because it is her birthday!
They do slash and burn portions of the jungle to expand their farmland.
Along the way we tried various roots and shoots. This one is tasty and almost a hint of ginger.
This one is bitter.
We saw coffee plants and their fruit.
Mango tree
We came to another village that was moved here from further up in order to promote tourism to the falls. It had increased their livelihood and helped tourism in the area.
Here we had a snack and could pay to go to the Phawesi cave. This cave was used during the Vietnam War for people to hide during the bombing of Laos.
We ate lunch near the spring that was constructed for the village to move here.
After a wonderful lunch, we continued on.
Soon we were at the top of the falls. Straight ahead is the edge.
Looking down at the lagoons below.
Side view of the falls.
More of the top and the edge of the waterfall.
From here we had to climb down a path the entire height of the waterfall.
But the view from the bottom was spectacular.
A ficus tree.
We had over an hour to ourselves and decided to visit the Asian bears and the organization to save them before going swimming .
They had an enclosure for little bears.
They had a separate one for the adults. Their face had a unique shape.
After purchasing a t-shirt to save the bears, we changed to go swimming in one of the lagoons. There are fish there that nibble on your feet. Kind of a fish massage. You can actually pay money at spas for this. Felt pretty good.
After returning to town, we quickly changed and went to L’Etranger Books and tea to watch the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
Dinner was a Lao spicy eggplant dip (Tam Mak Kua) with sticky rice.
Luang Prabang has a large amount of temples which makes the entire town a historical site. A daily ritual is that of alms giving. Residents and visitors purchase sticky rice mainly though some give other items to each monk as they pass. The purpose of the ritual is good for the monk as they only eat one meal a day. The rest of the food is fed to the poor who come to the temple to eat food and pray. After eating, it is time for prayer.
This is the line of people waiting to give alms on Sisavangvong road.
Sticky rice is purchased in a large Steamer basket and is cooked just before the ceremony. Here you can ser people waiting on stools that have been set up for this giving alms. They have Steamer baskets in front of them.
As each monk passes, some rice is scooped out into each Monks metal container they carry.
It is very silent. The Monks walk barefoot through the streets.
As they reach the corner they turn down the side street.
From here they will turn towards their respective temple. You can see different Monks going into different directions. As they go through the backstreets, there will be others lined up there as well to give alms.
This was a very peaceful ritual and worth seeing. The rules are no flash photos, do not get close to the Monks, and wear attire suitable for temple. This includes long skirt or pants and shoulders covered. I was dismayed to see people break the rule especially using flash and stepping in front of a monk to get a picture.
Respect is key here and everywhere you go.
Note: because of no flash and distance, some pictures may not be as clear.
WalkingI met Adrienne Higley after she flew into Luang Prabang and we walked towards the night Market. There are a few buildings at the base of the mountain I hadn’t seen yet so we went to explore. There was a pretty good sunset even though some of the lights were in the way.
I needed a flash on this next one.
Over the tents of the night Market which is at the base of the mountain.
Walking along I saw a buffet that I had seen mentioned on a blog post. One price for filling your plate then he heats everything up in a wok for you. Vegetarian/vegan too!
Keeping it easy this evening as I have a day of hiking tomorrow up to the kuang si waterfall.
The way across the Nam Khan River is a bamboo bridge. There are boats that get you across and there is a bridge and roadway, but what is the fun in that?
A family built this bridge which is only up for 6 months. During the rainy season the river is too high so it is taken down. The family charges 5000 kip or 58 cents to go across. This is for their time and money in maintaining the bridge. I wandered looking for more sights and a different place to eat.
I should have taken more pictures. Much less crowded, not that Luang Prabang is by any means to begin with.
Not rickety at all. Very sturdy and wide enough for side by side people.
In case you are wondering about the many updates, this hotel Ban Jeck has amazing wifi and I need to give myself out of the sun for brief respites and to rehydrate.
The first temple I saw on the way back to my hotel was Vat Manorom.
I am not sure what this little house is for.
This building was used to serve food.
At Vat Thatluang.
A long boat.
In this building at the top is a drum that is what I heard beating in the afternoons. Bell and drum are important implements in a Buddhist temple, functioning as a signal for monks to gather together.
The temple and a stupa.
A stupa is a Buddhist commemorative monument that houses sacred relics associated with the Buddha or other saintly persons.
Other statues around the temple.
At the bottom of the stairs on the other side of the temple leading to the top.
Beside the stairs are many statues. This is actually at the park where the night Market also takes place.
This is one of the many small roundabouts that exist here.
I love seeing the temples, how each tells different stories of Buddha and are dedicated to inner and outer peace. They symbolize 5 elements : earth, air, water, fire, and wisdom.
Some I did not go in as I changed clothes to cool off. To go in a temple you must have shoulders and legs covered.
Yes, you saw that right. At the night Market I saw a couple people sell items made from bombs that had been been found and still active. I bought some as souvenirs as it was great cause and then set out to find the museum and the story.
They had a variety of bombs. Fuses and the chemicals have been removed from them. This shows all the devices that were used by the US and the Russians to back who we wanted to make Laos “safe”. We were wrong. Communism is not an enemy and we destabilized a whole area just like we are still doing in the middle east.
It tells the story of how the operation in Laos was an unofficial one and therefore where and how bombs were dropped were not conformed to international law.
Laos was the most bombed country per capita during the Vietnam War, also known as the 2nd Indochina war. Primarily the bombing was to cut off supply lines for the north Vietnamese.
Cluster bombs shown below were used. When dropped, the outer part opened and hundreds of small bombs were scattered. 30% of all of these bombs did not detonate, falling into rice paddies, fields, and jungles. They are still active today almost 50 years later.
Every day, a person in Laos is killed or injured when one goes off unexpectedly. I saw a video of a family of 3 girls starting a fire to cook fish for their mother and there was a bomb below the dirt and it exploded. One sister was killed and the other lost part of her arm. They have other stories as well.
UXO goes on and uses devices to find possible bombs using landsat technology. Sometimes they can defuse and sometimes they explode it remotely. The scrap they use to make souvenirs and raise awareness. It helps find their mission. Their landsat images of bomb locations match the poorest areas of Laos. That is because they live in fear that they will accidentally step on a bomb, they cannot farm further out or dig deeper for crops. Those areas are given priority as kids have been injured trying to go to school, family to the hospital, and just living daily lives.
More information about the war.
Of course I bought an item here as well. In the elephant park in Chiang Mai, they rescued two elephants badly injured from mine and bombs.
It was very moving and being against our action in Vietnam and made me even angrier that a country was caught in the middle and still paying a terrible price.
After I visited Mount Phusi, I went for a run. It helped me find places I wanted to see next and get lost to finally figure out some of the roads. This town is actually very uncomplicated, about the size of my home town, and very walkable. It is a work heritage site. There are no busses or trucks allowed. I stopped and looked at a few things while running as I knew I might not be back to that place.
The town is really pretty. This is the site of a night Market but have not gone there yet as the street in front of my hotel also shuts down for the market.
There is a temple close to the monument but looks like a closed community.
After the run, I went to tour the bottom of Mount Phu si again as I was passing by. Roadside stands being set up at the bar of the mountain. This is also where the night Market is.
This is actually across the street and will explore more there tomorrow.
Wat Pa Huak or the “Monastery of the Thornless Bamboo Forest” was founded in 1861 by Phaya Si Mahanam during the reign of King Chantharath (1850-72). The bamboo forest used to be on this site.
The doors are amazing and it is falling into disrepair. They have items for sale to benefit restoration as well as leaving donations which I did both.
Inside
This wat has original 19th-century murals that depict historic scenes along the Mekong River. They chronicle visits by Chinese diplomats and warriors arriving by river or horse and are different than other temples as they show day to day living and not pictures of the story of the life of Buddha or other religious paintings.
See if you can pick out the horse that is relieving himself in this picture.
Behind the Wat is a stupa.
After getting ready to go back out, I found a place on the river to eat. The smell was amazing.
This is where they cook. Not too big a deal in this area of the world.
View of the river
The yellow curry I ordered.
From there I decided to go to the Nam Dhong Park which is great gardens. I hired a driver to take me and wait. Unfortunately I did not bring enough money to do the ziplining. It was the original reason to go but I found there was much to look at. The road there was terrible though and combined with heat and sun made for a very tired traveler at the end.
Views on the way.
At the park.
A bridge that goes between the trees in the jungle.
Some views from the walkway.
Wandering through the gardens.
And down to the waterfall where you can take off your shoes and go in the water.
The gardens up top are really beautiful and peaceful with flowing water.
At the swan pond is an opportunity to weave with bamboo. I was running out of time at that point.
After the long bumpy ride back I took a much needed nap and headed out to meet Yvette and Krista from the boat tour at a movie at L’Etranger.
The coconut pancakes are so good. You are served them in a banana leaf. They are the small pancakes next to those big donuts.
This caught my eye. So I went to look at this temple.
Prior to leaving I heard drum beats. Not sure if that was a call to prayer.
Where the Monks live around the temple area.
More images from around the temple grounds.
At L’Etranger, a book store owned by a French expat. You can bring old books to give for credit and every night they show a movie upstairs. Tonight is Green Book. It was very good. Tomorrow night is Bohemian Rhapsody.
At the end of the day I ended back where I started taking a picture from the base of Mount Phusi of the night Market.
If you want a 360 degree view of Luang Prabang, then head to Mount Phu Si. It’s name means sacred mountain/hill. It is over 100 meters above the city.
Ancient legend is that a powerful Naga that is part human and part serpent deity called the mountain its home. There are many temples throughout the hill. Since there are temples one should dress appropriately for respect. No knees or shoulders should be visible. It really is disrespectful not to abide by this simple rule.
There are two sets of stairs on either main road to get to the top. There are over 300 stairs to climb but even in the dark is not perilous. On my way back down there were many out of breath coming up so it is moderately intense.
I started climbing at 5:30 am based on recommendations I had already seen. However, being tired, I should have realized that would be the best time in the summer. If it is winter, start up the mountain at 6:30.
Pictures from the top before sunrise. Wat Chom Si is the name of the temple. It was constructed in 1804 by King Anourat and has a 20m high golden stupaon top.
So I had time to spend. It is difficult to hear on this video (put your ear close), but I sat and listened to the chants in the morning during alms giving. I will see that tomorrow when the monks walk through the streets and alms are given by the locals. The alms are food for the monks as that is their only meal of the day. This is a quiet city without trucks or buses. It was extremely peaceful and a great time to be reflective and appreciative of my good fortune.
This pregnant kitty also kept me (and others) company. Such a love bug. She willingly climbed on laps. Life must be good for her too.
I chatted with a woman from Vietnam who also loved the mama cat.
These baskets can be purchased at the bottom. They house tiny birds. You set them free for good luck at the top. Though I wanted to buy them all and set them free, I do not wish to perpetuate cruelty.
Once the sun should have rose, I snapped these pictures as it is going to take some time for the fog to lift. There is very little pollution here. Yesterday on the boat it took a several hours for it to lift.
Facing the Nam Khan river.
A temple below. This is also the Mekong River.
Headed back down there was another goodbye to the kitty.
Views on the way down.
Many people go at sunset when it is spectacular but is also very crowded. I appreciate the calmness of morning.
I was in need of coffee. I chose a great location to stay as it is on the street fur alms giving and the stairs to mount Phu Si as well as having great little shops. I stopped at Kaogee Cafe.
Here I had an Americano and bread with Pandan. Pandan is also known as Screw Pine. This is a fruit that has the consistency of honey. It is sweet and mango like. The color is green. It is really hard to describe but tasty. The price is 30,000 kip which is 3.00 US.
There are other places on the grounds of Mount phusi I missed and week so that when I wander later.
