12th February, 2008
Hanoi, Vietnam to Luang Prabang, Laos
Laos airlines was a treat, the aircraft felt
somewhat unsound but I never felt my life in danger. The brightly coloured
seats and the Laos hostesses transported us to a different realm, Hawaii maybe.
Food was included to our surprise and we wolfed down the curry and rice
eagerly, chasing it with a Laos beer, (a bit gassy, but nice).
The flight was otherwise uneventful and we touched
down in Laos Luang Prabang airport at about 7:30PM. We handed over our visa
application forms with a photo and $30 each and were quickly issued with a Laos
visa, so far so good. We passed through customs and immigration. The airport
was tiny, a glorified airstrip. We stepped out the airport and saw Nicki’s name
on a placard with a friendly Laotian behind it. The Rattana guesthouse had come
through for us (for $6).After a short drive we arrived at the guesthouse in
Luang Prabang. It felt much warmer than Vietnam but the guesthouse lady said it
had become overcast during the day. We enquired about the monks almsgiving
ceremony, the lady said she could take us and provide us with sticky rice for
alms. We signed up seeing as we had no idea about where and when and how the
almsgiving proceeded.
After settling into our room, which was a large
one costing us extra, we headed out to explore and orientate in Luang Prabang.
The main road through town was Sisavangvong, so we started by following this.
Within minutes of walking we realised Luang Prabang was home to some chic
restaurants, eateries and art shops. The vibe was so much more relaxed than
Hanoi, we could just feel the pace of life slowing down. The lady at the
guesthouse told us a joke that PDR actually stands for please down rush, rather
than peoples democratic republic.
A short walk and we reached some evening markets
with the usual tourist attractions on sale, clothes, food fabrics, jewelry
and other curios. We veered off the main road to investigate the market in more
detail. The vendors were friendly and not pushy at all, greeting us as though
we were simply passing by, the market and wares were actually really beautiful,
we had plenty to look at and keep us busy. We walked as far as the base of
phousi mountain and then walked down an alley market towards the Mekong river.
In the darkness we could just make out the river but it would have to wait til
the next day to see it in daylight. We stopped at a café for a drink before
calling it a day and heading back to the guesthouse.
13th February, 2008
Luang Prabang, Laos
We woke up at 5:45am and got dressed. After waiting a while in the reception, the guesthouse lady came in and presented us with a bamboo box of rice each and a shawl. We walked up the road and joined a mix of locals and tourists waiting on the pavement along Sisavangvong road. It was a cool morning. The lady asked us to take off our shoes and for Nicki to sit on a stool as it was tradition that a woman should not stand above the monks. We waited about ten minutes and then monks started to arrive. They came in single file, alms bowls held in front. I started breaking off rice and placing it in their bowls and could barely keep up. I could see that others had placed money and even chocolate bars into the bowls. The monks ranged in age, height and build. Some seemed to be mere boys of 10, others venerable old men over 50. Their outfits varied, pale orange to bright orange, yellow belts were worn by novices and the older monks had their shoulders covered.
Another procession passed and I took time out to take photos of Nix feeding the monks and then we swapped places. It was hard to estimate how many monks there were in total but there were at least 3 troops of 30 each. Rattana lady explained to us that the monks depended solely on donations for food. They lived at the various wats around town.
After the almsgiving we returned to the guesthouse
for breakfast. A delicious strong Laotian coffee with sweet milk, pancake and
eggs sorted out our hunger pangs. After breakfast we headed to the Laos
development bank to exchange some dollars for kips but it wasn’t open. We also
made a stop at Wat Ho Siang just up the road from the Rattana. Wat Ho Siang had
some impressive silver coloured Nagas and some steps heading up the embankment.
We could see some monks chanting and tucking into their alms.
We headed into town and spotted Wat Mai Souvannapoumaram. It was a large looking wat with a couple of monks milling around. We took some photos but decided not to go in due to the 20,000 kip entrance fee. We walked on and climbed the base of phousi mountain to wat pa Huak. It was a small and slightly run down place. Inside were the usual statue and shrine of Buddha and some impressive wall murals depicting tales and stories which I didn’t have the ability to decipher.
A short distance away was the Luang Prabang national museum, which was also the national palace constructed for king Sisavangvong. We entered and took some photos of the wat immediately to our right and of the palace in front. To our left was the theatre, we proceeded to the palace along the palm treed lane, paid over our entrance fee at the ticket desk and checked our bags and cameras. The palace entrance had some artifacts and a divan. Beyond I could see the throne room, a kaleidoscope of gold and reflective coloured glass. In the next room to the left was the reception room and on the walls were paintings of everyday Laotian life. Beyond was a passageway with enormous bronze drums used in Buddhist ceremonies. The throne room was incredible, the decoration brilliant and overwhelming. The coloured glass arranged to produce images of men and animals and scenes of battle and farming life. There were palanquins, swords and other precious artefacts on display. Beyond the throne room were the royal apartments, a reading room, offices and libraries. The walls were adorned by pictures of royal members and kings.
Next, we tackled phousi hill, climbing the 300 steps to the summit, where we found That Chomsi. The views over Luang Prabang alone are breathtaking, this is the highest point in the area. To the East I could see the railway bridge over the Nam Khan river and to the west the mighty Mekong and the wats of Luang Prabang. At the summit was a small wat and a small cave shrine. We started to make our way northeast down the steps and came across a number of golden buddhas in a variety of poses. They had signs saying Monday buddha, Sunday buddha, etc, a bit strange. We also found the ruins of Wat Pha Phutthabaht which was on the site of a buddha footprint. Not really sure what a buddha footprint is, I think its a natural rock formation that looks a bit like a footprint if you meditate hard enough and then make it a bit more obvious by enhancing the effect with a chisel 😊
Tummies full we tracked down Wat Xieng Thong which set us back 20,000 kip ($2) each. According to our guidebook this is Luang Prabang’s most magnificent temple. Immediately inside we entered a gilded structure and inside is a naga headed chariot. It seemed too big to leave the confines of the building around it. The actual wat was a stone’s throw away. It was truly beautiful, coloured reflective glass covered most of the structure, gilded columns and roof. Inside was a large shrine and golden buddhas. On the walls gilded images told stories in pictures I couldn’t understand.
Round the back on the rear wall was a mosaic of an impressive tree of life crafted from reflective glass. We wandered aimlessly about the complex inspecting minor shrines and monks accommodation. We left the wat and wandered back to Wat Prakkhan at the tip of the peninsula. It wasn’t as impressive as Wat Xieng Thong and we headed back to the centre of town. Along the way we passed a number of minor wats that varied in impressiveness. Almost all the wats have resident monks, testimony to the large Buddhist following in Laos. There was also a noticeable amount of reconstruction of houses going on. Mostly the building have a distinctly modern and expensive look to them. It was obvious there was a considerable amount of foreign money here and I wondered if Luang Prabang would be able to maintain its charm with so many foreigners moving in…
We reached the centre and started shopping around for bicycles to rent. We asked around and found prices ridiculously high, $507 for an afternoon. Baffled, we asked why and the answer was that the communist government had intervened to protect the taxi drivers who were losing income due to cheaper bicycles. In the end we hired the bikes anyway and headed out of town to the Phousi market. The ride took only a few minutes and it was great to be liberated from walking. he ride took us beyond the reach of most tourists and we could finally start to experience the real Laos.
The market was somewhat of a let down, mostly clothes and goods targeted to locals. We spent a whole looking around and got bored. On a whim we decided to try and cycle to the waterfall at Kuang si 32km out of Luang Prabang. We got on the road but after a few kilometers we realise it will take us until after nightfall to get there and back. The scenery outside Luang Prabang is rural, farms and agriculture and small villages next to the road. We could see the mountains of the area and wished we had enough time to explore further. Next we headed to a smaller waterfall closer to town, cycling up the torturously unforgiving dirt road, following school children on their way home. We passed a luxurious spa, and something that looked like a golf course under construction but gave up after we hit a fork and found no further signs to the waterfall... the ride back to Luang Prabang seemed longer and we were both tired when we returned.
We cycled round the back of Phousi hill to Wat Wisunalat, the oldest operating temple in Luang Prabang built in 1513. We parked just outside near the red cross centre and locked up the bikes. The wat is pretty impressive but the enormous stupa (That Pathum, Lotus Stupa) catches my attention. Its colossal and blackened with age. Behind Wat Wisunalat is Wat Ahem, its more interesting with some weird lion man like statues guarding the entrance. there are some minor stupas scattered about, with monks wondering around or carrying out chores. We quit the wats and rode our bikes out to the railway bridge. The ride across was exhilarating and the river flashed past below us. We parked our biked and wondered out onto the bridge to glimpse the sunset scenes over the river. Our time on the bikes running out, we headed back into town and to the Mekong. We settled into a small cafe on the river and enjoyed a delicious Laos coffee. It was great just watching life pass by and all the comings and goings on the Mekong.
In the distance we could just see people carrying out their daily business on the far bank. I discovered that my front wheel reflector had come loose so I fudged it back into place to avoid paying for damages. We cycled back to the bike shop and handed our bikes back. then made our way back to the Rattana and moved into our smaller $15 a night room. We cleaned up a bit and rested our tired feet.
Nicki read about a night market near the Mekong where we could get our food. We walked a while in the dimly lit street but couldn't find the market, perhaps it was seasonal. We settled for a small but extremely busy place on the river, frequented by locals and farang alike. A friendly Laotian young man showed us the menu and we gathered it was a kind of barbeque and it would set us back about 70,000kip ($7). We were ushed to a table which included a ceramic/terracotta container embedded in the centre. We ordered some Lao beers and chose a mixed meats option from the menu which apparently included buffalo, but they had run out of it. Soon, the attendant arrived and deposited a ration of red coal coals in our table brazier and placed an aluminum cooker over the top. the cylindrical cooker was about 30cm in diameter and about 7cm deep and had a perforated raised hemispherical dome protrusion at its centre, a bit like a sombrero hat. Meat was placed on the perforated dome for grilling, and water was poured into the cavity surrounding the dome. Soon our meat was roasting and turning brown over the fierce heat and the water started to boil. The waitress showed us how to add vegetables, chilli, ginger, noodles and even an egg to the water. The result is a watery soup with incredible flavours acquired from the meat and other ingredients. It was so much fun cooking our own food and trying something so different.
We lingered a while sipping our beer Laos and enjoying the heat of the fire keeping the chill of night at bay. We got chatting to the Lao waiter who served us, his name was 'Tey', I most probably heard and spelled it wrong. He asked us where we were from and other little facts. His English was terrible but he was so earnest, and tried his best, desperately wanting to communicate and learn the language. We asked for the bill and it was less than we expected, since we had shared a portion. We both felt full and happy, we tried to tip 'Tey' but he insisted we put it in the tips box, where we received many 'khob chai le lais' (thank you) from the staff. Next thing Tey comes running after us and tells us he is leaving the restaurant and going to work in elephant safaris and that he's studying English in his spare time. After a while we say our goodbyes but I feel I have somehow missed something, that there is an unspoken wish I have failed to understand and fulfil. Maybe it was money or even just our company but he urged us to visit again the next day.
After dinner we took a last stroll through the market and bought some beer Lao T shirts as gifts. They were more expensive than other places we had bought, but in the end we gave in. Soon we were back in the Rattana and fell asleep in minutes.
14th February, 2008
Luang Prabang Laos
Valentines day and for once it has been impossible to spoil Nicki with a gift. We got all our stuff together and checked out of the Rattana. We didn't have enough cash so we decided to draw once we knew how much we owed. The Rattana tallied up our expenses in dollars and subsequently used a cheeky exchange rate (9300 instead of 9100) to calculate the total in kip. We trekked off to the atm but stopped off at the market for a subway. We made the classic mistake of not confirming the price before buying so the vendor overcharged us royally. But the sub was good so we were ok. Once we found the atm, which had only been recently installed, we drew enough cash to pay the Rattana and a tuk tuk to the airport.
We walked all the way back to the Rattana and realised I had miscounted the bills we had, prior to drawing and we could now only just pay the guesthouse. Cursing my stupid mistake we trudged all the way back to the atm, and worst of all we'd have to pay more bank charges. Eventually we got back to the guesthouse and had a quick coffee before our tuk tuk driver arrived and drove us to the airport. As usual the tuk tuk ride was a thrilling experience and in no time we arrived. The airport was so small the security checkpoint was at the entrance of departures. We had to down our bottle of water there and then, which left me feeling bloated. The rest of the check-in was painless and so was the flight.
Our time in Laos was over so quickly, we could easily have spent a couple more days there. The image I will keep of Laos will always be its friendly laid back people, rich heritage, architecture and culture. I could easily come back here and adventure further!
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