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Published: March 12th 2015
I got to Danang airport early
on Monday morningto find my Vietnam Airlines flight to Hanoi had been cancelled! Stress levels are rising, I have a connecting flight to Luang Prabang in Laos and can't afford to be delayed too long. Thankfully I'm booked onto another flight, leaving an hour later. Once in Hanoi I need to get from the domestic to the international terminal and the attendant I ask says I have to catch a shuttle bus, the pink one, end of information.
Outside the terminal there is a pink and white bus with no driver, but from what I can understand this isn't it. Stress levels are rising higher. I hover on the pavement with other travellers needing the pink bus too. Eventually it arrives and I get to the international terminal in time to make my connection. I flew out of Hanoi in a small plane with propellors, two seats either side of a narrow aisle. The weather was foggy and wet and the plane climbed through a white haze, I couldn't see a thing through my tiny window.
We all arrived safely in Luang Prabang. I didn't have my Laos visa as I knew I could get
one on arrival. I had my photo, $US30 and application filled out. I exited the airport and scanned the signs, I was expecting a guesthouse pickup but nobody was there so I headed to the Currency Exchange booth. I needed Lao Kip if I was to pay for a taxi. The drivers hovered.....and the next minute my host turned up with my name sign, very apologetic for being late.
I have booked into Phonepraseuth Guesthouse for the next five nights. It's situated on the opposite side of the river to the main town area, a couple of minutes walk to the bamboo foot bridge which I will use to get into town. This is a toll bridge, costing me 5,000 kip, (80c) for each return trip. It's free before
6.00am and after
6.00pm, and the money collected goes towards rebuilding it every year. This bridge is dismantled at the start of the wet season, so exists for only six months of the year.
The ancient town of Luang Prabang, situated in northern Laos, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Considered by many travellers as being the heart of Laotian culture, the tiny town is encircled
by mountains and is 700 metres above sea level at the confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers. Here visitors are subjected to an inflated economic bubble that does not exist in the rest of the country. Being Laos' premier tourist destination and one of SE Asia's most beautiful spots, tourists will pay more for the pleasures of eating, drinking and sleeping here than they would in the country's capital of Vientiane.
Luang Prabang was the ancient royal capital of the Lan Xang Kingdom until King Phothisarat moved the administrative seat to Vientiane in 1545. Regardless, it has continued to overlook Vientiane as the destination of choice with its of crumbling French architecture, glistening temples and extensive natural beauty. The town's entire historical section is dedicated to tourism, with everything from former royal palaces and over 33 temples on the tourist trail. Luang Prabang still remains the main centre for Buddhist learning in Laos and is the perfect location for spiritual contemplation.
Only as recently as 1989 has Laos opened up to tourism, and the country that had previously been cut off from the rest of SE Asia developed a small but steady economy based on tourism
and regional trade. With a population of 50,000 Luang Prabang is one of the richest and most visited areas in Laos. The town has an
11.30pm curfew, no all night parties happening here.
I settled into my room then headed out to explore. I crossed the bamboo bridge and headed into the main town area. I had no real direction or plan and enjoyed wandering around, browsing the shops and reading the tour information outside the travel agents. To see more of the area I knew I'd have to consider day trips but found a lot of them featured elephant rides and kayaking, not something I want to do.
Eventually I found myself in White Elephant Adventures chatting with Alex, the English owner. He was very helpful and I booked myself onto one of his day trips on Thursday. More on that in a future blog.....
Not wanting to tackle the bamboo bridge after dark, I re-crossed it early in the evening. The wooden steps on either side are widely spaced with sloping threads and require concentration, I didn't want to risk a fall.
There's not a lot to see on this side of the river
Calling For Rain Buddhas
Inside Wat Wisunalat there were many beautiful antique buddhas and artefacts on display. All rescued from abandoned or ravaged temples in time past.but I found a lovely eatery, Dyen Sabai Restaurant, on the riverbank near the bridge, so had dinner there.
The next day (Tuesday) I was up early to see monks receiving alms outside the guesthouse gates. After a very adequate breakfast
at 7.30am, I took one of the free bicycles supplied by the guesthouse and headed out again. I couldn't take the bike over the bamboo bridge so had to stay on the road and take the long way round. Once again, no plan of attack, I simply stopped at places that looked interesting.
First stop was Wat Pakha Xaingaram, which was just down the road from the guesthouse and on the edge of town. Nothing extraordinary here, just a well tended temple painted maroon with gold stencilled patterns on the ceiling and columns. Only point of difference was the remaining walls of rendered brick ruins within the complex grounds.
Next stop was far more interesting - Wat Wisunalat also known as Wat Visoun. There is a 20,000 kip, or $3.20, admission charge here.
Originally built in 1513, the existing temple is a 1898 reconstruction. The original temple was made of wood and was destroyed by fire
during Chinese bandit invasions, and looting, in the 1880's.
It's actually the oldest functioning wat in Luang Prabang, which gives it a slightly different feel from some of the other sites. It's an unusual in that it has a a European looking, sloping front roof covering the entrance. It continues to be a valuable museum of religious art with numerous centuries-old Buddha statues in bronze, gilded and unadorned wood, medieval ordination stones, and other religious objects. The French restored it in 1898, but they didn't do a very good job as they had to do it again in 1932 after rain caused it to partially fall down.
I particularly liked the collection of 'Calling for Rain' buddhas, distinctive by the hands being down at the buddha's side. These gestures, or mudras, are an important part of communication in Buddhist art.
I also visited the small UXO Museum and Information Centre, UXO meaning 'unexploded ordnance'. A stop every visitor here should make, a wake up call...
As a result of the Vietnam War, Laos has the unwanted distinction of being the most heavily bombed country in the world. During the war US forces flew more than 500,000
bombing raids over Laos and more than two million tons of explosive ordnance were dropped here. This is more tonnage than was used during World War 2.
Close to 240 million bombies alone, from inside cluster bombs, were dropped over Laos during the nine years of conflict. It is estimated around 80 million of them failed to explode and remain scattered throughout the country. In addition, over four million big bombs were dropped, and extensive ground battles in some provinces left behind a large amount of unexploded ordnance such as land mines and grenades. When disturbed even decades later, they explode, killing and maiming innocent people as they go about their daily lives.
Clearing continues but at the rate it's progressing, it's estimated it will be over 100 years before Laos in UXO free.
During the afternoon I visited one more temple - Wat Xieng Thong, Luang Prabang's best known monastery, dated 1560. The roof sweeps low to the ground and there is a beautiful tree of life mosaic set into one of the exterior walls. This mosaic is made from vivid iridescent glass pieces and gleams in the sunlight.
Inside the walls are black with
Wat Xieng Thong
I love the graceful sweeping roof on this temple. beautiful gold stencil detail. One of the outer buildings, fronted with especially lavish gilt work, housed a ceremonial carriage, designed to carry the huge funeral urns of Lao royalty. Inside this building the walls were completely covered with the same glass mosaic work as the Tree of Life, with lots of antique buddha figurines standing guard.
The nights markets were being assembled when I returned to the main town area. They continued down the main street, stand after stand, many of them selling the same products. Brightly coloured clothing, embroidered and appliquéd zip purses, jewellery, wooden bowls, hanging lanterns, stencilled paintings on handmade paper, runners and cushion covers, beautifully packaged tea and coffee, handmade books, keyrings, mobiles.... a souvenir shoppers paradise. I had a quick look through the stands, admired the displays but refrained from buying. I will return before I leave Luang Prabang and get some small things to take home for gifts.
Dinner that night was a bargain, three spicy pork kababs bought from a tiny street sellers barbeque for less than a dollar. They smelt so good, I hesitated as I walked past, then stopped to buy. They were delicious, and thankfully, no 'funny tummy'
Wat Xieng Thong
Vivid green mosaics decorate the exterior of the temple. in the morning.
The next day (Wednesday) I was up early, over the bamboo bridge and into town by
6.00am. I wanted to see the Tak Bat, where apprentice monks form a line down the main street to receive alms from the local people. Unfortunately this tradition has become a bit of a circus and the street was busy with camera touting tourists. I guess I'm just another one of them.....
The problem is basic courtesy seems to desert a lot of people in the effort to get that perfect photograph. Cameras get uncomfortably close, people talk to loudly and show little respect for this tradition. I noticed the monks moved quickly, refused to take offerings from Westerners, and ignored the cameras as best they could.
I returned to the guesthouse for breakfast at 7.30. I needed a plan for the day....and decided the Royal Palace Museum would be a good place to start. The Royal Palace Museum was once Laos' Royal Palace and now houses lots of interesting historical items. It is spacious and well arranged, with rooms cordoned off to kept visitors moving in the one direction.
At the center of the Palace is
Wat Xieng Thong
The Tree of Life mosaic on one of the outside walls. the Throne Room. This magnificient room with its red painted walls, which are completely decorated with Japanese glass mosaics, contains a carved throne shaped like a howdah, a seat which is put on the back of an elephant. The throne was used in previous centuries by the Kings of Laos to travel the Kingdom
The private quarters of the Royal Family are to the back and either side of the Throne Room. They are kept in the same state as 1975, when the monarchy was overthrown and the Royals left the Palace. The Royal bedrooms, dining room and library still contain the original furniture.
I enjoyed the visit, though no cameras were allowed, so no inside photos. All bags had to be left in a locker room which had lockable lockers, and all shoes removed.
It was lunch time by the time I left the Palace. I decided to track down the baguette sellers opposite the Tourist Information Centre and have one for lunch. I also found avocado in Laos, Lin.... I enjoyed a huge baguette stuffed with bacon, chicken, cheese, avocado, tomato and lettuce, washed down with a four fruits smoothie for $5.50. A lunch that
became dinner as well.
Later in the afternoon I decided to tackle the 329 steps and ascend Phu Si, a 150 metre high hill and the only one in Luang Prabang. I started my climb from the steps across from the Palace and descended on the other side, onto the road along the river.
The hill is popular as a place to watch the sun rise or set over the Mekong River. From the summit you can enjoy spectacular 360 degree views across the city and its many temples, and out over the surrounding landscape to the mountains in the distance. Next to Wat Chomsi at the top of the hill you can buy flowers to offer for blessings, as well as pairs of tiny birds, in tiny woven cages no more than 15cm high. The Laos believe if you set a bird free you will enjoy good luck and happiness in the future.
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