Luang Prabang (Laos)

We are on a journey around Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia in South East Asia, with our most recent stop being in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Leaving there, we flew north to the UNESCO city of Luang Prabang. We had a quick taxi ride from the airport to our accommodation, the Mekong Sunset View Hotel. The hotel was amazing, and seemed authentically rustic with great views.

Marg and the Mekong in Luang Prabang (UNESCO), Laos

We had a room with a balcony overlooking the Mekong River, and it provided us with an opportunity to watch Laotians going about their daily activities along the riverside. Luang Prabang is an historic city that once served as the capital of the Kingdom of Laos.

Luang Prabang (UNESCO), Laos

It’s well-preserved blend of Laotian and French religion, culture, and architecture has resulted in it becoming a UNESCO World Heritage city. The streets contain temples, shops, and charming houses that blend into a very attractive cityscape. 

Beautiful Wat Xieng Thong temple, Luang Prabang (UNESCO), Laos

It’s a small place and very easy to walk around, as we discovered this afternoon when we explored some of the 34 UNESCO-protected temples in Luang Prabang. We particularly liked Wat Xieng Thong temple with walls that have been beautifully hand-painted to depict local stories. 

Wat Ho Pha Bang, Luang Prabang (UNESCO), Laos

Wat Ho Pha Bang, with its interesting roofline also caught our attention. It is one of the most ornate temples in Luang Prabang and is now preserved in the grounds of the Royal Palace Museum. Collectively, these temples house several hundred monks.

Morning procession of monks in Luang Prabang (UNESCO), Laos

At 6:00 am each morning, around 200 monks leave their wat and walk, barefooted and silent, through the streets of Luang Prabang. Each monk carries a basket in which they collect food offerings from the local people. The locals line the streets, specifically to offer the food. 

 

Monks crossing the Mekong, Luang Prabang (UNESCO), Laos

The monks see the food as alms and as a way to keep their vows, and the locals give alms toward practicing their Buddhist faith. The ritual is carried out in silence and neither the monks or locals speak. This traditional ceremony is called Tak Bat. After seeing this solemn procession, we headed down to the Mekong for lunch, and a closer look at this famous river. 

Barges on the Mekong River, Luang Prabang (UNESCO), Laos

As with many rivers, the Mekong provides a lifeline for the locals who use it for washing, drinking, fishing, travelling, and whatever else they need it for. To get a better idea of its uses, we took a river trip on a Mekong river-barge. These barges are not only used to carry tourists, but are also the homes of the boat drivers and their family.

Marg, Mark, Chris (L) Mike, Leigh (R) on the Mekong in Luang Prabang, Laos

Our co-travellers on this trip were the two Australian couples who we had met last week in Vientiane at the Jungle House – Joy and Mark and Chris and Mike. We kept bumping into them in Luang Prabang and had decided to team up for a bit of sightseeing. 

Difficult access to the Pak Ou Caves, Luang Prabang, Laos

The boat trip took us to the Pak Ou Caves. These limestone caves are 25 km upriver from Luang Prabang in a cliff that is 15 metres above the Mekong. The caves have been a place of worship for more than a thousand years.

 

Buddhas in Pak Ou Caves, Luang Prabang (UNESCO), Laos

As pilgrims complete the difficult journey and climb to the caves, they leave behind a Buddha idol, and there are now thousands of them. It is still a place of pilgrimage and at Lao New Year in April, the locals enter the caves and wash and care for the idols.

 

Riverside home on the Mekong, Luang Prabang (UNESCO), Laos

The river trip was fascinating, as we passed many riverside homes, and dozens of boats where people were going about their day-to-day business. The next day, we headed out for a walk into the hills, specifically to visit Xang Khong. This is a pretty and traditional village in Luang Prabang that produces Saa paper.

Saa paper drying, Xang Khong, Luang Prabang (UNESCO), Laos

Saa paper is made from the bark of a Saa tree (or mulberry tree). There are several villages nearby, where the locals have become specialists in producing a specific product that is taken to the market, and from which they collectively earn their income.  

Dyed silk drying, Ban Phanom, Luang Prabang (UNESCO), Laos

We also visited the Ban Phanom village where we saw women harvesting, processing and weaving silk; Ban Had Hian village where men were crafting machetes, knives, shovels and spades from Vietnam War bomb casings, and Ban Chan Pottery Village where they specialise in pottery. It had been a very interesting day.

The food market in Luang Prabang (UNESCO), Laos

The next day, we spent some time at the local food market. The produce is grown or caught by the locals and spread out on a cloth on the ground, or on tables, forming an interesting array of colour. It all looked beautifully fresh.

 

Marg in Luang Prabang (UNESCO), Laos

After several days in Luang Prabang, seeing heaps and buying local goods, it was time to move on again. We really enjoyed our time in there and felt that it was a special place. Our next stop is Sapa in Vietnam and you can read about that in the next post.

This post is the fifth in a series about our travels through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia in South East Asia. The first post was about Bangkok and you can read it here: Bangkok post.