LUANG PRABANG, LAOS- ( Part 8 ) Temples of Luang Prabang

Visitors to Luang Prabang are usually struck by the serene, tranquil nature of this idyllic Laos town. Luang Prabang is so small and compact in fact, it is almost absurd to call it a city. The town is a lovely place to take a leisurely walk and soak up the peaceful atmosphere that surrounds you. No cough-inducing fumes, traffic jams or the unsightly presence of fast food franchises to ruin the landscape, just lots of French style architecture and tons of monks.

The wat is a photographer's dream, there is so much that beckons the eye, and one has to be quick to take advantage when a monk goes walking by. For me there is a timeless quality that is reinforced by not being able to see the monk's face. I think a photo leaves a lot to the imagination....

The temple structure in Luang Prabang contrasts to the southern Lao and Thai styles. The sweeping tiers of the multiple overlapping " saddle " roofs spread nearly to the ground. The most impressive example is the Wat Xieng Thong. The building is lavishly decorated with mosaics of tiny red, green and blue mirrors on a gilded background. 

There are a few customs to consider when visiting the temples or wats of Luang Prabang. First, always remove your shoes upon entering the temple. There will usually be a sign, but it general, take them off before going up the last few steps. Monks are not permitted to touch women, so female travelers should NEVER TRY TO SHAKE HANDS or pass something directly to the monk. The feet are considered the lowliest part of the body, so take care not to point your foot at any Buddha image. Finally, dress modestly on your visits to the temple. Short shorts or skirts will cause stares or possibly offense to the monks.

LUANG PRABANG, LAOS- ( Part 7 ) ROYAL PALACE MUSEUM and WAT MAI

Luang Prabang is an outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by the European colonial authorities in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its unique , remarkably well-preserved townscape illustrates a key stage in the blending of these two cultural traditions. 

The Royal Palace Museum is set back off the main street of Sisavangvong. It is located right at the center of the Heritage town.  It is directly across the Phu Si Hill. Its tall, swaying palm trees and elegant rooftop dominate the skyline. It is a beautiful museum to visit if you are trying to avoid the heat.

It is also known as the GOLDEN HALL or HAW KHAM. It was built in 1904. The Royal Palace was built in a combination of Lao and French styles. I really enjoyed wandering around the whole place although I was not allowed to take any photos inside the museum itself. I was intrigued to learn that the palace was specifically built on this site to allow tourists to gain entry to the palace. The palace museum contains royal religious artifacts and prized artwork.

The living quarters remain as they were when it was occupied by the royal family.  It is surprising how humble the royal family's quarters are. Although many locals believe that the palace is haunted by the spirits of the royal family.

LUANG PRABANG, LAOS- ( part 6 ) The Night Market

Shopping is still an informal affair in Luang Prabang. As everywhere, The morning market is the place to go for food and entertainment. There are hundreds of temporary and semi-permanent shops, stalls, and blankets spread on the ground, where virtually everyone converges to buy and sell almost everything. Here the primitive hill tribesmen comes face to face with the modern western traveler in a huddle strange to both of them. Yet, life comes easily here and such mood are taken with a broad smile. 

Every night, Hmong people come from their villages in the mountains to Luang Prabang to sell their hand made products. This market is really famous. It is filled with tourists from all over the world.... and I would surmise that we cannot call this place " out of the beaten track ". The things that are sold in the market are colorful and it is really a cheap place to buy your souvenirs to take home.

When dusk sets in the little town of Luang Prabang, the whole stretch of Sisavangvong is closed to vehicular traffic and it becomes a pedestrian walkway for the market vendors.

The local traders here sell a variety of merchandise ranging from puppets, silk lamps, scarves, exquisite ceramic pieces, silver bowls, antiques, paintings, rare spices and even some weird stuff like exotic insects and snakes bottled in rice wine.

You are not forced to buy anything you don't like at all... I just wandered around the market taking photos of their wares and sometimes stopping to chat with some vendors regarding their wares. That was enough for me. What I liked with these vendors is that you ask about their merchandise --- they are very accommodating to your every query.... They even offered me to try their rice wine with a small cobra in it.  I spent hours just observing the vendors and the buyers negotiating the prices of blankets, pillow cases and other items. I was surprised to find out that some of these vendors have a good command of English to greet the customers.

Despite the narrow walkways --- there seemed to be a universal understanding on which way to go. I could see a lot of tourists enjoying their time shopping and going from one stall to the other. It was a perfect time for me to take some photos of their wares. In the end -- I went through the market without buying anything , except for food and drinks.

This Luang Prabang Night Market is a must see cultural experience for everyone when you are in Laos. I enjoyed spending three nights checking out Luang Prabang Night Market. It was such a welcoming sight to see.... the red and blue tents along the Sisavangvong street with Mount Phu Si over looking the whole city.

I would love to visit Luang Prabang again and stroll through the Night Market once more.

LUANG PRABANG, LAOS- ( Part 5 ) PHNOM WEAVING VILLAGE

The Ban Phnom weaving village is about 7 kms. away from the Luang Prabang. This is a good place to buy cotton and silk textiles where you can also observe traditional weaving techniques of the Lao people.

This village became one of the acknowledged suppliers of the King. The ban Phnom village is full of history, culture and a weaving experience that you can still find in some other villages in Laos where methods, techniques and patterns are still those of old times.

The majority of the village's production is done according to a technique that uses cotton and silk. The weave is done using thick cotton threads that are often in different colors, which gives it a shimmering effect. Nearly all the families in this village possess 1 or more weaving looms. Some have even created small workshops. The prices of their handicrafts here in the village are a lot cheaper than that of the Night Market.

LUANG PRABANG, LAOS- ( Part 4 ) PAK OU CAVES

SABAI DEE !

When traveling to Laos, there are many places and sights to see. But one of the most unique and interesting destinations has to be the Pak Ou caves. These caves are one of the most sacred sights in the country. They are still being used as a place of worship. Every New Year, people from Luang Prabang make a pilgrimage to the caves containing over 4000 Buddha images and statues. These underground sanctuaries have been venerated for centuries where thousands of Buddha statues are housed. The caves can be reached either by a short trip on the Mekong River or by road to Ban Shang Hai Village.

Today  ----  let me take you to the PAK OU CAVES. These caves are found 25 kms. outside the city of Luang Prabang. We decided to go by tuk tuk rather than taking a boat on the Mekong river... The roads to the caves were not paved.. so it was a bit dusty on our way to there. Half way to the caves--- we asked the tuk tuk driver to stop for a while so we could take some photos of the Mekong River.

When we reached our destination---- we still had to hike some 350 meters to the boat landing where we would be taking a small boat to bring us to the caves.

It was nearly lunch so Oskie and I decided to have our lunch at the restaurant near the boat landing. The name of the restaurant was MANIVANH.  Here is what we had for lunch...

Deep fried  srping rolls..

Fried Fish ( caught in the Mekong River ) with pineapples...

Stir fried ginger with chicken....

After lunch, we met a boatman by the river bank and we haggled with him on the price he was  going to charge us just to take us across the river. He charged us 20,000 Kip ( which was roughly $ 3.00 ) to take us across... It was a good price, so we agreed. The boatman helped me get in the boat... the chairs were like the kind you would find in a little girl's tea set ---- small , wooden and very uncomfortable. Then the boatman pushed his oar off the dock and we slowly slipped into the current. The rattle of the motor drowned the sounds of life along the Mekong .... but we had a beautiful view.

The Pak Ou caves hosts thousands of interesting small and bigger Buddha images, mostly donated by the local people. There are 2 caves.... the upper and the lower cave. The lower cave is clearly visible from the river and is accessible by boat, while the higher level can be reached by climbing some stairs.... ( I counted almost 120 steps going up ).

LUANG PRABANG, LAOS- ( part 3 ) ALMS GIVING

     

You don't have to come close to a temple in Luang Prabang to see Buddhist monks.... and you do not need to know anything about Buddhism to recognize them. These monks are unmistakeably dressed in bright orange or saffron colored outfits. The more brownish orange is reserved for the wise and senior. They fill the streets everywhere. You can hear them sing heavenly chants in Buddhist temples or see them walking around a temple with a disposable camera, taking pictures of Buddha statues, some of these monks even have cellphones. Yes, the thing that strikes many visitors to Luang Prabang, besides the beauty and the solitude of the place is the incredible number of Buddhist monks walking around.

Their appearance colours the streets. If you are awake at the crack of dawn... you might even see them going around the streets to collect food offered by Laotians or fellow tourists like me. They come in groups , sometimes alone.... but one thing for sure.... these monks walk with dignity. Dressed in those trademark saffron robes,  you will easily spot them walking in pairs, usually with an umbrella in hand to ward of sun rays or raindrops.

I was up very early one morning since Ton Lee ( the night manager at the Villa Treasure ) told me that one of the attractions in Luang Prabang was the Alms Giving every morning which starts at 5:30 am till 6:30am... where I will be able to see hundreds of saffron clothed monks walking down the streets.

At 5:00am....Oskie and I took a tuk tuk to Sisavangvong to witness this alms giving event. I even bought a small bucket of sticky rice and took my place in the sidewalk to wait for the monks to pass. Suddenly there is an orange line gleaming in the morning mist. A line of monks started to walk down the street... They looked like orange soldiers... in a single file... walking barefoot carrying a silver bucket where they will put whatever alms will be given to them. A line of Lao women is waiting, kneeling on mats with baskets of sticky rice, bananas and cookies. It was short after six o'clock in the morning. It is the daily procession of the monks through the streets of Luang Prabang. The women were ready to gain merits as they share some sticky rice to the monks. Merits are very important in Buddhism. Monks earn their merits through meditation, chanting and more rituals. One way women can earn merits is cooking and serving food to the monks, giving alms to them. When the monks pass by, the women take the food out of their baskets and put it on the bowls of the monks. It was indeed a magical moment!!

As they passed me... I stood up and tried to give my bucket of rice... but they didn't want to accept it... I looked puzzled at their reaction.. One Lao lady approached me and told me that I have to give a handful of sticky rice to each of the monks that passed me... I had to SHARE the sticky rice and not dump it on one of the monks... so -- I asked her if she could do it for me... while I continue taking photos of the monks.. and she obliged.

It was very surprising to see a considerable amount of very young monks ( the youngest monk I saw that morning was about 6 years old)... " They must have been found without parents to take care of them ", I said to myself.... I wanted to ask one monk if by staying in the monastery and becoming a monk was one way to pay for tribute to their survival.. and perhaps one day they will be able to better themselves when they finish their studies and find a job in the outside world....

If you pay a visit to any temple in town it is highly likely that a polite young monk-- or a group of them -- will initiate a conversation with you. Most of these curious, conversational monks are of the novice variety... they are usually in their teens still in school and not yet full-fledged men of the cloth. Many of these novice monks come from poor villages throughout Laos to live and study at the temples of Luang Prabang. Being Buddhist monks, they are focused on learning about the teachings of Buddha, but the novices also study a variety of academic subjects like English and Math. Many of the monks that I have met at Wat Mai... can understand and speak English. The monks that want to pursue their education at a university must relocate themselves to the capital of Luang Prabang which is Vientiane which has a university for monks.

I was lucky to have talked to a few monks and found out some things about them while I was in Luang Prabang. I would like to share them with you:


They shave their heads every 15 days.

They wake up at 4:00am every morning and go to the temple to pray before they start walking the streets of Luang Prabang for alms.

They only eat 2 meals a day. Breakfast and lunch. Breakfast consists of what they collect in the streets that morning and some donations from the villagers. Lunch to them is at 12:30pm.

At 6:00pm... the monks go to the temple to do their vespers... they chant verses and do some meditation afterwards. One evening I was in WAT MAI temple at around 6:30pm and I was able to hear the monks doing their evening chanting. It was so eerie !! It felt like I was stepping back into time. Can you imagine yourself sitting inside the centuries' old wats immersed in the sound of the monks chanting?? It gave me goosebumps when I was listening to them.

Between 7:00pm and 8:00pm -- they have their evening classes.

They are in bed by 9:00pm.

There are many beautiful natural attractions to see in Laos, everything from mysterious caves and pristine waterfalls to craggy mountains and raging rivers. Perhaps the attractions that sticks in most people's mind the longest though, are those charming monks in saffron robes.... I remember what one of the monks told me one afternoon while chatting with them in their temple......

" HAPPINESS ONLY MULTIPLIES, NEVER DECREASES, WHEN IT IS SHARED"...


                                           SABAI DEE !!!