Up early so that we can attend the Alms Giving Ceremony with the monks. Dating back to the 14th century, this is where the locals share some of their food to the monks. In return the monks give left overs to the poor. It must be remembered that the monks food source is the people that surround their temple. If the people are too poor to share the monks need to move on. However the tourists ensure that this is not the case in Luang Prabang. We line the main street with our basket of rice and cake bars, and await the arrival of the monks. We were a little late getting there so only had to give alms to half the attending monks. It is supposed to be a quiet period, however we are not too quiet. It ends too quickly given that we were there at 5:45am!! While waiting for the bus to take us back "home" we stop in to look at Wat Sop Sickharam, the temple where most of our monks came from.
Returning to the hotel via the local market with just enough time to have breakfast and a freshen up. Then we are off on our city tour. Our first port of call is the ex-Royal Palace, now the museum. The grounds still contain the temples of the palace, including the Gold Buddha plus the royals last cars. The royals left the palace in 1975 when the communist party took over governance of the country. Inside the museum are the many presents the royals received over the years from many countries, including a boomerang from Australia. The palace was built by the French in the early 1900's and given to the royals for supporting the French occupation. It is a very interesting look, but we have mixed messages about what happened to the last of the royal family. More research required. No photos allowed inside.
The next temple complex we visit is Wat Xieng Thong, an excellent example of 16th century architecture in Laos. It is richly decorated with glass and mirror tiles, the highlight being a painting of the tree of life that once stood in the grounds. As usual there are many Buddhas dotted around the temple complex.
We stop for morning tea overlooking the bamboo bridge, that the monks use to cross the Nam Khan river just before it meets the mighty Mekong.
The next stop is the UXO Centre which is short for Unexploded Ordinance Information Centre. This is about the ongoing process of ridding Laos of the unexploded bombs still littering the countryside from a war that happened over 40 years ago. Dubbed the Secret War, the bombs were a part of the Vietnam War but dropped on Laos to support the Royal family from the communists as well as disrupting supply lines into Vietnam. Australia is one of the countries supporting this process.
Our last port of call is a Living Craft Centre (East meets West) where the old ways of spinning silk and cotton, dying the results using the age old colours obtained from wood, spices and leaves and then weaving it into saleable items such as scarves, table cloths, etc., highlighting the age old patterns of the country. It is a very interesting stop over.
We are dropped back to hotel by a tuk tuk, and have an afternoon of leisure. It has been hot so an afternoon off in the cool is very nice. Another great day in this lovely country.
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| Alms Giving Ceremony (the receivers) |
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| Alms Giving Ceremony (the givers) |
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| Wat Sop Sickharam |
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| Wat Sop Sickharam |
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| Royal palace / Museum |
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| Wat Xieng Thong |
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| Wat Xieng Thong |
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| Wat Xieng Thong |
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| Wat Xieng Thong - Tree of Life |
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| Bamboo Bridge |
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| UXO Centre |
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| UXO Centre - Cluster bomb |
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| UXO Centre - countries aiding in the removal of bombs |
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| Living Craft Centre - dyed silk |
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| Living Craft Centre - a weaver at work |
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| Transport back |
Another excellent day in a fabulous country. We farewell Laos tomorrow - Carolyn
ReplyDeleteHave really enjoyed a taste of Laos here in Luang Prabang - the people, the sights, the food, the Buddhist atmosphere, the mighty Mekong ..... the icy cold Beerlao Lager !!! For a city of 400,000 people, it still has a village feel and appeal about it. The morning markets where the locals shop for fruit, veg, meat, fish, poultry, frogs, lizards, snails .... you name it to the more touristy but still enjoyable night markets that focus more on handicrafts, textiles, woodwork and the like. Looking forward to seeing more of this fascinating country in the not too distant future. Now on to “the big smoke” - Hanoi, Vietnam, a short 50 minute flight to another country, another currency, another cuisine.
ReplyDeleteBrought back great memories of my trip to Luang Prabang...
ReplyDelete