Exploring Luang Prabang

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Day 5: Luang Prabang

Meals included: 1 breakfast

​In the morning we have the option to rise early to view the procession of monks on their daily outing collecting alms, a practice that dates back centuries. The people of the town wait out the front of their houses with food for the monks to collect and take back to the temple. It is done early as the monks cannot eat anything after midday. By giving food to a monk you 'het bon' or make merit, which should augur well for your next life! 

Following breakfast we visit the major temples, including the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong, which nestles at the meeting of the Mekong and the Nam Khan rivers, and Wat Wisunalat, which is the oldest temple in the city. After our tour we enjoy the chance to walk around the local shops, which are well known for their hand-weaving and other interesting artifacts. Here is a chance for the shoppers to try their hand at bargaining. 

We visit the National Museum at the former Royal Palace, an interesting structure that dates from the early years of the 20th Century and combines traditional Lao architecture with French colonial influence. The collection of treasures and artifacts reflects the richness of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through to the last sovereign, who was deposed in 1975. 

In the afternoon we embark on another highlight of our stay - a 29 kilometres journey south of town to visit the beautiful Kuang Si Waterfalls. In the evening in Luang Prabang we are free to make further discoveries including walking around the popular Night Bazaar. Another great optional activity is to sample a traditional Lao massage and herbal sauna.

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We arose early 4:45 so that we could observe the morning ritual of the Buddhist Monks walking through town collecting food from faithful donors. We walked into the village at a round about where monks file by with the their temple bothers.  It is not a well organized event, as monks come from various directions and exit the round about in the which  direction the head monk chooses.  Senior monks are in front with those of lessor senority following  behind.  Monks under twenty wear yellow sashes to indicate that they are novice.

We sat in a darkened cafe waiting for 45 minutes until the first monks started to approach.  We were beginning to think they had slept in.  It was just beginning to show some signs of dawn when the monks started to walk single file rather quickly.  Getting too close is inappropriate as is using a flash so  photographing this activity was quite frustrating.  Nevertheless, we captured a few somewhat poor photos.

We returned to our hotel for breakfast  and then set out to explore the town visiting walking through the morning food market marveling at the food so different from the western world.

Python Meat

Pink Eggs!  Boiled in Horse Urine

Yum, smoked rats

the old royal palace that is now a museum.  Some of the interesting artifacts were gifts to Laos from the USA  which included a moon rock and two small Laotian flags that had made a trip to the moon with our astronauts.

One of the temples we visited was being renovated with a sizable donation from America. Tiles were being taken off and relayed.  One of the monks was replacing gold leaf on wood carvings.  This particular Temple was the one our guide Tui belonged to when he was a monk.

We walked along the river enjoying the sights and sounds of Luang Prabang. 

After lunch on our own, we boarded a bus to the Kuang Si Waterfall.  We took a short hike up the waterfall trail, passing a bear preserve where injured Asian Moon Bears are taken care of when they are injured and cannot be released into the wild.

The milky blue water flowing down the river comes from a spring high on the mountain,  laden with minerals, then drops over an escarpment hundreds of feet below.  Over time the minerals have formed lovely flat cascading pools that are wonderful for swimming, and we did.  The cool, fresh water was invigorating.

Jan, Russ, and Roz

Roz, Jan, Russ, and Dennis

Tonight, we are on our own, and soon as I get this blog posted, we are heading down town to the night market and out for dinner. Tomorrow, we leave for a full day's drive through Laos toward Vientiane, the capitol.   

All is Well With  The Worrall Travel R's

Entering Laos, Traveling down the Mekong River

Monday, February 11, 2013

Our Itinerary reads:

Day 3: Huay Xai - Pakbeng

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Activities:

Today is a very early start as we need to leave Chiang Rai before dawn and travel approximately 2½ hours to Chiang Khong. After completing border formalities we take a small boat across the Mekong River to Huay Xai, our first stop in Laos. For centuries Huay Xai was a disembarkation point for Yunnanese caravans led by the Chinese Muslims on their way to Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, in ancient Siam. Today it is a hustling ferry town on the banks of the Mekong River. 

We transfer to the boat pier, where we board our slow boat for the trip down the Mekong River. The pace is very relaxed - a perfect way to observe the local lifestyle close up. We arrive in the evening in Pakbeng; a colourful village situated at the junction of the Mekong River and the smaller Beng River, hence the town's name 'Pak' meaning 'mouth' in Lao. Hmong and tribal Thais are frequently seen on the main street of Pakbeng, and small vendors along the street sell local textiles and handicrafts. We spend the night in a simple hostel. Please be warned that the accommodation standard is very basic, but also bear in mind that you are travelling in a remote area. Please have an open mind and come with an adventurous spirit!

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We set our alarm for 5:00 a.m., checked out at 5:45, ate breakfast from 6:00-6:15 while our bags were being loaded into the taxi van.  We drove for an hour and a half and watched the sunrise through the mist of the Thai landscape.  Our van dropped us off at the edge of the Mekong River, where we checked out of Thailand, and boarded long boats.

I was a little worried when I saw these boats as they were very small, and I couldn't imagine riding for seven hours down the river in one of them.  Fortunately, these boats were just ferrying us over to the Laotian side of the river..a few minutes ride.    We clamored out of the boats onto the wet and muddy bank and up a steep little hill to the Lao check point.

Getting Used to The Squeeze

 We filled out the necessary visa paperwork using the backs of our passports for a writing surface, then jostled our way  through throngs of entering tourists to the visa application window where we  we turned  in our passports, and the passports disappeared for 20 minutes or more.  The system was not well organized by border patrol. 

There were no formal queues for the two side by side windows, one to turn in the passports and the other to retrieve the processed documents and pay $35.00 each.  There was no searing and the space could comfortably accommodate about 10 people, five in a queue (if there were a queue).  Unfortunately, there were probably 40 people jammed into the area with no space between bodies.  Moving from one window to the next was necessary but nearly an impossibility.

When passports were turned in, no one wanted to leave the area until they got their passport back because the Laotians couldn't or wouldn't call out the names of people. Instead the pay window person would hold up the passport photo page, and we would all try to identify the people in the room from the awful mug shot photos and try to separate the Red Sea for the person to make his/her way across the throngs to the second window.  It was quite an experience.  Everyone for the most part was good natured about the chaos.  Eventually, our party had their passport/visa in hand, and we were on our way.

We climbed up the hill to the taxi stand in a small hillside village then clamored into a tuktuk truck bed with seats.  The driver tried to start the engine a dozen times with no success.  We were in the process of abandoning the vehicle when the engine finally fired up and we were on our way.  We drove a couple of miles to a shore where several long river boats with bows in the mud awaited passengers.  

The boat captains and their families live in the back end of their boats.  We boarded a charming long boat the housed passengers in the front and family members in the back. 

We spent the day traveling 120 km down river, enjoying a wonderful Laotian cooked meal of sticky rice, vegetables, fried fish, and two types of soup, one of which was a chicken vegetable rice noodle, and the other a chicken pineapple squash soup that was deliciously spicey hot.

Pleasantly warm weather and cold beer made for a wonderful afternoon as we watched villagers along the river fishing, walking, boating, and panning for gold.

All is Well with the Worrall Travel R's Floating Down the Mekong River in Laos

Slow Boat to Luang Prabang, Laos

Tuesday, February12, 2013 - Lincoln's Birthday

Day 4: Luang Prabang

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Activities:

​We continue on our private slow boat on our journey down the Mekong River, gaining more insights into local rural life along the way. 

Just before arriving at Luang Prabang we stop at Pak Ou (meaning 'mouth of the Ou River'), where the famous Tam Ting Cave houses thousands of Buddha images of various shapes and sizes, all brought there by devoted villagers. 

We also stop at the village of Ban Sang Hai, where they make the potent local rice-wine. Our travel time will vary greatly, depending on the water levels, but we hope to arrive in Luang Prabang in the early evening. This beautiful town, with its gleaming temple roofs, fading French architecture and stunning mountain backdrop, has been claimed by UNESCO to be 'the best preserved city in South East Asia'.

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We arrived at our guest house last night (Monday, February 11) in the little village of Pak Beng on the Mekong River about 5:00 pm.  A small group of young boys were waiting on the steep incline to the muddy shore for the boat to arrive.  For 10,000 kip = $1.25/ per bag, the boys would lug our bags up the steep incline and to the village guesthouse. 

Some of these children, some looking younger than ten would take the smaller bags.  Most of these boys were already not attending school and working to help support their families.  The families along the Mekong live very simply without a lot of material goods and with shack or thatched roof shelters, many without electricity or running water.

The night markets in the villages are often second jobs for families who have worked in their farming areas during the day.  Goods and services are very inexpensive for us travelers, but that also translates into poor wages for the locals.  We all could have rolled our own luggage into the village, but decided it would be a good thing not to disappoint these eager young boys.

Mark, Eva, Joyce, Roz, Dennis, Aaron, Jan, Russ, Moh

Our guest house was clean and modest, run by a young couple who had recently married and renovated an older establishment.  We freshened up and walked from the guest house to the village for dinner.  Our guide took us to a restaurant where we enjoyed minced meat ((chicken, beef, pork, or fish) stir fry with lemon and spices, sticky rice and steamed vegetables.  It was delicious.  we also enjoyed our evening with our Laotian guide who lives with his family in Luang Prabang.  He is 36 years old, a former Buddhist monk, now with 4 of his own children, and two of his younger siblings who he cares for since his parents both recently died.  He himself is from a family of 10 children.

The Laotian culture is much like the culture of Fiji and some of the Pacific islands where caring for your elderly parents keeps families close knit and living under one roof or in close proximity of one a other.  Roles of Mother, Father, Auntie, Uncle are shared and mixed.  It is not uncommon for a couple to give their baby to a sibling to raise.  Everyone shares care responsibility for the young.  With as little as people have, they seem happy and content.

Eighty percent of the country is "Buddhist", even though all do not actively practice Buddhism, they try to follow Buddhist principles.

Today, Tuesday, Feb 12, 

We awoke to a cool mist hugging the trees and the river valley.  We could see some elephants being bathed by their driver on the opposite bank of the river, the same river that swells high up the banks during the flood season, provides four hundred species of fish for catching and eating, water to pan gold, irrigate small peanut farms on sandy dunes, wash clothes in, dump sewage in.

Every guest house and hotel provide bottled water for tourists.  I don't know what the locals drink on a regular basis, but it may be collected rain water.  Hopefully it is not the river water.

After breakfast of omelette, bread and thick Lao coffee, we trek down to the river and re-board our boat.  We snuggle up in blankets as it is on the chilly side.

Neighboring boat says goodbye

It is 11:00 a.m. and the mist in the valley has burnt off.  It's time to shed the blankets and jackets.We have another authentic Lao cooked lunch of chicken, rice, vegetables, soup, and fresh watermelon. 

First Mate and Chef, Lao Guide Tui on Right

The river slips by as the afternoon sun begins to dip behind the mountains.  We make two more stops before reaching Luang Probang.

Tam Ting Caves

 
 The first stop was to the Tam Ting Caves high above the river where there is a Buddhist Temple and shrine.  Worshippers bring Buddhas and add to the collection.  There are several hundreds placed around the cave alcoves.  It is now quite warm and humid.  By the time we reach the top of the many stairs in the upper cave, we are ready to feel our way with torches into the dark and cool cavern.

Once again we are on the river for another 15 minutes before stopping in Ban Sang Hai where the locals make a potent rice whiskey.  We had a taste.  It was pretty good, but then neither of us really drink whiskey so we aren't the best judges.. The most interesting bottle had a pickled cobra with a snake in its mouth.

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In addition to the 400 year old distillery, there is a well maintained Buddhist temple and several women who weave and embroider wall hangings, blankets, table cloths and table runners.  We bought three items and took a photo of each of the artists.

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When we finished our visit we only had about a half hour more on the boat before thanking our boat captain and his wife for the leisurely two days floating/motoring down the Mekong.

We disembarked, hauled our luggage up the hill to the tuktuks, wound our way through the city to a small guest house, unloaded all of the luggage and entered the lobby only to find out we were in the wrong hotel.  Ok!  glad our guide speaks  Thai and Laotian as she was able to get it figured out.  Each time she has taken a trip, different boats and hotels are used.

We loaded our luggage back on the tuktuks and reached the second and correct hotel.  it looked  little more upscale than the first one.  We have a king sized bed, air conditioning, television and Wifi!  Whoo Hoo!  Think I can get these blogs sent out.

We will be exploring Luang Probang tomorrow and spending two nights in one place.  We'll be doing some laundry tonight, yeah!

All is well with the Worrall Travel R's