Gilded Luang Prabang

Sunday, November 7, 2010

An optional early morning today, but how could I sleep-in when watching the monks collecting alms in the morning is one of the special things to see in Luang Prabang.  So, I struggled out of bed this morning and met J.P., Elli and Ela in the lobby.  The four of us walked into town and were in place by 5:25 when we found out that the monks wouldn’t be coming until 6am.  We sat in the cold mist of the morning trying to keep warm.  A few local older women set themselves along the road with pots of rice or fruit.  Eventually, we saw orange clad figures appear in the distance.  Walking at a steady pace, the first monk stopped at a woman who quickly scooped out some rice, placed it in the pot and got the next ready as the next monk approached.  There was a small batch of monks in the first group.  I crossed the street to try and get some better pictures before the next group arrived.

There were maybe 200 monks in bright orange robes in total who walked the streets.  Compared to the 1200 monks at the monastery in Mandalay, the scene was a bit of a letdown.  I know that’s sad to say, but in comparison it just wasn’t as impressive.  J.P. once again said that he hasn’t done this after a trip to Myanmar and realized that the numbers did seem low.  Oh well.  Guess that’s what I get for going to Myanmar.  Who knew?

J.P. walked us through the morning market, a few streets of women selling various fruits and vegetables and a few with handicrafts.  He bought sticky rice in bamboo for us to sample before taking us to his favorite coffee shop, Joma.  I enjoyed a fabulous latte and was tempted by all the baked goods.  A very Western style shop.  From there, we walked back to the hotel for breakfast.  As part of our tour, the group was headed to a waterfall, but I chose to stay in Luang Prabang because I wanted more time in town.  The city is an array of gilded temples and French colonial buildings.  However, a number of buildings in the center have been converted to boutique hotels and restaurants.  It reminds me a lot of Hoi An but without the pedestrian streets.  This type of city appeals to me, but I do realize it’s not quite what it used to be.

My first stop was Wat Visurnarat, just a couple minutes walk from the hotel, which contains the largest Buddha in the city.  I also explored Wat Aham which was next door.  Since it was early in the day, Dala market was only partially opened when I walked through the various shops.  Taking J.P.’s recommendation (and our itinerary) I went to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center, a very small museum dedicated to various ethnic groups in Laos.  There were fantastic photographs, religious artifacts, clothing and household objects and a study of Taoism.  I didn’t realize there so much was involved in Taoist religious ceremonies.

I wandered through the main street and down some side streets before coming to Wat Nong Sikhounmuan.  There were tables set up at the entrance to the Wat filled with locals; I felt like I was interrupting a celebration as I was the only tourist aimlessly walking around.   I strolled along the waterfront making my way to Wat Xieng Thong, one of the finest examples of a Lao monastery, with low-sweeping eaves, stone mosaics and intricate carvings.  It was built by King Setthathirat in 1559 and is one of the few buildings to have survived the successive Chinese raids at the end of the 19^th century.  A beautiful mosaic of the ‘Tree of Life’ adorns the rear of the sim.  Inside, there were eight wooden pillars with gold stenciled designs.  The temple doors were amazing (I’ve noticed that I pay more attention to temple doors and windows after having spent time with Margaret and Roger in Chiang Rai).

I took a side street on my way out of the Wat and passed by an old woman eating fruit (I’m not sure what it is called).  As I looked at her, she held up a piece of fruit for me.  I’d read in my book that Lao people like to share their food, but at first I turned her down and asked to take a photo instead.  She obliged and after showing her the picture (she looks grumpy but she was actually quiet friendly), she offered me the fruit once again.  This time I accepted.  I actually hadn’t tried it yet and I sucked on the small juicy bubbles spitting out the seeds.  Refreshing in the heat.

Friendly woman who shared her fruit

Walking along Sakkaline I passed a number of wats, and ran into three guys speaking English.  One of them had purchased a bracelet from a little girl selling them along the street and he didn’t want it; so he gave it to me.  We all chatted for a bit.  They’ve been hanging out in Luang Prabang for a week and asked my opinion on the Pak Ou cave since they hadn’t been yet.  Since we clearly had different agendas for the day, I headed off down the street looking for Les Restaurant 3 Nagas (recommended in my Food & Travel article). 

The restaurant was a bit more expensive than I’d hoped but I decided to take a seat anyway.  One of the waitresses was from Bali and had only been in Luang Prabang for a couple months.  She was super chatty and suggested a fish dish.  When I refused rice, she told me “sticky rice keeps you full longer” to which I replied, “I don’t want to be full longer” since my stomach still didn’t feel normal.  I can’t remember what the dish was called, but it looked very similar to what I ordered last night except that there we actual pieces of fish (rather than fish mush) in the banana leaf with pork inside.  Much better than yesterday.  The free breadsticks weren’t bad either.  I just drank water because I’d already decided to get a fruit shake on the main street, and my bill still ended up at $10.  (I know that sounds cheap, but given this is Asia, $10 is a lot for a one-dish meal.)

In the top heat of the day, I continued exploring Luang Prabang, first stopping for a mixed fruit drink and taking a break on the waterside to rest in the shade, before walking to the Nam Phou Fountain (sadly it was turned off).  I was about to walk past Joma when I saw J.P. go inside; I sat with him while he ate a late lunch. 

Since I still had a 1.5 hours until sunset, I went to Wat Manolom, built by the nobles of Luang Prabang to entomb the ashes of King Samsenthai. The Wat isn’t in the tourist center of town and I saw a group of women playing some type of dice game.  At the wat, I couldn’t go inside to see the large armless bronze Buddha but ended up talking with a monk who wanted to practice his English.  Today was all about the people I met along the way.

My monk friend (on the right)

From there, I headed towards Mount Phousi to watch the sunset, taking the less crowded stairs on the east side of the hill.  There is a chedi at the top of the hill, but the main attraction is the views.  With lots of time to kill, I sat listening to my iPod watching the Mekong flowing in the distance.  There were so many people around that I ended up coming down before the sun actually went behind the hill; I’d seen enough.  The night market was in full swing when I came down the mountain near the Royal Palace and I stopped to purchase a few scarves and a small drawing.

The group, sans Donna and Norm, met at 7:30 to go to dinner at Lao Lao Garden, a beautiful garden setting with large fire pits. Ela and Jacek ordered the grill (which looked delicious but seemed to be way too much food) and I tried the minced chicken with lemongrass.  Excellent flavors.  A perfect end to my busy day in Luang Prabang.  Wish I could spend a bit more time here.