I took the slowboat 6 years ago and they definitely have made some upgrades since then but it's still just as slow. Slow is the best way to enjoy the Mekong River though. It's a two day journey drifting down the river of lush vegetation, fishermen with their giant fish nets and bamboo sun hats, naked children splashing in the riverbanks, and even an elephant sighting if you're lucky. It was a pretty nice trip considering some of the horror stories you hear. Seriously, if you google "slow boat Luang Prabang" you'll read some entertaining stories about tour scams, loud and obnoxious party people, and propellers falling off the boat and having to spend the night in the jungle. Luckily, our journey to Luang Prabang was boring and safe.
Luang Prabang
We woke up as the sun was rising to see the Buddhist Alms Giving Ceremony which is a venerable and humble ritual where locals (and tourists) line the streets offering food to the monks.
Since we were up so early, we had decided to get going on our day (after a quick 10min nap of course). First stop was Phousi. After climbing 300 some steps, we were honored with a spectacular view of the city, the river, and the surrounding mountains. The hill also contains numerous mini wats, Buddha statues in all positions, and an enlarged Buddha foot impression.
Next was the Royal Palace museum conveniently located across the street. It was once the main residence of the King Sisavong Vong during the French colonial era. It's your typical royal palace but what really makes the place are the Japanese glass murals on deep red walls. The grounds also has a royal theatre where a ballet of selections from Laos' version of the Ramayana is performed nightly, which we also saw.
It was only noon after our museum visit and we had only one thing left on our items of must-sees in the city: Wat Xieng Thong. A beautiful temple with roofs that practically sweep the ground and a golden tree of life is the main attraction.
After visiting the most important temple in Luang Prabang, we decided to sit staring out onto the might Mekong and contemplate our thoughts. Really it was because we saw all we wanted and didn't know what to do next. Luckily, two English students came up to us and asked if we wanted to be interviewed as part of their homework. Questions consisted of how do you like Luang Prabang, would you live here, and do you like Lao skirts? They have a presentation to give on us the following week! Too bad we couldn't stay long enough to see it.
We also visited Ock Pop Tok, a weaving center focused on textiles from different parts of Laos. Our textile man explained to us all the different types of weaving styles and patterns. We now know what tapestry means!
-Priscilla
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