11/2: Luang Prabang: 'Wat' a Haircut!

Luang Prabang’s (LP from now on) Morning Market is set up daily just a couple of minutes’ walk from our guesthouse; it starts by 5 and closes up mid morning which is when we walked past on the way to the Palace Museum.

Chili peppers

Photos from Palace Museum:

Not 5 minutes beyond the Market is the former Royal Palace aka Palace Museum. It was constructed in 1904 as the residence of King Sisavang Vong. The Museum is comprised of many separate buildings, all open to tourists but not to their cameras unfortunately. 

In a room at the front of the former Palace, above, is the stunning Pha Bang Buddha image after which the city was named in 1506. The 32” tall image was almost pure gold and legend says it originated in Sri Lanka in the 1^st C. It was presented to the Khmers who gave it to King Fa Ngum but the Siamese twice seized the image before returning it to Laos in 1867. The Pha Bang Buddha shared a room with several beautifully embroidered sill screens and elephant tusks.

The rest of the huge Palace housed a substantial collection of regalia, portraits, diplomatic gifts, art treasures, friezes, murals and mosaics. How I wished I could have taken photos and shared the Palace’s beauty with you. 

We had had to take off our shoes while walking through the former residence so put them back on before continuing our tour of the grounds. According to the sign, the Vor Prabang, above, is used in Buddhist ceremonies during the Laos New Year in mid April to carry the Prabang Buddha from the Museum to Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham next door where the Prabang Buddha remains for 3 days and 2 nights. It takes 16 people to carry the image on the Vor Prabang.

             Called the Rain Tree because it look like rain falling – duh!

More photos from the stunning Palace Museum:

On the other side of the street from the Palace Museum rises Mount Phu Si, the rocky 330’ hill that dominates the center of LP. So guess what we did next? Climb it of course!

                                                  Wat Paa Huak at the base of Phu Si.

                                                            Offerings for sale 

After looking at the exterior of the Wat Paa Huak briefly, we climbed 328 steps as they wound up the forested slopes to the summit.

What magnificent views from the summit across the ancient city with the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers encircling the historic UNESCO protected peninsula.

Photos from That Chom Si:

At the summit of Mt Phui Si was the 79’ high That Chom Si, a gilded stupa in classical Lao form according to my notes.

River of wax from melted candles.

After walking around the stupa and taking in the beautiful views at the summit, we began walking down the back steps on the other side of Mount Phui Si and overlooking the Nam Khan River.

Photos as we walked down Mt Phui Si:

Rusting anti-aircraft gun near the summit of Mt Phui Si which was pointed toward the Nam Khan River.

Saw golden statue after golden statue –it was just mind boggling!

Above, Wat Tham Phu Si: A cave shrine housing a Buddha image of 'rather wide girth.'

Close by the main road at the bottom of the hill was Wat Pha Phutthabaat, a temple containing a 10’ Buddha footprint dating from the late 14^th C. 

One big foot!

Almost back down on the Nam Khan River side of LP. It’s the end of the rainy season now so soon a footbridge will be constructed here linking the 2 sides of the river so people don’t have to go so far out of their way and use the permanent bridge.

After I munched on a ‘pain au chocolat’ at the French bakery Le Banneton (Steven didn’t want any of their decadent treats), we then walked to almost the tip of the peninsula to view LP’s most renowned temple, Wat Xieng Thong aka Golden City Monastery.

 Photos of Wat Xieng Thong:

Its waterside location on the banks of the Mekong River indicates the importance of river transport on Laos. The temple was built in 1560 and was patronized by the monarchy right up until 1975. It is one of the few temples that wasn’t destroyed during the Black Flag Army invasion of 1887. The Wat’s low sweeping roofs, extending almost to the ground, are typical LP style.

There are two entrances to the temple: We entered via the road through an elaborate gateway topped with a circular stupa. The Mekong River entry used to be the main entry point in previous centuries and it was the entry that the King used when he arrived by boat from the Royal Palace. 

On the left above  is the Ho Trai, the library where the Tripitaka or Buddhist scriptures are kept.

The first building we saw was the Royal Funerary Chariot Hall which was completed in 1969 and contains the funeral carriage of King Sisavang Vong who died in 1959. Inside the carriage are three very elaborate urns that used to contain the ashes of the King, his father and his mother.

Note the elaborately decorated large Naga snakes at the front of the carriage.

 Never seen statues of monks with robes on before.

Photos of Wat Xieng Thong Sim:

According to guidebooks, Wat Xieng Thong’s most impressive building is the sim, the temple’s congregation hall above. The sim’s interior was very extensively decorated with intricate gold stenciling on black lacquer. Large stenciled teak wood pillars support the roof; its walls are stenciled in gold on black lacquer with floral motifs, animals and scenes of daily life  One of the walls contains a depiction of the Heavens with the Buddha and several deities, the Earth with people and trees, and the Hells with pictures of people receiving punishments for their sins. 

The sim’s back wall, above and below, contains a colorful mosaic of the Tree of Life on a red background; it was made in the 1960’s. 

Photos from La Chapelle Rouge:

Adjacent to the sim was a smaller building dubbed by the French La Chapelle Rouge or Red Chapel. In the chapel is a unique reclining Buddha that 'employs Lao proportions, especially the robe curling outwards at the ankles, and the graceful position of the hand supporting the head.'

The Chapel's exterior walls, above and below, contain colorful mosaics on a red background. The upper part of the mosaics show the Heavens, the lower part the Earth with houses and people engaging in daily activities. They were created in the 1950’s to commemorate the Buddha reaching Nirvana 2,500 years before. 

Photos walking along the Mekong River back to the Manichan Guesthouse:

Some parts of Luang Prabang are exquisite and you can see why the city was awarded the UNESCO designation.

Tuk tuks are everywhere in Luang Prabang and can take up to 9 passengers; there were 9 of us in one at one point AND with everyone's suitcases and backpacks. The latter luckily were stored on top!

!!!

You frequently see orange peels drying in LP; wonder if they are for flavoring teas?

As some of you know, Steven and I left Denver at the end of August for this wonderful adventure. That means I haven't had a haircut and, also, gasp, gasp, colored my hair for close to three months - easily one month too long on both accounts! I finally decided I could no longer stand my hair as it was and needed a hair cut right away. I asked Venus, the guesthouse's beautiful female Laotian owner, for help finding a beauty salon and she looked at me with almost pity in her eyes saying she waits to have her hair cut til she goes to Thailand!

She absolved herself from any responsibility for how I might look and finally wrote out directions in Laotian for me to give to the 'stylist' and pointed Steven and me to a place around the corner where her husband, Andy, gets his hair cut! 

Didn't realize I was sitting in the 'wrong' salon until Steven, my hand holder, noticed another place while I was waiting in the shop above. I had given a young woman the note Venus had written out for me but she neglected to tell me her name wasn't the one Venus had indicated! So off I trotted to the 'right' salon.

While I was waiting, Steven kept asking me if I were nervous getting a cut in a small salon in Luang Prabang but I assured him I couldn't wait to feel like myself again or possibly a new version of myself depending on what I ended up looking like!

Before and after shots! Although the 'real' after shot came an hour or so later after my date with Lady Clairol! The woman did a great job cutting my hair even though she knew no English and didn't 'ask' me what I wanted in terms of style or how much I wanted chopped off. The price, including a 25% tip, was 50,000 kip or about $6.25.

As Steven said. 'Wat a haircut!'

Posted on 11/7 from Luang Prabang, Laos.